Program Overview

Introduction to the Special Programme in Science (SPS)

The Special Programme in Science (SPS) was established in 1996 to nurture enthusiastic students to pursue their passion for science. SPS, a melting pot for the sciences, brings together students from the different disciplines of the Faculty of Science into a tightly-knit community. Using six tailor-made courses, students have the opportunity to participate in multidisciplinary research, peer learning, and student mentorship.

Typical Timeline at SPS

For Cohorts AY2020/21 and before:

• Research Oriented Courses (4 Units)
  • Year 1, Semester 1: SP2171: Discovering Science (Over two semesters)
  • Year 1, Semester 2: SP2174: The Cell
  • Year 2, Semester 1: SP3172: Integrated Science Project
• Thematic Courses (4 Units)
  • Year 1, Semester 1: SP2173: Atoms to Molecules
  • Year 2, Semester 2: SP3175: The Earth
  • Year 2, Semester 2: SP3176: The Universe
• Years 3 & 4: SPS Mentorship / Exchange / UROPS / FYP

For Cohorts AY2021/22 onwards:

• Courses (4 Units)
  • Year 1, Semester 1: SP2271: Introduction to the Scientific Literature
  • Year 1, Semester 1: SP2274: Engineering a Life-like Cell
  • Year 1, Semester 2: SP2273: Working on Interdisciplinary Science, Pythonically
  • Year 2, Semester 1: SP3176: The Universe
  • Year 2, Semester 1: SP3275: Science for a Sustainable Earth
  • Year 2, Semester 2: SP3172: Integrated Science Project
• Years 3 & 4: SPS Mentorship / Exchange / UROPS / FYP

SPS Courses

Research-Oriented Courses

The research-oriented courses of SPS lay the foundation for you to develop essential analytical, computational, communication, and interpersonal skills. While these are useful in research, they will also prove invaluable in the 21st-century workplace.

SP2171 - Discovering Science (4 Units)

• Year 1, Semester 1 & 2
• We have designed Discovering Science to equip you with several essential skills (information literacy and literature reviews, writing, presentations, interviews, and programming) that any good scientist should possess.

SP3172 - Integrated Science Project (4 Units)

• Year 2, Semester 1
• This course is similar to an undergraduate research project where a greater initiative in planning the research work is expected of the students.

Thematic, Integrated Courses

The SPS thematic courses cut across the traditional boundaries between the disciplines of Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Biology. The curriculum strives to develop a richer appreciation of the multidisciplinary and often interdisciplinary nature of the ‘real’ Universe.

SP2173 - Atoms to Molecules

• 4 Units, Year 1, Semester 1
• Atoms to Molecules will take you from an understanding of the Physicists’ atom to its extension, the Chemists’ molecules, thereby setting the stage for The Cell.

SP2174 - The Cell

• 4 Units, Year 1, Semester 2
• Using simple bacteria as the model organism, key chemical and physical principles underlying several biological processes are explored.

SP3175 - The Earth

• 4 Units, Year 2, Semester 2
• The Earth focuses on the physical, chemical, and biological processes that have shaped the development of the Earth.

SP3176 - The Universe

• 4 Units, Year 2, Semester 2
• The Universe traces the developments in theoretical and observational cosmology, starting from Newtonian cosmology, Hubble’s observations, the Big Bang, formation of stars and black holes to recent ideas in the origin and fate of the Universe.