Message from our Dean
Our world is evolving rapidly and is more connected than ever. Academics who down through history have profoundly shaped the way people understand their environments and one another, now need to be able to think across different domains, bringing interdisciplinarity into their research. It was for this reason that the Singapore Management University founded the College of Graduate Research Studies (CGRS).
SMU CGRS enhances integration and interdisciplinarity across its various postgraduate research (PGR) programmes, enabling students to gain a holistic learning experience and well-grounded approach to their research, supported by a like-minded community of fellow researchers and faculty mentors. This is achieved through interdisciplinary programmes, shared courses, and professional training workshops. Furthermore, the College also strengthens networking, cohort building and collaborative opportunities for PGR students across the various programmes, facilitated through student and alumni groups. Ultimately, our PGR students will be poised to tackle challenges affecting businesses, societies, and institutions across boundaries with confidence, and create significant impact. The College also ensures that you do not take your postgraduate research journey alone. We will be there for you at every major juncture.
With a passion for research and teaching, you can embark on in-depth studies in your areas of interest – mentored and supervised by our distinguished faculty members who are internationally recognised as experts in their fields. I am proud to say that our graduates have proceeded on to walk well in the footsteps of their faculty mentors, carving out impactful careers in academia and industry, in Singapore and around the world. I encourage you to take this first step in shaping your future with SMU and look forward to welcoming you on board one of our programmes!
Professor Heli WANG
Dean, College of Graduate Research Studies
Janice Bellace Professor of Strategic Management
Lee Kong Chian School of Business
EXPLORE OUR PROGRAMMES
SMU Rankings at a Glance
among the specialist universities of the world by QS World University Rankings 2018
in Asia in Accounting Research in Brigham Young University Accounting Research Rankings
in Singapore (#3 in Asia) in the University of Texas Dallas Top 100 Worldwide Business School Research Rankings
in Financial Times' 2018 Asia-Pacific Business Schools Ranking
in Asia in Tilburg University's Top 100 Worldwide Economics Schools Research Ranking
in Asia in the Computer Science Rankings
The SMU difference
Our programmes enhance integration and interdisciplinarity across the various SMU postgraduate research programmes, enabling students to gain a holistic learning experience and well-grounded approach to research.
Graduate Research Interdisciplinary Topics (GRIT)
Uncover new knowledge and novel solutions to today’s most challenging issues by taking a more holistic approach to research. GRIT is a series of interdisciplinary courses in unique but pressing topics (e.g., Machine Learning for Social Science & Applied Econometrics in Social Science).
Graduate Research Professional Development (GRPD)
The College provides a holistic experience in postgraduate research that is based on interdisciplinary programmes, courses and events. This cross-school experience is a significant shift from the traditional school-based experience.
Hear from our Students
The quality of and approach to teaching and mentoring in the Singapore Management University is excellent and refreshingly different, and has made my PhD journey an extremely fulfilling and fruitful experience.
Having a background in statistics and a passion for data-driven decision-making, I am thrilled to join and complete SMU’s impact in my career. Master of Science in Computing, under the Data Science & Engineering track. The programme’s interdisciplinary approach, rigorous curriculum, and sharing of real-world use cases have enabled me to apply advanced analytics techniques to solve complex business challenges and make a positive.
With a strong focus on cutting-edge research, hands-on experience, and expert faculty, this programme has provided me with the opportunity to deepen my knowledge in data science, develop advanced research skills, and make meaningful contributions to the data science field.
The SMU Doctor of Business Administration programme was invigorating. The faculty members are knowledgeable and insightful, and the exchanges and debates that I had with my fellow course mates have been stimulating! The programme has shaped how I look at the industry that I am in, and what I can do about the challenges it faces. Though the programme can be challenging, especially when I had to juggle between my full-time work and the programme, I have no regrets in embarking on this doctoral journey at SMU.
I have benefited immensely from the relentless support given to me by the experienced faculty members in the Marketing department of the SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business. Their advice and feedback had always been instrumental in nurturing independence, discipline and rigour in my research. More importantly, the SMU PhD programme has also been very supportive in providing the necessary resources and opportunities to assist me in my research and career. The experienced faculty members, coupled with the supportive PhD programme, are what makes doing a PhD at SMU unique.
The faculty and even the students are exceptionally brilliant and responsive people who will generously make time to discuss ideas. They (the faculty) set high expectations but provide the means, in terms of knowledge and capabilities, for you to meet them.
SMU's innovative pedagogy, rigorous curriculum, supportive professors and flexible research environment provide excellent opportunities to grow personally and professionally. Classes were highly interactive and provided a congenial environment for deliberation. The SMU PhD allows for multidisciplinary collaboration across academia and industry. My professors always encouraged me to participate in international conferences and publish in top-tier journals. These were indeed great avenues for me to promote my work to the wider research community.
How we think and whom we socialise with, is often heavily influenced by the domain area of our professions. The PhD in Business (General Management) lifted my intellectual and social blinkers. The cross-disciplinary curriculum enabled me to see familiar business problems through a completely new lens, which generated novel and exciting insights. The small and interactive class setup allowed me to form close friendships with top-notch talent in their respective field of work, as well as to gain access to their unique perspectives on many current business issues. I would recommend this programme to anyone who is ready to get out of their intellectual and social comfort zone.
(SMU’s School of Social Sciences’) faculty members produce high-quality and impactful research, and several of them are leaders in their fields and enjoy international recognition. It is therefore not surprising that the Psychology programme attracts regular visits by international scholars.
