Environmental Studies in Singapore

Introduction

Hello! I am Pei Yun, a year 2 environmental studies major in NUS Bachelor of Environmental Studies (BES). In this article I will share more about some information and my personal experience in applying for and studying environmental studies in Singapore, mainly focusing on NUS BES.

Environmental studies in SG

Since I applied to both NUS BES and NTU Environmental Earth Systems Science (E2S2), I will summarise their similarities and differences in this segment. Do note that there may be some changes to the information below so always refer to the course websites for the most updated information! Another option would be Yale-NUS but since I do not have any firsthand experience with that, I’ll just drop their link here.

Both NUS and NTU have interdisciplinary environmental studies programmes where students can take modules from different faculties and areas of study. Some differences between the 2 programmes are summarised in the table below.

During your application, it would be good if you knew the following (because they may be potential interview questions):

1. Why you want to study environmental studies

2. Which specialisation you are going to take and why

3. Trends and developments in the environment (basically what is happening to the environment)

Personal experience

In general there is a lecture-tutorial style of teaching but depending on the modules taken there may also be labs/field trips. The assessment format is a mix of exams, essays, communication materials and group projects depending on the modules taken.

The main highlight of the programme so far for me will be the field trips because it is where I feel I learn the most from my profs/classmates. Some modules also require you to go for events and collect data at different places as part of the assessment. Since BES is an interdisciplinary programme, I also enjoyed taking environment-related modules in other faculties such as architecture.

How do you know if environmental studies is for you?

For me, I joined BES because of its interdisciplinary nature and my interest in environmental issues.

You can talk to seniors and look through the graduation module requirements to get a sense of how the course is like. If you are trying to decide between courses, do talk to seniors and look through possible modules that you will take to get a better understanding of what you will be learning and see if the content interests you! You can also look into the career options for your intended courses (some examples for environmental studies would be research, policy-making or corporate social responsibility) but you can also take the chance to diversify your skill sets and explore other areas you might be interested in!

Thank you for reading and all the best for your university applications!