Undergraduate Awards and Prizes

Donated in 1982 by Tan Boon Khak Holdings Pte Ltd, a gold medal is awarded from the proceeds of a capital sum of $10,000. From 2016, an additional cash prize of $400 will be awarded to complement the gold medal. 

The award is governed by the following conditions: 

1. Subject to rule 4 below, a gold medal and cash prize of $400 will be awarded to a student for outstanding work in Sociology in the Arts 3 Examination. 
2. The award will be made by the Board of Undergraduate Studies or its nominee. 
3. The primary criterion is the SJGPA (average grade point of all major courses read). The Grade Point Average (GPA) shall be used as the tie-breaker. 
4. No award will be made unless there is a candidate of sufficient merit. 
5. This gift shall be governed by the University Statutes and Regulations, specifically, Statute 7 on Gifts to the University and the corresponding Regulation. 

The Rosie Heng-Ko Poh Choo Gold Medal was established in 1999 by Mr Michael Heng Swee Hai in memory of his wife, Ms Rosie Ko Poh Choo, with a capital sum of $15,000. From 2016, the name of the prize was changed to Rosie Heng-Ko Poh Choo Gold Medal and Prize” and a cash prize of $400 was added to complement the gold medal. The award is governed by the following conditions: 

1. Subject to rule 3 below, a gold medal and cash prize of $400 will be awarded to the best female Bachelor of Social Sciences graduate from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology who has attained at least an Honours (Distinction) from FASS. 
2. The award will be made by the Department on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners. 
3. No award will be made unless there is a candidate of sufficient merit. 
4. This gift shall be governed by the University Statutes and Regulations, specifically, Statute 7 on Gifts to the University and the corresponding Regulation. 

The Sociology Gold Medal was established in 1991 by Assoc Prof Peter S J Chen, with a capital sum of $15,000. From 2015, the name of the award was changed to “Sociology Medal and Prize” and a cash prize of $400 was added to complement the gold medal. The award is governed by the following conditions: 

1. Subject to rule 3 below, a gold medal and cash prize of $400 will be awarded to the most outstanding student in Sociology for the Honours Examination for the degree of Bachelor of Social Sciences. 
2. The award will be made by the Department on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners. 
3. No award will be made unless there is a candidate of sufficient merit. 
4. This gift shall be governed by the University Statutes and Regulations, specifically, Statute 7 on Gifts to the University and the corresponding Regulation.

In 2019, Mr Geoffrey Yu Sau Kok made an expendable gift of S$15,000 to the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) to encourage and recognize academic excellence in our graduating students. The award is governed by the following conditions: 

1. Subject to rule 3 below, a cash prize of S$1,000 will be given to a graduating student in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology who has submitted the best Sociology Honours Year Thesis in an academic year. The winning thesis can be on any topic. 
2. The primary criterion is the grade given to the Honours Thesis. A faculty member shall be asked to adjudicate if there is a tie. 
3. No award will be made unless there is a candidate of sufficient merit. 
4. The prize will be awarded by the Board of Undergraduate Studies or its nominee. 
5. If there are no awards presented at any given year, the unutilized amount will be added back to the fund. 
6. This gift shall be governed by the University Statutes and Regulations, specifically, Statute 7 on Gifts to the University and the corresponding Regulation. 

In 2019, Sociology’s pioneer Class of ‘69 made an expendable gift of S$15,000 to establish the Murray Groves Memorial Prize. The prize will be awarded annually starting from AY2020/21. The prize is governed by the following conditions: 

1. Subject to rule 4 below, two awards will be given out annually as follows: 
   1. A cash prize of S$500 will be awarded to a graduating student from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology who submitted the best Honours Thesis in ethnography. 
   2. A cash prize of S$500 will be awarded to a graduating student from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology who submitted the best Honours Thesis in demography. 
2. The primary criterion is the grade given to the Honours Thesis. A faculty member shall be asked to adjudicate if there is a tie. 
3. Each prize consists of a cash prize of S$500. 
4. No award will be made unless there is a candidate of sufficient merit. 
5. The prize will be awarded by the Board of Undergraduate Studies or its nominee. 
6. In the event of there being more than one candidate of equal merit for the award, the Department of Sociology and Anthropology may, subject to funds being available, distribute the award or make additional awards in such manner as it deems fit. 
7. If there are no awards presented at any given year, the unutilised amount will be added back to the fund. 
8. This gift shall be governed by the University Statutes and Regulations, specifically, Statute 7 on Gifts to the University and the corresponding Regulation.