Singapore, 27 February 2017 (Monday) – Students enrolled into Singapore Management University (SMU) for the new academic year starting in August 2017 can look forward to a new 4-year academic major in Smart-City Management & Technology, an interdisciplinary major offered by the School of Information Systems, in collaboration with the School of Social Sciences. It aims to nurture graduates who innovate solutions to urbanisation challenges through application of interdisciplinary knowledge across technology, social sciences and management.

Students will be given experiential learning opportunities to apply the solutions in state-of-the-art smart city initiatives through participation in internships and real-life projects in a selected domain: Mobility, Public Services, Business & Economy, Health & Enabled-Ageing, Home & Environment. Many organisations from various industries such as consulting, healthcare and government have indicated interests for graduates from this major. 

Professor Pang Hwee Hwa, Dean of SMU School of Information Systems said, “The “smartness” of a city is not an end in itself; rather, it is a means to make the city more liveable and to attain sustainable development. These end-goals entail harmonising a host of concerns, including social, economic, business, environmental, and technology.

“Smart-City Management & Technology major is designed to train professionals to manage those multidisciplinary concerns, and to apply the enabling technologies. This timely programme equips students to seize career opportunities arising from the global trend towards smart cities, and Singapore’s Smart Nation Initiative in particular. Students will acquire a sound foundation of the interdisciplinary knowledge that is required to address complex real-world problems. They will be able to innovate IT solutions to achieve intended business, social and environmental outcomes. Students will also have opportunities to participate in the development of cutting-edge smart city solutions through the school’s existing strong partnerships with industry.”

Graduates of the new major will be able to appreciate the social, governance and economic challenges of urbanisation; understand the role of technology in enabling smart city; and apply appropriate technologies to address urbanisation challenges (such as planning a city) and deliver solutions/services that improve the lives of citizens.

The new major will prepare students for a wide variety of job roles, including IT or management consultants for smart systems, sustainable solutions designer, urban planners, as well as smart systems designer and developer.

The inaugural class will admit up to 40 students.

For more information, please contact

Teo Chang Ching (Mr)

Senior Assistant Director

Corporate Communications

DID: 6828 0451

Email: ccteo [at] smu.edu.sg