SINGAPORE - Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is expanding its programmes in humanities and social sciences by setting up two separate schools, it said in a press release on Monday (Oct 31).
The School of Humanities (SoH) and the School of Social Sciences (SSS) will be set up from August 2017.
Students majoring in Chinese, English, History, Linguistics & Multilingual Studies and Philosophy will be admitted into the School of Humanities. Those studying Economics, Psychology, Public Policy & Global Affairs and Sociology will come under the School of Social Sciences.
The two new schools will be housed under the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, which also includes the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, and the School of Art, Design and Media.
Currently, NTU offers all its humanities and social science programmes at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS).
The establishment of the two new schools will enable the strengthening of existing minors such as Urban and Environmental Studies and Global Asia, and the introduction of new programmes such as Science, Technology and Society, and Health and Society, NTU said.
"Although NTU is known as a science and technology university, it does not mean that Humanities and Social Sciences are secondary. In today's world, it is ever so important to be interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary in our approach to work and the world at large," said NTU President, Professor Bertil Andersson.
The current HSS was established in 2004 with 60 Economics students. It is now one of NTU's largest schools with more than 3,700 students and more than 200 professors and lecturers.
Professor Alan Chan, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences in NTU, said: "The growth of HSS has accelerated in recent years and we have now reached a point where HSS has outgrown its current structure which was put in place more than a decade ago. The re-organisation of HSS into two schools increases flexibility for future growth and enhances opportunities for collaboration and interdisciplinary research. The new schools will enable NTU to fulfil the evolving educational needs and aspirations of our students."
