National Institute of Education (NIE), Singapore

Entry Requirements

Academic Requirements

The minimum criteria for admission are:

a. A good Bachelor’s degree which is recognised by NIE/NTU
b. Additional requirements as stipulated in a specific programme

Please note that acceptance into a Master’s degree programme is on a competitive basis. Meeting the minimum requirements does not imply automatic acceptance.

PDCM Sponsorship Requirements

c. Division I Officers and recognised as a graduate teacher by MOE
d. At least 2 years of trained teaching experience
e. Singapore citizen or permanent resident
f. Must be employed by MOE on a permanent basis (ie. contract teachers, adjunct teachers and expatriate teachers are not eligible)
g. A good work performance grade obtained for the latest assessment year

Please note that the Enhanced PDCM-Masters scheme sponsorship is subject to approval from MOE. Submission of an application is not tantamount to gaining the sponsorship.

Structure

The structure of the Enhanced PDCM-Masters scheme is as follows:

• Two intakes per year - January and August
  • Only a few programmes/specialisations are offered in both intakes. Most are offered either in the January OR August intake. Please note that NIE does a larger offering of programmes in the January intake.


• Candidature for part-time master’s programme
  • Minimum period of 2 years and maximum period of 4 years
  • Requirement of ten 3AUs (academic units) courses to graduate
  • Students under this scheme are expected to complete their study programme between 2½ to 3½ years.


• A number of programmes typically comprise a mix of “semester” and “inter-semester” courses. Students will have some flexibility in the choice of
  • some specialization and elective courses
  • taking one or two courses per semester

[Please note that the following FOUR programmes offer “semester’ courses only – MA(Applied Linguistics), MA (Educational Management), MSc (Life Sciences) and MSc (Mathematics for Educators)]

• “Semester” courses will be conducted during January or August semester
  • These are 13-weeks long courses
  • Venue for classes will be at a centralised venue (unless NIE venue is specified)
  • Classes are scheduled in the evening from 6 to 9 pm.
  • Students must note their availability when selecting a course that runs on a particular day of the week.


• “Inter-semester” courses will be conducted during the June vacation only
  • These are 5½-days intensive courses held over the 2nd and 3rd weeks of the June vacation.
  • Course offerings include the core course e.g. MED871 and MED872 including some elective courses.
  • Venue for classes will be at NIE campus
  • Classes are usually scheduled from 9 am to 5 pm.

Teachers as adult learners under this Enhanced PDCM-Masters scheme are expected to have ownership of their own learning growth and professional development. They must be independent in pursuing their study goals and self-direct their progress. The table below shows 3 possible time-frames for completion of study programme.

Unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances such as medical reasons, National Service, school workload, participation in overseas school trips or conferences may affect the time-frame of teachers’ study programme. As such, you may take a longer duration to complete taking all courses required for graduation. It is critical that you note when the affected course(s) will be next offered. You are also to note that admission into a course depends on available vacancies at the time of course registration.

You may apply for course accreditation/ credit transfer up to a total of 4 courses. You are exempted from taking courses in which you have been given accreditation (please see below for details on course accreditation)

Fees

Students will make a one-time payment at the point of matriculation. MOE will subsidise for the minimum number of courses required for graduation. MOE will not pay towards courses that students withdraw from or failed. If you are granted course accreditation/ credit transfer, MOE will only subsidise the remaining number of courses required for graduation.

Upon completion of the Master’s programme, you will have to serve a one-year bond with MOE. You will have to sign the Letter of Undertaking with MOE before the commencement of the Master’s programme.

You will have to pay for taking courses under the following circumstances:

1. Withdrawal from a course
   
   If you withdraw from a course within the first two weeks of the semester (and for inter-semester course, by the second lesson), the course will be removed from your record without additional cost. However, if you withdraw from a course after the first 2 weeks of the semester (or after the second lesson for inter-semester course) and up to a week before the examination period (up to the last lesson for inter-semester course), you will have to pay for:
   • the prevailing course fee (plus GST); and
   • an administrative fee of S$53.50 for the late withdrawal. Also, a grade ‘W’ for withdrawal will be reflected against the affected course in your transcript.


2. Failure in a course
   
   You will have to pay for a course that you fail. You will be billed the prevailing course fees plus GST at the point when you fail the course.


3. Taking an extra course not subsidised by MOE
   
   You may take additional course(s) for the following reasons:
   • when you fail to fulfill the graduation requirements, that is, attaining a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.50 and thus need to take additional courses to improve on his/hers CGPA score.
     
     [Note: The onus is on you as students to inform the Office of Academic Administration and Services (OAAS) of the additional course(s) that you need to take and to pay for the extra courses at the prevailing fee plus GST. The application form for taking of additional courses is available from the NIE Portal.]


4. Extension of dissertation for students doing the Coursework with Dissertation Route
   
   No extra fees will be borne if you are on the dissertation route as long as your dissertation is confirmed by your supervisor(s) to be ready for examination and is submitted to NIE’s OAAS within the allowable time span for the programme. The time span allowed is up to 4 years. If you need more time beyond this duration, you will have to pay the prevailing fees.


5. Other circumstances
   
   • If you withdraw from the Master’s programme while still in service, you will pay liquidated damages to MOE with the amount equivalent to the fees paid by MOE for the completed courses.
   • In the event that you resign (i.e. no longer an employee of MOE), you must pay liquidated damages to MOE. Similarly, if you fail to serve the one-year bond after the completion of the Master’s programme, you must pay liquidated damages to MOE.
   • If you resign from MOE, you can still continue with the Master’s programme but will have to pay the prevailing regular semester fees from that point onwards (i.e. to pay the same fees as a Direct Entry student).

Instructions for Applying for the Enhanced PDCM-Masters Scheme

Applicants are to prepare and submit the following relevant documents. Please arrange documents in the following order for submission.

1. Printout of the Application Form and with the Affirmation Section duly signed.
2. A non-refundable application fee of S$21.40 is chargeable. If submitting a cheque/bank draft drawn on a bank in Singapore, it must be made payable to "National Institute of Education". For cash/NETS payment made at NIE’s Student Services Centre, please enclose the receipt.
3. Passport-sized photograph to be affixed on the application form
4. The completed Supplementary Information Form for applicants who are applying for admission to Master of Teaching programme. Please download the form here.
5. Certified true copy of Bachelor’s Degree Scroll
6. Certified true copy of complete transcript for Bachelor’s Degree. If a complete transcript is not available, include a complete photocopied set of examination results for every semester.
7. Certified true copy of Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) Degree Scroll and/or other professional certificates.
8. Certified true copy of complete transcript for professional qualifications (including PGDE, Certificate in Education, etc). If a complete transcript is not available, please include a complete photocopied set of examination results for every semester. If the professional qualification does not have a transcript/examination results please indicate this on the application.
9. A photocopy of National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) (both sides). If an applicant does not have a NRIC document, please provide a copy of your passport information page(s) (containing the passport number, name, etc)

IMPORTANT:

1. Please do not submit any original copy of your certificates and documents with your application. OAAS will not be responsible for damage or loss of original certificates or documents]
2. An incomplete application will not be considered.

Please send your application to:

Manager (Admissions & Student Records), Higher Degrees
Office of Academic Administration and Services
Blk 1, Level 1, Unit 1
National Institute of Education
1 Nanyang Walk
Singapore 637616

Course Accreditation/ Credit Transfer

If you have taken NIE’s Master courses (via TRAISI) prior to your admission to the Master programme, you may apply for accreditation/ credit transfer of up to a maximum of four (4) courses, after you have been offered admission. This is on condition that the courses to be accredited are relevant to the Master’s degree that you intend to pursue and are of grade C+ or higher. The validity period for accreditation/ credit transfer of a course is 5 years from the date of award of the course as reflected in the official result slip / transcript.  The course must not have been used for accreditation/ credit transfer into another programme.