Admission Requirements

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M.Soc.Sci

In general, the University requires:

  • Normally an NUS Honours degree (Merit/Second Class and above) or equivalent (e.g., a four-year Bachelors degree with at least an average grade of B) in a relevant discipline; or
  • In exceptional cases, a Bachelors degree in a relevant discipline with at least two years of relevant work experience, subject to approval by the Faculty and Board of Graduate Studies, on a case-by-case basis; and
  • TOEFL/IELTS, where applicable.

Ph.D

In general, the University requires:

  • Either a good Master's degree in Political Science and the ability to pursue research in the candidate's proposed field of advanced study; or
  • An NUS Honours degree (at least Second Class Upper Division) or equivalent (e.g., a four-year Bachelor’s degree with an average grade above B) in a relevant discipline, subject to approval by the Faculty, on a case-by-case basis and the ability to pursue research in the candidate's proposed field of advanced study; and
  • TOEFL/IELTS, where applicable.

All applicants should note the following:

  • As the medium of instruction is in English, applicants whose native tongue AND medium of university instruction are not English should submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as evidence of their proficiency in the English language.
  • Please note that the Letter of Certification from Institutions cannot be used as evidence of your proficiency in English. If admission is granted, you may be required to sit for the Diagnostic English Test in NUS and take the English Language course if necessary. The Faculty's TOEFL institution code is 9081
  • The minimum acceptable score for TOEFL is 85 (for internet-based test, with a minimum of 22 for the writing section) or 580 (for paper-based test) or 237 (for computer-based test). The score should not expire before the beginning of the application period (valid for two years after the test date).
  • The minimum score for IELTS is 6.0. The score should also not expire before the beginning of the application period (valid for two years after the test date).

 

Masters

All applicants must submit the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) report. There will not be any minimum requirements but the General Test has to be taken.

The GRE Board policy states that scores are reportable for five years and score reports are valid only if our University receives them directly from Educational Testing Service. The University Code is 0677.

In view of COVID-19, the GRE® General Test at Home will be accepted in the interim until testing centres re-open.

PhD

With effect from the August 2023 intake, all PhD applicants will be required to submit their GRE (Graduate Record Examination) scores. Candidates have to obtain an aggregate minimum score of 320 for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections and a minimum score of 3.5 for the Analytical section.

Students with an excellent academic track record from renowned universities may request a waiver of this requirement by uploading a note in the "Documents Upload" section, providing reasons for waiver.

The GRE Board policy states that scores are reportable for five years and score reports are valid only if our University receives them directly from Educational Testing Service. The University Code is 0677.

In view of COVID-19, the GRE® General Test at Home will be accepted in the interim until testing centres re-open.

 

* Please note that candidates are not automatically admitted into the graduate programme even if they meet the minimum requirements.

** The University has not engaged any external agencies to undertake graduate student recruitment on its behalf and it reserves the right to reject, without giving reasons, applications submitted through any external agencies.