Our History
The Singapore Institute of Technology was incorporated in 2009 to provide more opportunities for polytechnic graduates to further their education. Here are some key moments in our journey.
2024
September
SIT Welcomed First Batch of Students in New Academic Year
In the first phase of its move, SIT welcomed 3,800 SITizens from the Business, Communication and Design (BCD) and the Infocomm Technology (ICT) Clusters to start Academic Year 2024 at the new Punggol Campus.
May
Launched ‘10 Acts for Good’ Initiative
The Mangrove Conservatory is the first of SIT’s ‘10 Acts for Good’, a year-long community and social initiative in celebration of its 10th anniversary as an Autonomous University. The University is embarking on 10 activities to give back to the community, including mentorship programmes for at-risk youth, providing healthy food options for beneficiaries within the Punggol community and the setting up of the Mangrove Conservatory.
March
SIT Celebrated 10 Years as an Autonomous University
SIT marked a momentous occasion on 20 March with a Gala Dinner at the Conrad Orchard Hotel to celebrate its 10th anniversary as an Autonomous University (AU). The evening was filled with reminiscing about the decade of SIT’s remarkable growth and impact on Singapore's higher education landscape.
2023
October
Launched ‘Learn for Life’ Initiative to Support Lifelong Learning for All Alumni
The ‘Learn for Life’ initiative was announced to enable all SIT alumni to enrol for one of SIT's Continuing Education and Training (CET) modules for free, once every five years, from 1 April 2024. They can also apply for postgraduate degree programmes through a simplified admissions process.
July
Launched Teaching and Learning Academy (STLA) to advance its Competency-Based Education
The SIT Teaching and Learning Academy was launched at the Applied Learning Conference 2024 to drive the Recognition of Prior Learning Framework to better support in-employment learners in their upskilling or reskilling efforts.
May
Topping Out Ceremony for SIT Punggol Campus
The Topping Out Ceremony marked a major construction milestone for SIT Punggol Campus. The campus, expected to be operational by the second half of 2024, is designed to augment teaching and learning with spaces that allow stronger industry collaborations, featuring facilities for exchanges of ideas and hands-on experiential learning.
2022
November
Launched Singapore’s First Competency-based Stackable Micro-credential Pathway
SIT, in collaboration with three industry partners and three polytechnics, launched the Competency-based Stackable Micro-credential (CSM) pathway in November 2022. The pathway offers micro-credentials to learners who want to upskill while staying employed, enabling them to acquire new competencies to take on larger roles in their organisations or pivot to emerging technologies. The pathway was piloted through SIT’s Bachelor of Science with Honours in Applied Computing.
October
SIT Conferred First Honorary Graduate
As part of SIT Graduation Ceremony 2022, Mr Ng Yat Chung, the founding Chairman of SIT’s Board of Trustees was conferred the university’s first honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in recognition of his contributions. The ceremony also saw the graduation of SIT’s inaugural cohort of 52 students from the Air Transport Management degree programme – a first-of-its-kind offered by an autonomous university in Singapore.
March
Mr Bill Chang Appointed as Chairman of SIT Board of Trustees
SIT welcomed Mr Bill Chang, Chief Executive Officer, Digital InfraCo, Singtel, (formerly Chief Executive Officer, Group Enterprise and Chief Executive Officer, Regional Data Centre Business of Singtel), as the new Chairman of its Board of Trustees on 16 March 2022. Mr Chang took over from Mr Ng Yat Chung, who stepped down on 15 March 2022 as founding Chairman of SIT’s Board after more than 12 years of exemplary leadership.
January
Professor Chua Kee Chaing Appointed as The Third President of SIT
Professor Chua Kee Chaing assumed the role of SIT President, succeeding Professor Tan Thiam Soon. He joined SIT in September 2019 as Deputy President (Academic) and Provost and has been instrumental in advancing the university’s academic policies and curriculum, promoting applied learning and applied research, fostering faculty development, and enhancing student administration.
2021
Launched The Competency-Based Workplace Learning Pathway at SkillsFuture@SIT
In partnership with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), SIT hosted SkillsFuture@SIT, a webinar centred on the theme of ‘Supporting Industry Transformation through Upskilling Singapore’s Workforce’. The event also featured the launch of SIT’s pilot Competency-Based Workplace Learning pathway in collaboration with Ensign InfoSecurity Pte Ltd, LTA, SBS Transit Ltd and SMRT Corporation Ltd.
2020
November
Launched The National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning (NACE@SIT)
Established in November 2020 in partnership with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning at SIT (NACE@SIT) champions workplace learning, empowering businesses with best-in-class practices, expertise, and networks. NACE@SIT plays a pivotal role in driving innovation and collaboration between academia and industry, fostering mutually beneficial partnerships, and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and skills.
March
Established The Applied Research Office
In March 2020, the SIT Applied Research Office (ARO) was established to facilitate SIT’s translational research programmes in key areas such as Energy Resilience, Sustainable Food Innovation, Field/Service Robotics Engineering, Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering & Maintenance, and Community Health Transformation. These programmes were designed to bridge the gap between academia and industry, fostering a collaborative environment that encourages innovation and addresses real-world challenges through impactful research.
Launched Master’s And Doctorate Degrees By Research
SIT introduced Postgraduate Programmes by Research (PGR) which included an Industrial Doctorate Programme and an Industrial Master Programme. These programmes were specifically designed for professionals to acquire industry-relevant technical knowledge and specialised skills, further enhancing their expertise in their selected fields.
2019
Strengthened Applied Research With Innovation Centres And Applied Research Centres
To foster closer collaborations with industry, SIT established a few Innovation Centres and Applied Research Centres, aimed at partnering with industry stakeholders, building robust research capabilities, and cultivating a talent pipeline. These centres serve as collaborative hubs for technology development and innovation initiatives.
September
Groundbreaking Ceremony For SIT Punggol Campus
On 10 September 2019, SIT held its Groundbreaking Ceremony for its future centralised campus in Punggol. Co-located with JTC’s Punggol Digital District, SIT’s Punggol Campus was envisioned to become a vibrant and inclusive district underpinned by technology, which would enable students, faculty and industry partners to collaborate on projects beneficial to the community.
2017
October
Celebrated SIT’s Pioneer Cohort of Graduates
SIT’s pioneer cohorts graduated in 2017 and 2018 from various degree programmes, with over 90% employed within six months of graduation. Over the years, the Graduate Employment Survey (GES) has shown positive results, confirming the success of SIT’s model of applied learning.
2014
IWSP – Disrupting the Traditional Student Work Attachment
Our Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP) was launched, where students immerse themselves in a real work environment for six to 12 months (longer than a traditional internship) through work attachments with our industry partners. IWSP has become a signature feature of SIT’s programmes, enabling students to maximise learning in an authentic work environment and hit the ground running when they enter the workforce.
March
Established the SITizen-DNA
In the spirit of instilling a set of traits that SIT believes every SITizen should embody, the ‘SIT-DNA’ was introduced in March 2014. Now known as the ‘SITizen-DNA’, these traits are an integral part of a SITizen’s identity and continue to serve as a guiding principle in steering our curriculum design, pedagogical approach, student interaction and culture.
March
Minted as Singapore’s Fifth Autonomous University
SIT officially become an autonomous university, granting it the same status as existing universities in Singapore. SIT began plans to offer an industry-focused education and applied degree programmes in fields such as engineering and information technology.
2013
February
Professor Tan Thiam Soon Appointed as the Second President of SIT
In 2013, Professor Tan Thiam Soon became President of SIT, taking over the reins from founding President, Professor Tan Chin Tiong. He emphasised that university education is a journey of lifelong learning that builds skills rather than pursuing paper qualifications. The saying "Once a SITizen, Always a SITizen" describes SIT’s students’ lifelong learning journey.
2010
January
Inaugural Open House
SIT held its inaugural Open House in 2012. Held at the Ministry of Education headquarters, we enrolled 500 students from more than 2,000 applicants. SIT’s admission process had moved away from traditional grade-based assessments to focus on passion, interests, and non-academic achievements.
2009
SIT Established Several Key Overseas Universities Partnerships
SIT partnered with prestigious foreign universities to offer locally taught programmes in Engineering, Game Design, and Hospitality. The programmes have a global outlook and include an Overseas Immersion Programme for on-site learning, which enables SIT to provide specialised and industry-relevant degrees.
December
Mr Ng Yat Chung Was Appointed as Chairman of the SIT Board of Trustees
Mr Ng Yat Chung became the first Chairman of the SIT Board of Trustees. Bringing extensive corporate experience to the table, Mr Ng led the development of degrees for polytechnic graduates with a focus on applied learning and expanded SIT’s educational offerings as well as industry collaboration opportunities.
December
Professor Tan Chin Tiong Appointed as the Founding President
As SIT’s Founding President, Professor Tan Chin Tiong established the university’s foundation by partnering with foreign universities to offer degrees to polytechnic graduates locally. During his tenure, SIT grew from 10 to 17 programmes with 1,000 enrolled students.
September
Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) Was Established
Incorporated in September 2009, the Singapore Institute of Applied Technology (SIAT) aimed to provide more education pathways for Singaporeans to obtain university education. It was later renamed the ‘Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)’ to offer reputable foreign university degrees locally, expanding on the Polytechnic-Foreign Specialised Institute (Poly-FSI) initiative.
Thank you for finding out more about our journey thus far. Read more about our latest news.