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Another humanities undergraduate at NUS, Ms Celest Lee Kai Xin, also had to contend with scepticism when she chose to study geography and psychology.<\/span><\/p>\n “Everyone always jokes that geography means we study rocks,” she said. “I do have to clear up misconceptions about job prospects whenever my relatives ask me about it.”<\/span><\/p>\n The 21-year-old chose her course out of genuine interest rather than perceived market appeal.<\/span><\/p>\n “I wanted to understand how people think and how society works,” she said, adding that geography helps her see how space and environment shape lives, while psychology deepens her understanding of individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n While some disciplines grapple with declining numbers, others have flourished.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Computing and science-related courses, often perceived as future-oriented and adaptable, have seen rising enrolment as students gravitate towards fields closely linked to technological change.<\/span><\/p>\n At the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), director of admissions Lynette Ang said interest in design- and technology-focused programmes has remained strong.<\/span><\/p>\n “This reflects a longer-term structural shift towards technology-linked disciplines \u2013 a trend that has been developing progressively rather than emerging suddenly,” she said.<\/span><\/p>\n A similar realignment is also evident at other autonomous universities, including Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and NTU.<\/span><\/p>\n Professor John Thong, deputy president (academic) and provost at SIT, <\/strong>said applications to its degree programmes in the infocomm technology and business cluster have risen by more than 30 per cent over the past five years.<\/span><\/p>\n Over the same period, enrolment in NTU’s computer science and computer engineering courses increased by 26 per cent from 2,073 to 2,620.<\/span><\/p>\n Responding to queries from CNA TODAY, NTU vice-provost (undergraduate studies) Professor Gan Chee Lip said the growth reflects both stronger student demand driven by industry needs and carefully calibrated increases in the university’s capacity.<\/span><\/p>\n The university has also launched new computing-related programmes in recent years, including economics and data science, applied computing in finance, and AI and society.<\/span><\/p>\n For Ms Aishwarya Goyal, 20, a second-year computer science student at NUS, the appeal of computing lay in its versatility.<\/span><\/p>\n She considered other options, including business, but felt computer science would provide a stronger technical foundation for industries increasingly shaped by digital systems.<\/span><\/p>\n Around her, Ms Goyal noticed that even non-computing students were picking up coding skills, which reinforced her view that building a strong technical foundation through a computer science degree made sense.<\/span><\/p>\n Career prospects also played a role, though not solely in terms of salary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n