The National University of Singapore (NUS) will offer two new graduate programmes in fintech in the new academic year, to help build a robust ecosystem of high-quality research talent and capabilities to support the fast-growing financial industry in Singapore.
The new Masters and PhD programmes are under the Asian Institute of Digital Finance (AIDF) at NUS, a university-level institute jointly founded by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the National Research Foundation Singapore (NRF) and NUS.
The PhD programme, in particular, is Singapore’s first and only doctoral programme in fintech.
“In this golden age of technology, banks are becoming more efficient as more operational processes are being automated by AI, and decision making is assisted by sophisticated data analytics. Such advancement is rapidly reshaping the financial services sector.
At the same time, financial institutions are facing rapid market changes and intensified global competition. In-demand skillsets such as competencies in digital technologies and innovation, which our new Masters and PhD programmes are designed to impart, will give our graduates a significant competitive advantage to thrive in the industry,”
shared Associate Professor Huang Ke-Wei, Director of Academic Programmes at AIDF, who is also from the NUS School of Computing (NUS Computing).
Masters of Science in Digital Financial Technology
The 1.5-year Masters of Science in Digital Financial Technology is a collaborative programme by AIDF, NUS Computing and NUS Business School.
With an intake of 40 to 50 students, the Masters programme is designed primarily for those who plan to work in financial institutions or fintech firms as AI software developers, data scientists, FinTech security specialists, or financial quantitative analysts.
The programme also offers elective modules that cover deep computing and finance expertise to help prepare graduates for future challenges in fintech.
Students will undertake a two-semester long capstone project which is designed to help them pick up in-depth skills and knowledge in a focused area such as artificial intelligence, machine learning or data analytics via experiential learning.
They can choose either an academic research project, or a fintech internship to gain industry work experience that supports the acquisition of practical work skills and self-directed learning.
PhD in Digital Financial Technology
The PhD in Digital Financial Technology programme will be hosted jointly by the NUS Graduate School and AIDF. The programme will admit talented students with computing, finance, or STEM background.
In the unique design of the PhD programme, each student is guided by his/her own academic committee consisting of three faculty members from at least two different faculties. This academic committee will advise the student on coursework and research matters.
Students can take classes based on a personalised curriculum on the recommendations of his or her academic committee. They can take classes directly related to their research projects in areas such as AI or machine learning in finance, smart credit analytics, blockchain innovations, fintech infrastructure, economics of fintech innovations, or advanced time series forecasting.
Applications to the new Masters and PhD programmes are now open until 15th April 2021.
Featured image credit: NUS
