The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), which will soon be officially established as Singapore's fifth university, aims to develop "best-in-class industry specialists" through the three degrees it will launch next year. It will offer degrees in infrastructure engineering, software engineering and accountancy.

Besides using a hands-on, applied learning approach, the university will also require students to spend eight months to a year alternating between work and study.

Designed to be more in-depth and structured than a traditional internship or industrial attachment, students participating in the work study programme will not only gain real work experience but will also be paid similar to contract workers. The degree, including work experience, will last between 28 months and 42 months depending on the student's relevant qualifications.

SIT said organisations such as the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, Land Transport Authority and PricewaterhouseCoopers have already indicated interest to take in SIT students under the work-study scheme. The university has also formed industry advisory committees for each of the degree programmes to guide curricula development. "SIT will remain in close consultation with industry to ensure that our curriculum is continually refreshed and industry-relevant," said SIT's president Tan Thiam Soon at a press conference on Thursday.

He added that he was confident that the work-study scheme will help his students take off in their careers.

Set up in 2009, SIT currently offers only degrees awarded by overseas schools, for instance the Technical University of Munich and the University of Glasgow, in fields such as chemical engineering and aerospace systems.

These two-year programmes attract mostly polytechnic upgraders, who make up about 95 per cent of the yearly intake. This year, the institute took in 1,500 students into 27 courses.