National

National University of Singapore

National
#170
Global Influence
Autonomous research university in Singapore

National University of Singapore Featured Rankings

About National University of Singapore

By James Barham, PhD

The National University of Singapore (NUS) was founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, in what was then the British-controlled Straits Settlements colony.

NUS—like the nation of which it is a part—has a long and complex history

In 1912, the British king, Edward VII, provided a permanent endowment for the new medical school. In gratitude, the administration changed the school’s name the following year, to the King Edward VII Medical School.

The medical school grew rapidly, requiring the expansion of its academic curriculum. This change was acknowledged in 1921 by another institutional name change—to the King Edward VII College of Medicine.

A second institution of higher learning—Raffles College—was established in 1928 as a liberal arts college for the ethnic-Malay population of Singapore.

In 1948, the colony of British Malaya was reorganized as the Federation of Malaya and Singapore. The following year, the King Edward VII College of Medicine and Raffles College merged, creating the University of Malaya. The University of Malaya, with campuses in Singapore and in Kuala Lumpur, was intended to serve the population of the entire Federation.

In 1955, a third school, named Nanyang University, opened in Singapore to serve the ethnic-Chinese community there.

Two years later, in 1957, the British departed and the Federation of Malaya became an independent nation. In 1962, the University of Malaya’s Singapore campus declared itself an autonomous institution, under the name of University of Singapore.

The following year, in 1963, the new nation changed its name to Malaysia. Two years later, in 1965, Singapore seceded from Malaysia and became an independent country in its own right—the world’s only city-state.

Finally, in 1980, the University of Singapore merged with Nanyang University to create the current National University of Singapore.

NUS is associated with the following prominent individuals:

  • Mathematicians, Louis Chen Hsiao Yun, Gan Wee Teck & Chen-Bo Zhu
  • Physicists, Richard Friend, Artur Ekert & Charles Bailyn, as well as the Nobel laureate, Konstantin Novoselov
  • Chemist, Young-Tae Chang
  • Biochemists, Miranda Yap & Barry Halliwell
  • Botanist, Nam-Hai Chua
  • Neurologist, Lee Wei Ling
  • Poet and playwright, Alfian bin Sa’at
  • Singer and songwriter, Corinne May
  • Chinese folk song artist and author, Liang Wern Fook
  • Actors, Jeanette Aw, Felicia Chin, Desmond Tan, Shawn Lee & Raline Shah
  • Historians, Prasenjit Duara & M.C. Ricklefs
  • Sinologists, Wang Gungwu & Huang Jianli
  • Sociologist, Chua Beng Huat
  • Economists, Danny Quah & Julian Wright
  • Legal scholar and author, Alec Stone Sweet
  • TV news anchor, Tung Soo Hua
  • International lawyer and diplomat, Tommy Koh
  • Former Singapore Chief Justice, Chan Sek Keong
  • Current Singapore Chief Justice, Sundaresh Menon
  • Former Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdul Razak Hussein
  • Former Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad
  • Former President of Singapore, Benjamin Sheares
  • Current President of Singapore, Halimah binti Yacob
  • First and longest-serving President of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew

According to Wikipedia, The National University of Singapore is a national public collegiate and research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in Singapore. It offers degree programmes in disciplines at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including in the sciences, medicine and dentistry, design and environment, law, arts and social sciences, engineering, business, computing, and music.

National University of Singapore's Online Degrees

What Is National University of Singapore Known For?

National University of Singapore is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:

National University of Singapore's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Business
#56
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#56
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Management
#48
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#48
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Finance
#84
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#84
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Entrepreneurship
#8
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#8
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business Degrees
Political Science
#62
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#74
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Government
#80
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#80
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Public Policy
#13
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#13
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Public Administration
#19
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#20
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political-science Degrees
Education
#58
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#62
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Higher Education
#46
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#46
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Tertiary Education
#13
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#13
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Secondary Education
#75
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#75
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education Degrees
Medical
#76
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#78
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Public Health
#55
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#55
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Surgery
#81
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#87
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Dentistry
#28
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#28
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medicine Degrees
Engineering
#109
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#129
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Architecture
#211
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#238
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Mechanical Engineering
#114
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#117
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Electrical Engineering
#220
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#229
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engineering Degrees
Biology
#196
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#233
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Physiology
#157
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#169
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Agriculture
#335
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#335
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Molecular Biology
#179
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#179
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biology Degrees
Computer Science
#152
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#153
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Information Technology
#45
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#45
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Artificial Intelligence
#127
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#130
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Database
#150
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#154
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computer-science Degrees
Communications
#198
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#217
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Linguistics
#205
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#218
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Journalism
#295
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#298
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Grammar
#457
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#458
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communications Degrees
Law
#132
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#145
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International Law
#112
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#123
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Civil Law
#113
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#114
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Common Law
#60
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#60
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Mathematics
#244
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#298
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Statistics
#209
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#218
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Applied Mathematics
#161
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#164
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Measure Theory
#158
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#185
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math Degrees
Religious Studies
#135
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#159
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Ministry
#43
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#43
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Theology
#354
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#381
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Buddhism
#146
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#146
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religious-studies-hub Degrees
Economics
#160
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#179
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Taxation
#152
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#152
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Econometrics
#134
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#134
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Public Finance
#94
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#94
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economics Degrees
Literature
#298
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#350
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Writing
#380
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#395
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Etymology
#264
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#265
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Philology
#443
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#447
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literature Degrees
History
#230
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#249
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Asian History
#22
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#22
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Modern History
#252
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#252
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Economic History
#201
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#203
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history Degrees
Chemistry
#166
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#207
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Chemical Engineering
#89
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#89
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Nanotechnology
#94
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#94
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Organic Chemistry
#243
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#261
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chemistry Degrees
Physics
#257
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#300
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Astronomy
#398
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#426
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Biophysics
#149
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#150
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Nuclear Physics
#241
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#255
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physics Degrees
Philosophy
#355
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#393
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Logic
#283
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#311
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Ethics
#319
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#322
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Marxism
#333
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#333
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philosophy Degrees
Nursing
#46
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#47
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Psychiatric Nursing
#50
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#50
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nursing Degrees
Earth Sciences
#218
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#239
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Geography
#150
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#161
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Geodesy
#88
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#95
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Environmental Science
#434
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#434
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earth-science Degrees
Sociology
#247
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#262
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Urban Studies
#129
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#129
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Gender Studies
#426
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#426
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Women's Studies
#440
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#440
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sociology Degrees
Psychology
#467
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#486
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Clinical Psychology
#321
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#323
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Counseling
#819
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#819
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Social Psychology
#532
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#532
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psychology Degrees
Anthropology
#328
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#346
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Cultural Anthropology
#240
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#247
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Social Anthropology
#243
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#246
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Ethnography
#552
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#556
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anthropology Degrees
Criminal Justice
#272
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#277
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Cyber Security
#47
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#47
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Law Enforcement
#577
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#577
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Criminology
#243
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#248
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criminal-justice Degrees
Social Work
#237
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#239
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Empowerment
#186
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#186
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Crisis Intervention
#49
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#49
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Substance Abuse
#739
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#739
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social-work Degrees

Who Are National University of Singapore's Most Influential Alumni?

National University of Singapore's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Nursing, Business, and Education. Here are some of National University of Singapore's most famous alumni:

Kishore Mahbubani
Kishore Mahbubani
A Singaporean diplomat.
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
A 1st Prime Minister of Singapore .
Mahathir Mohamad
Mahathir Mohamad
A 4th and 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia .
Rayson Huang
Rayson Huang
A Chinese chemist.
Teck-Hua Ho
Teck-Hua Ho
An Economist.
Chan Heng Chee
Chan Heng Chee
A Singaporean academic and diplomat.
Goh Chok Tong
A Former Singaporean politician & 2nd and former Prime Minister of Singapore.
Sabaratnam Arulkumaran
Sabaratnam Arulkumaran
A Sri Lankan Tamil physician.
Goh Yihan
A Singaporean legal academic .
Tan Tai Yong
Tan Tai Yong
A Singaporean historian.
Lily Kong
A Geographer from Singapore.
Lam Lay Yong
A Mathematician.

Who Are National University of Singapore's Most Influential Faculty?

National University of Singapore's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Nursing, Business, and Education. Here are some of National University of Singapore's most famous alumni:

Konstantin Novoselov
Konstantin Novoselov
A Russian-British physicist known for graphene work.
Parag Khanna
Parag Khanna
An American political scientist.
Benjamin K. Sovacool
Benjamin K. Sovacool
An American sustainability advocate.
Vlatko Vedral
A Serbian-born British physicist .
Goh Yihan
A Singaporean legal academic .
Per Anders Rudling
A Swedish-American historian.
Simon Chesterman
Simon Chesterman
An Australian legal academic.
Andreas Winter
A Mathematician.
Robert Dunn
A U.S. ecologist and biologist.
John van Wyhe
A Historian of Science.
Gwee Li Sui
A Singaporean literary critic.
Adrian David Cheok
An Australian computer scientist, politician, and Professor in Tokyo.