Work-Study Degree
BBM (Private Banking) SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree
Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB) has launched a BBM (Private Banking) SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree. This Work-Study Degree is built from the regular BBM degree with a significant work component that fulfils a Work-Study Degree’s requirements. It aims to prepare graduates for jobs in the Private Banking industry. DBS is the first company to collaborate with LKCSB to offer a structured internship. This initiative is supported by the government’s Financial Sector Development Fund (FSDF) which aims to build a Singaporean talent pipeline of job-ready graduates for the finance sector through structured Work-Study Degree internships at financial institutions.
What is the BBM (Private Banking) SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree?
The BBM (Private Banking) SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree (WSDeg) is a regular BBM degree with a significant Work component that is recognised by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG). 30% of curriculum time for this is dedicated to “work” (in the form of internship attachments). This significant work component allows students to acquire deep and work-relevant skills, which will help students better transit to the workplace upon graduation.
The partnering bank, DBS, has developed a structured, applied, and team-based curriculum matched with pertinent internship experiences to equip students with relevant skillsets and competencies.
Students will earn academic credits which will contribute to fulfilling the degree requirements. They will graduate with the BBM (Private Banking) SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree.
Programme Structure
Like other SMU undergraduate degrees, the proposed BBM (Private Banking) Work-Study Degree (WSDeg) requires a total of 36 CUs. The curriculum structure is as follows:
| Curriculum Category | CUs | Comparison to Regular BBM |
|---|---|---|
| Core Curriculum | 12 | Similar |
| Business Core | 11 | Similar |
| Major (Finance) | 4 | 6 |
| WSDeg Internship (35-week) | 5 | No WSDeg Internship |
| Free electives | 4 | 7 |
| Total BBM CUs | 36 | Similar |
Students who join the programme will follow the course progression of modules and 2 internship periods as show in the diagram below:
Course progression: BBM (Private Banking) SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree
Details about the Internship Component:
- The Work-Study Degree has a mandatory 45 weeks of internship time for students, to be completed in 2 parts.
- The first period of internship is 10 weeks and students must complete this before the end of Term 3 of Year 2. This internship may be completed in any company. A generic business internship is an existing part of the BBM’s degree requirements, giving students broad work experience. Students will fulfil the 1 CU internship requirement when they complete this 10-week internship.
- The second internship is the specialised 35-week long internship in private banking with the partner bank (DBS). This internship will run from December of a student’s third year of study until August of the following year. Students will be rotated to different departments within the bank and at the end of the internship they will take the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level I exam, in August.
- Students will be paid an appropriate internship stipend by the bank during the period of internship. The internship will also include students from other local universities.
- Successful completion of the internship at DBS will count for five CUs (2 Finance major elective CUs and 3 Free Elective CUs). The internship will be graded Pass/Fail. Assessment of the student will be determined by a faculty supervisor based on interim and final reports submitted by the students (when required) and feedback from the students’ workplace supervisors on their work performance and attitude.
How to apply
Applications will be accepted from 1 Aug – 31 Aug 2024. Apply here.
If shortlisted by the school, applicant’s information will be sent to DBS to undergo a competitive selection process and assessed alongside students from other local universities. Please note that DBS’ decision is final.
Successful applicants who are selected by DBS will start their 35-week internship after the end of Term 1 (i.e. December 2024), and will end in August 2025. Thereafter, students will take the CFA Level 1 examination in August 2025.
Completion of the 35 weeks internship and CFA Level I examinations will count for five CUs and these students will become BBM (Private Banking) SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree graduates when they complete their studies at LKCSB.
Further details
If you have further enquiries on this programme, you may wish to refer to the FAQs from the previous info session (jointly held with DBS on 2 September 2022.) For enquiries not addressed in the FAQs, you may write to lkcsb_ug[at]smu.edu.sg, attn: Ms Jasmine Lim
