S'pore students among fastest to finish coding core curriculum

Three students from the first intake of the Singapore University of Technology and Design's (SUTD) 42 Singapore (42 SG) coding programme are among the fastest in the world to complete its common core curriculum.

In July 2024, Mr Jeffrey Goh, Ms Wendy Huang and Mr Sean O'Leary, who worked together on their last group project, completed the programme's first nine levels, out of 21, taking 10 months to reach that stage.

They are among the top 50 students globally to accomplish this in less than a year.

The first nine levels make up the common core curriculum.

Students are not required to complete all nine, and can leave at any time.

Mr Koh Chye Soon, head of ecole at 42 SG, said the rest of the cohort of over 170 students are expected to complete the common core curriculum by the second half of 2025.

Launched in September 2023, 42 SG is modelled after Ecole 42 in Paris, a pioneering coding school that was founded in 2013. Both schools offer modules in the fields of coding, computer programming, cyber security, network infrastructure, data science and more.

42 SG is a full-time course that requires about 40 hours a week of commitment. Students undertake the core programme initially before they specialise, typically in a wide range of topics, in the next two years.

The programme, which is free and open to anyone above 18 years old, relies on peer learning and offers full hands-on, project-based learning in a gamified environment. There are neither teachers nor structured lessons, or academic prerequisites to enrol.