The Bachelor of Science (Honours) Software Engineering (Top-Up) is a new degree offered by TMC Academy designed to equip students with the skills, knowledge and expertise in software engineering that will enable them to work in various Singaporean industries. This new course, awarded by the University of Northampton, UK, was announced in early November 2024 and allows students to expand their horizons and choices when studying with TMC Academy.
This new degree offered by TMC Academy comes at a time when the software engineering industry in Singapore is growing rapidly, driven by government initiatives, a strong talent pool, and increasing demand for innovative technologies.
Growth in the Software Engineering industry in Singapore
The growth in Singapore’s software engineering industry makes now an excellent time for students to complete this degree.
Growth and innovation
The digital economy is a significant driver of Singapore’s GDP, accounting for 17.7% in 2023. From 2018 – 2023, the sector expanded at a compound growth rate of 11.2%, significantly outpacing the broader economy’s growth rate. The main growth areas were in the Information and Communication sector, followed by digitalisation initiatives across other industries such as finance, insurance, wholesale trade and manufacturing.
Singapore has also established itself as a global leader in AI and the Internet of Things (loT). For example, Singapore uses loT to address urban challenges like traffic monitoring and management. LoT is also integral to Singapore’s hyperconnected city vision, enabling the integration of better urban infrastructure and services.
Singapore is also encouraging critical industries like manufacturing, financial services and logistics to adopt AI in line with the “Smart Nation 2.0” strategy.
All these efforts have contributed to Singapore’s position as a leader in integrating AI and loT technologies to enhance economic productivity, urban management, and sustainability.
Government Support
The government supports the software engineering sector in a variety of ways.
Funding and Grants
The government provides Productivity Solution Grants (PSG) to assist companies in adopting IT solutions and equipment. This benefits software engineering firms working on digital transformation projects.
AI Singapore (AISG) is a national initiative that funds research and development in AI, benefiting engineers involved in AI projects. Programs like the 100 Experiments and AI Apprenticeship Program also support industry innovation.
Research and development
Not only is the government supporting the sector through funding and grants, it is also assisting with research and development.
For example, the Smart Nation Initiative encourages software engineering innovations like IoT, AI, and cybersecurity, and the Digital Government Blueprint focuses on integrating software engineering solutions into e-governance platforms, enhancing citizen services and operational efficiency.
Infrastructure and connectivity
Singapore began its 5G network rollout with a pilot phase in July 2018, with the broader rollout gaining momentum in June 2020. By July 2022, Singtel announced that it had achieved over 95% standalone nationwide coverage, effectively making Singapore the first country in the world to be fully covered by standalone 5G.
The 5G network supports software engineering projects by enabling innovations in loT, autonomous vehicles and cloud applications.
In summary, the growth in Singapore’s software engineering industry offers a dynamic and promising employment landscape for students who graduate with the Bachelor of Science (Honours) Software Engineering.
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Software Engineering (Top Up)
This new degree offered by TMC Academy is designed to enable students to develop and apply a range of industry-essential analytical and problem-solving techniques to facilitate real-world computer software development scenarios.
This means students are industry-ready when they graduate to work in roles such as:
Software Developer/Engineer designing, developing, testing and maintaining software applications in industries such as financial services, healthcare, startups and government projects.
Full-Stack Developer who works on both front-end and back-end of applications in industries such as web and app development agencies, startups and e-commerce.
DevOps Engineer, who bridges development and operations teams to streamline deployment and software delivery in industries such as cloud computing, enterprise IT, and software-as-a-service (SaaS)) companies.
Front-end developer focusing on user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design for web and mobile applications in e-commerce, media and digital marketing industries.
These are some of the many roles graduates can apply for upon graduating.
Core Units
The University of Northampton's software engineering degree students build the required academic underpinnings, interpersonal skills, and professional capabilities by using many simulated and practical case studies that will enable them to devise solutions to industry problems.
The core units that students study are
Development Operation and Software Testing
Modern Databases
Advanced AI and Application
Contemporary Approaches to Software Development
Computing Project Dissertation
In studying these units, students have the opportunity to work hands-on with various modern software development tools, languages, and development environments so they can learn the key aspects required of Software Engineers.
Key Aspects of a Software Engineer’s Role
Some of the critical aspects of the software engineer's role include the following skills and knowledge.
Requirement analysis—understanding and documenting what the software needs to do. To do this, the student must be able to communicate successfully with stakeholders to gather, understand, and refine the requirements where appropriate.
Creating a blueprint for the software, which includes architectural design, user interface design and data modelling. This is about planning how the software will work and how it will be structured.
Implementation—This is writing the code based on the design specifications. This is where the software is built and developed.
Testing ensures that the software works as intended and includes unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and identifying and fixing any issues.
Maintenance is updating and improving software after deployment, including fixing bugs, adding new features, and ensuring it remains compatible with other systems and technologies.
Project Management is an essential skill for software engineers because it includes coordinating all the team's activities and managing timelines, budgets, and resources so that the project stays on track.
These critical aspects of the software engineer's role are what students learn and become skilled in when completing the Bachelor of Science (Honours) Software Engineering degree.
WHY TMC?
There are several reasons why studying Software Engineering at TMC Academy is a foundational stepping stone for your career.
Curriculum designed to balance academic and practical experience.
This degree combines theoretical and practical components to provide students with a well-rounded, comprehensive education in software engineering.
As discussed, the course emphasises the theoretical framework and skills necessary for students to be industry-ready and contribute to a software engineering team.
Practical experience
One of TMC Academy's strengths in all its courses is its emphasis on providing students with practical experience in the relevant industry. This ensures students have access to industry-standard equipment and software for hands-on learning, which is part of TMC's goal of ensuring that students are industry-ready when they graduate and move into employment.
Industry skills and connections
Since 2012, TMC Academy has built strong relationships with industry to fulfil its mission of ‘delivering future-ready and industry-relevant courses’ to students.
The Engineering, Computing and Media Industry Advisory Board facilitates the review of the course curriculum to ensure it is industry-relevant. It also monitors current industry practices and emerging trends. The advantage of this is that it allows the curriculum to be changed to reflect these trends so that students are industry-ready when they graduate.
Because of TMC's strong industry connections, students often have the opportunity to meet and learn directly from experienced software engineers.
In summary, TMC Academy Singapore’s Bachelor of Science (Honours) Software Engineering is designed to enable students to develop and apply various analytical and problem-solving techniques to facilitate and develop solutions for real-world computer software issues.
For further information, contact TMC Academy here.
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