By Jane Ng

EVEN before the fourth university opens its doors in 2011 to offer inter-disciplinary degree courses, one polytechnic has gone ahead to launch such a programme from next year.

The new diploma course at Singapore Polytechnic (SP) will combine engineering with business to produce graduates who are both technically competent and equipped with business knowledge.

The diploma, a collaboration by the engineering and business schools, will take in 80 students for a start.

It is aimed at secondary school students interested in science, mathematics and technology, but who may not necessarily want to pursue a pure engineering course.

Dr Dave Chong, the director for SP's school of electrical and electronics engineering in charge of the programme, said the new course takes a leaf from the fourth university's cross-disciplinary approach and opens up options for diploma holders who may want to pursue various courses at the university level eventually.

He noted that students taking a traditional business course have little exposure to the capabilities of new technologies, while those in pure engineering courses would have little exposure to business skills.

The new course will have modules in mathematics, science, engineering and business, including communication skills. In the final semester, students will pursue internships or overseas immersion programmes to broaden their exposure to engineering and business practices.

Dr Chong said: 'Graduates will be able to exploit and harness technologies for new business developments. They can use technology to create new business opportunities and also effectively use new technology in the business environment.'

The diploma aims to fill a growing need in the engineering-related industry for graduates who are technically competent and equipped with knowledge of marketing, sales, project management and business development.

A survey that SP did among managers from engineering companies in January confirmed such a demand for such graduates. Over eight in 10 of those polled supported running such a diploma programme, and nearly nine in 10 said they would hire between one and three such graduates.

Mr Lawrence Leow, who heads the Association of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), said: 'The breadth of the engineering curriculum, supported by business knowledge, should produce graduates who possess good working knowledge of engineering with a business perspective.'

He predicted that such graduates would find jobs among SMEs, particularly those in engineering-related fields.

SP will introduce two other new courses next year: a diploma in creative writing for TV and new media; and a diploma in nutrition, health and wellness.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Oct 9, 2008.

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