Communication Education and Research in Singapore

Abstract

This paper focuses on the state of communciation education and research in Singapore from the mid-1970 to the present. It surveys the shift in emphasis from the British tradition of year-end exam to the North American model of a credit system of study. In addition, a brief overview is given on the three categories of formal educational programmes in the field. At the polytechnic level, the goal is to train students for entry-level technical positions in media-related job. As for the distance learning side, there are variety of courses currently being offfered by private-sector organizations that capitalize on the growing public demand for such training. At the university level, however, the aim is to produce graduates who have the skills and knowledge needed to assume mangerial and leadership positions in the industry. The authors also discuss the nature of the accreditation  criteria of the university's courses, the role of the advisory committee in reviewing the school's curricullum, the courses  offered at the postgraduate level, the state of research in the last two decades, and the key trends and implications facing the media and communication fields.