As a Fine Arts graduate, my training was largely centred on artistic creation and the expression of ideas. Joining ACE allowed me to step beyond that familiar space and explore the broader context in which art exists. The programme introduced me to cultural policies, the societal value of the arts, and the structures that shape artistic production and public engagement.

I gained an in-depth understanding of curatorial studies, arts and cultural event planning, and what the creative industries entail. Through group projects, I had hands-on experience in exhibition setup, activity analysis, and applying theory to practice.

NUS has helped guide my career aspirations and shape me into a proactive team player and a better decision-maker. Through the MOC programme, I have enhanced my understanding of communication in a more business-related context and developed data analytical skills that empower critical thinking.

MOC offered a perfect blend of theory and practice, allowing me to apply what I had learnt in core courses to real-world scenarios in the electives. I took several valuable courses, including Interactive Media Marketing, Data Visualisation, Audience Analytics, and Crisis Communication. Additionally, I had the opportunity to meet people from diverse backgrounds, which enriched my experience.

I have come to see ACE as a training ground for becoming a multifaceted professional. The programme goes beyond artistic and cultural content, placing a strong emphasis on skills such as planning, communication, and execution.

The programme provided a rigorous foundation in critical cultural theory and philosophical reasoning, powerfully complemented by the unique opportunity to undertake a full year of fieldwork in Asia. This blend of deep theoretical training and immersive empirical experience enabled me to transform abstract concepts into grounded analysis, fostering significant intellectual and personal growth.

The department offers generous research and travel grants, as well as ample opportunities for academic collaboration. With these resources and strong mentoring support, I have been empowered to explore topics that genuinely excite me and to pursue my research ideas with confidence and ambition.

While CNM’s diverse and open-minded academic community allowed me to engage in debates on pressing issues from an Asian positionality, the university’s broader strengths gave me the freedom to explore ideas beyond my own discipline. These experiences broadened my methodological range—combining qualitative approaches and historical archive studies—and deepened my capacity to connect theoretical insight with real-world issues.

A key highlight of the programme was the dissertation component. This allowed me to conduct an independent study on a topic closely aligned with my research interests in social networks, digital labour, and technology adoption. The process of formulating a research question, engaging extensively with academic literature, and designing a methodologically rigorous study significantly sharpened my critical thinking skills.

People in the programme came with different backgrounds and goals: some focused on feminist theory, others on human-computer interaction. But we learned to move together by sharing perspectives and ideas along the way. And as someone juggling life as a full-time teaching assistant and part-time research student, I found those sessions invaluable, not just for the academic exchange but also for the camaraderie.

Coming from a polytechnic background in User Experience (UX), I was drawn to Communications and New Media because it lets me explore design, technology, and human behaviour together, while staying open to new perspectives and ideas.

Studying CNM allows us to view communication, something that we often take for granted, through an alternate lens that spans multiple disciplines. Through engaging in social discourse about communication theories in class, we are able to gain life-changing insights about the way things function in our daily lives that we do not usually notice or contemplate.