In the third of a four-part series ST-SMU Degree Versus Skills forum, SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer discussed how universities can maintain their relevance in today’s world. He believes that a university education can be truly transformative and help students discover themselves and the world.

SMU offers more than 300 combinations of 44 majors and specialisation tracks across 6 disciplines, and 15 double-degree combinations, with over 80 per cent of its students graduating with double degrees or double majors. It provides diverse opportunities for its students to take ownership of their learning. SMU has also created SMU-X courses that make education more experiential by “bringing the real world into the classroom”.

According to Prof De Meyer, with globalisation on the march, international experience has also become a critical part of a well-rounded education such that SMU has made overseas exposure a graduation requirement in the coming academic year. Another aspect is that SMU students are also expected to put in at least 80 hours of community service to nudge them to think about how they can help others. He added that a good university education adds not just knowledge, but also skills – hard skills as well as work and life skills, like flexibility, cultural literacy and the ability to innovate.