Frequently Asked Quesions
Below are some of the frequently asked questions related to our undergraduate programme. Please click on each question to expand it to see the answer.
If you have any other questions that is not covered in this FAQ, please write to cnm.undergraduate@nus.edu.sg, or call +65 6516 4671. We will assist you with your query.
The CNM Programme
What is CNM all about and how does this course relate to new media?
Communications and New Media is the only department in Singapore and Southeast Asia that offers a concentration in Communications and New Media studies within a single department.
On the communications front, our students learn about the economic structure and the regulation of the media industry as well as the impact media can have on society and culture. As communication managers, they learn how to create an online presence for an organisation, how to write for the news media and how to create, conduct and evaluate a communications campaign.
On the new media front, our students are exposed to theories which help them understand the impact new media are having on society socially, economically and politically. Students will learn the answers to these and many other questions: How is the rampant use of computers affecting education of young people, how can Asian countries take advantage of new media to advance their economic development, how has the introduction of the internet affected traditionally authoritarian states, how do new and invasive technologies affect our right to privacy as individual etc. Such issues and problems are discussed from various theoretical perspectives such as sociology, social psychology, law, policy and political economy.
Apart from studying the impact of new media, students also engage in content creation through practice learning. For example, they learn how to design multimedia products such as websites, games and virtual environments.
What is the difference between New Media and Mass Communication?
New media is an area of academic enquiry that studies things like Internet studies, online communities and the impact of new technologies in the social, cultural, political and economic landscape of a country and the world. It also includes interactive media like Web design, gaming and virtual reality, among other subjects. In short "new media" includes any form of media that are NOT traditional mass media, such as converged media (the interrelation between telecommunications, computers and electronic media), wireless media, portable devices, wearable computers, etc.
On the other hand, mass communication usually deals with traditional mass media such as print and broadcast journalism. In addition, mass communication (or communication) programmes usually offer courses in advertising and public relations. While some mass communication programmes may offer some courses in new media issues, their focus tends to be on the traditional mass media.
Do I have to be technically inclined to major in CNM (or Interactive Media)?
Students need not have any technical inclination/background to successfully tackle the interactive media component of our programme because the primary objective of CNM is to equip students with conceptual knowledge of Interactive Media.
We also welcome technically inclined students who are interested in studying cultural, aesthetic and social aspects of interactive media. Likewise, humanities and social sciences inclined students will have an opportunity to make their own creative projects. In advanced and honours-level courses we provide students with full opportunities to explore either theoretical approaches, creative projects, or both.
In short, CNM welcomes Creative Thinkers who are ready to challenge themselves.
An example of a question that could be explored in one of our courses would be: Why Singapore students play more Japanese-made games than their American counter-parts, and what is the difference between both types of games in terms of cultural or aesthetic interaction?
Course Requirements
Is a good command of English essential for the course?
A good command of English is definitely an asset as the course materials are mostly academic texts and students are often assessed based on essays and reports.
What are the entry requirements for this course?
You will need to meet the entry requirements set by the National University of Singapore. Do visit the website of the NUS Office of Admissions where you can learn about the admissions process and even apply online. Once you've been admitted by NUS, you can then apply to study Communications and New Media.
CNM welcome students who love (or hate) interacting with new media (games, wireless devices, etc.) and want to test their emotions and attitudes to technology through academic rigor and interdisciplinary learning. Students interested in learning effective ways to communicate and who want to be visually creative are also welcome.
Is it possible to take CNM as a major and another subject as a minor?
Yes it is possible to do what is known as a double major, i.e. majoring in CNM and one other subject concentration, e.g. Chinese studies, Economics, Political Science etc. Communication Management students are encouraged to minor in Business.
In addition, CNM offers a Double Degree Programme in partnership with the NUS Business School.
Course Registration (CourseReg) Process
Can I get permission to take a course that is at the same time as another course?
No. Per NUS policy, students cannot be enrolled in courses that have clashing timetables, even if only one tutorial/lab clashes or if one course is entirely held online/has recorded lectures. Lecturers/Course Coordinators will not be able to provide approval or permission to override this. Please consider a different course/tutorial slot of a different timing.
Cannot bid for L4000 course in Round 1/2 of CourseReg
For round 1 of CourseReg, NM-coded L4000 courses are restricted to only SOC4 students (Year 4 students).
For round 2 of CourseReg, NM-coded L4000 courses are restricted to only SOC4 and SOC3 students (Year 4 and Year 3 students).
If you are unable to bid for the course in the current round, you may try to bid during Round 3 or submit an appeal after Round 3 ends.
I have declared my minor in IMD, why can't I bid for the elective course?
For Round 1 of Course Reg, elective courses (L2000 and L3000) are restricted to FASS students and CNM 2nd Major students, regardless of the IMD declaration.
If you have only just declared the minor, it might take a while for the Edurec system to recognise the declaration. It would be best to try bidding for NM-coded courses for IMD in Round 2 onwards.
Can I be waived pre-requisites for NM2207 even though I took CS1010S?
We do not allow waivers for students to take NM2207 after having taking CS1010S or its equivalents. This is because students who have taken CS1010S will be significantly advantaged in NM2207 and will not find any meaningful tutelage in the course.
Students are generally reminded of the following, which can be found on the IMD webpage: “For non-CS students, please note that NM2207 is acceptable as a prerequisite for CS3240. However, also note that CS1010 is a preclusion for NM2207, so students planning to take NM2207 should do so before taking CS1010.”
Can I count interdisciplinary courses (HS29xx) courses towards fulfilling CHS requirements and CNM minor requirements?
No, interdisciplinary courses do not count towards the CNM minor requirements. All the courses eligible for the CNM minor must be NM-coded courses.
Reaching maximum amount of L1000 courses read
The maximum amout of L1000 credits apply to the entirety of your programme’s requirements, including your UE requirements: https://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/academic-information-policies/undergraduate-students/degree-requirements#:~:text=The%20limit%20on%20the%20number,CFG1002%20Career%20Catalyst%20(2%20units)
If you have been informed that you can no longer read L1000 courses, you will need to take courses from L2000 and above.
I submitted my academic plan but cannot bid for the course necessary for the plan
Students are recommended to submit their Academic Plan Declaration at least 24 hours before bidding for courses in Course Reg: https://www.nus.edu.sg/coursereg/docs/User-Guide-(Std)_AcadPlan_Decln.pdf
If you have submitted your ADP more than 24 hours in advance and you are still unable to bid for a course, the course may be restricted due to your year of study or home faculty. Try bidding for the course in the next round of Coursereg or by submitting an appeal after Coursereg.
I cannot enrol in NM1101e in Round 1 despite being a Year 2-4 CHS student
Since NM1101E is a gateway course for CHS students, first year students have priority in bidding for the course in Round 1 of Course Reg. Please try bidding for the course during Round 2 onwards.
Am I allowed to audit CNM classes as an undergraduate?
Per FASS policy, undergraduates are not permitted to audit courses that they are not enrolled in.
I am a CNM 2nd Major, can I bid for L4000 NM courses?
CNM 2nd Majors can start bidding for NM-L4000 courses during Round 3 of CourseReg. However, spaces may be limited; in the event that you are unable to secure the course by Round 3 of CourseReg, you may submit an appeal on Edurec.
Can I enrol in one course first and then appeal for my course of choice later?
Yes, you are welcome to bid for another course and then appeal for your initial course of choice later. However, please pay attention to the number of UTs you have available to bid for the semester. If Edurec recognises that you have already maximised your workload for the semester, it may not permit you to appeal for the initial course without first dropping the other course.
What should I do if I need a specific course to graduate but I could not secure it by CourseReg Rd 3?
Please submit an appeal on Edurec if you are unable to secure your course of choice. Enrolment into courses may still be possible after Coursereg. Only appeals submitted through Edurec will be considered for enrolment; emails between course coordinators will only be considered if appeals have first been submitted on Edurec.
Please ensure that when you submit your appeal on Edurec, you do so after Round 3, under the "Unable to secure course' category. Incorrectly submitted appeals before the end of CourseReg under the wrong category will be automatically rejected.
Can I appeal for a course with zero vacancy?
Even if a course shows zero vacancy, you may still submit an appeal on Edurec for the course. Vacancies may be made after CourseReg depending on availability of resources/previously-enrolled students dropping the course.
Please ensure that when you submit your appeal on Edurec, you do so after Round 3, under the "Unable to secure course' category. Incorrectly submitted appeals before the end of CourseReg under the wrong category will be automatically rejected.
I am unable to select a course during CourseReg even though there are vacancies available
This may happen for a multitude of reasons - courses may be restricted due to the current round of selection, your home faculty or your current level of study in NUS. If you encounter this issue, please retry at a later round or submit an appeal on Edurec after CourseReg.
Please ensure that when you submit your appeal on Edurec, you do so after Round 3, under the "Unable to secure course' category. Incorrectly submitted appeals before the end of CourseReg under the wrong category will be automatically rejected.
Who do I contact for issues regarding AFG/courses not showing up on my graduation report?
For issues involving AFG/graduation report calculation, please write in to FASHelp (fashelp@nus.edu.sg) for further assistance.
Will CNM recognise AN2204 (previously SC2214) towards the CNM major/minor requirements?
Currently, the department does not recognise the recoded course AN2204 towards fulfilling graduation requirements for the CNM major and minor.
Which appeal category do I choose?
Please ensure that when you submit your appeal on Edurec, you choose the CORRECT appeal type.
Unable to Fulfil Requisites – if your intended course choice has prerequisites that you do not fulfil, appeal for this. You will still need to manually select the course during course reg once your appeal is approved. (If you are unable to get a course after Rd 1 of CourseReg, do NOT submit an appeal for the course under this appeal type. Try again in Round 2 -3, and only submit the appeal under “Unable to secure course” at the end of Rd 3.)
Change admin allocated class – if you were pre-allocated a course and want to change to a different course
Max workload waiver – if you have reached the maximum workload allowed for the semester, but still want to select to read more courses in the semester. Note that the maximum workload allowed for semester is different depending on your home faculty, and that maximum workload will be increased in Round 3 of CourseReg.
Min workload waiver – if you want to underload for the semester and read fewer than the minimum number of UTs (16 UTs)
Unable to secure course – if you were unable to get enrolled in the course you want this semester (MOST COMMONLY USED, ONLY AVAILABLE AFTER ROUND 3 COURSEREG)
Add/Change tutorial class – if you don’t have a tutorial class yet for the course you are enrolled in, or want to change to a different tutorial class from the one you are currently enrolled in.
Incorrectly submitted appeals before the end of CourseReg under the wrong category will be automatically rejected.
Why can't I select a 6th course in Round 1-2 of CourseReg?
You may have run out of UTs to select a 6th course. Students are typically given 23UTs for the first 2 rounds for CourseReg to bid for courses, which would only suffice for 5 courses (presuming all courses are worth 4UTs). The maximum workload will increase in Round 3, so please try to select your 6th course in Round 3. There is no need to submit an appeal for a maximum workload waiver if you intend to read between 20UT-28UTs of courses in a semester.
Do I need to bid for NM3550C/NM4401/NM4660 during CourseReg?
The following list of courses do not need to be bid for during CourseReg:
- NM3550C/Y
- NM4401
- NM4660
- NM3551/R
- NM5218/R
- NM5219/R
Enrolment into the courses will be done manually, following an application process and approval granted. For NM3550C/Y, there is no formal application process but please follow the instructions and timelines for enrolment as stipulated by the CNM CIP team.
How do I drop my CNM 2nd Major to Minor/drop a 2nd Major or Minor entirely?
Students are allowed to declare, drop or change their 2nd Majors and Minors during the Academic Planning Declaration (APD) exercise at the start of every semester until their 5th semester of study.
If you have passed your 5th semester, or missed the APD exercise and need to drop/declare a CNM programme, please write in to FASHelp (fashelp@nus.edu.sg) for further assistance. The CNM office will not be able to assist you with this process.
I am a CNM-Biz DDP student, why am I unable to enrol in courses during Round 1?
Due to configurations in Edurec, CNM-Biz DDP students may find themselves precluded from enrolling in courses despite being registered as a CNM student. Please try to enrol in the course during Round 2 of CourseReg.
In the event that you are unable to enroll in the course, please submit an appeal and indicate that you were precluded from enrolling during Round 1 of CourseReg. This will be taken into consideration during the appeal process (though it does not guarantee that you will be able to secure the desired course).
Issues with selecting courses due to late/no school fee payment
The department is unable to assist with issues surrounding late payment of school fees/missing payment of school fees affecting your ability to bid during CourseReg. The department is also unable to bid for courses on your behalf due to NSI tags placed on students' accounts in the Edurec System.
Please follow all timelines and instructions given by the Dean's Office and/or OFN. If you are unable to secure your courses during the current round, please try again during the next round, or submit an appeal after CourseReg ends.
Career Prospects
What kind of degree do graduates of CNM receive?
Undergraduates who matriculated before 2021 will graduate with either a Bachelor of Arts after three years, or a Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours after four years.
Undergraduates who matriculate from 2021 onwards will graduate with a Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours after four years.
CNM also offers master's and PhD degrees.
What are the career prospects of graduates from CNM?
Graduates from the CNM Programme will be very attractive because they will have a very solid understanding of the new media industry locally, regionally and globally.
In the field of interactive media, students will be able to work in corporate communications, government agencies dealing with media development, media and design firms, research institutes specialising in interactive media content, public relations firms and a wide range of commercial, industrial and professional environments. In addition, graduates with a keen interest in interactive media would be able to venture into their own businesses.
In the field of communication management, students can work in traditional media as well as in new media, IT companies or other ICT-related companies. Graduates will be able to work in corporations, government agencies, public relations firms and not-for-profit organisations, all of whom need effective and strategic management of communications to be successful.
In the field of cultural studies, students may enjoy fruitful careers in galleries, libraries, art organisations and museums. Other sectors that will be interested in CNM graduates are tourism, banking and multinational corporations. In government agencies, graduates can work in policy analysis or facilitate communication between government officials and the private sector.