Is a master's degree necessary for that career move or a luxury item?

Not all postgraduate courses need state funding; not at a time when the country wants to equip workers with job-relevant skills instead of fuelling a paper chase.

- Amelia Teng

Earlier in December, National University of Singapore (NUS) president Tan Eng Chye said the institution had started funding some of its master's programmes on its own, rather than rely on government subsidies.

Though NUS also clarified that this move had begun much earlier, the announcement was notable for the public signal it sent that the university will begin charging higher tuition fees for some courses, where it has not already. Drawing this inference, the news drew varying huge reactions, with some on social media suggesting locals will be "short-changed" and that the Government should continue to subsidise the cost of master's courses.

But such remarks conflate undergraduate education, needed for many entry-level white-collar roles, with postgraduate programmes, which may be motivated by a more diverse and nebulous set of goals. The comments also gave the impression that Singaporeans should be entitled to subsidies for a postgraduate degree if they wish to pursue further education.

A bachelor's degree is more likely to be a prerequisite for many jobs, and removing government funding for undergraduate programmes will reasonably draw concerns. But the vast majority of jobs, mid-career switches and efforts to climb the corporate ladder do not require postgraduate qualifications, which are, arguably, luxury items.

In any case, NUS will be charging more for only self-funded master's coursework programmes, whereas all of its research-based master's degrees will remain subsidised by the Government.

NUS also explained that selected coursework-based master's degrees continue to receive subsidies from the Ministry of Education (MOE), including the Master of Architecture, Master of Dental Surgery and Master in Public Administration.

WHY A MASTER'S HOLDS VALUE