Graduate Employment Survey 2011 (Published 2012)

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The law graduates from NUS Faculty of Law are once again at the top of the ranking table. This year, they make an average of $5,037 in gross monthly starting pay. (See our GES ranking for last year.)

Graduates from SMU ISM and NUS Medicine are at a distant second and third with gross starting salaries of $4,294 and $4,016 respectively.

Fresh graduates from all other surveyed courses earn below $4,000. Some earn much less than that. For example, NTU Art, Design & Media graduates earn almost half of what the fresh lawyers make.

NUS and SMU courses dominate the top positions. NTU’s best performer is their Computer Engineering degree programme ($3,577), coming in at the 11th position.

All data points in this article are based on the 2011 Graduate Employment Survey Results consolidated and released by MOE.

We hereby present this year’s rankings:

By Average Gross Monthly Salaries (in brackets are the 75th-percentile salaries)

  1. NUS Bachelor Laws (LLB) (Hons) – $5,037 ($5,075)
  2. SMU Information Systems Management (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $4,294 ($4,783)
  3. NUS Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) – $4,016 ($4,500)
  4. SMU Economics (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $3,999 ($4,275)
  5. NUS Bachelor of Computing (Information Systems) – $3,911 ($4,000)
  6. NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) – $3,871 ($4,200)
  7. SMU Business Management (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $3,777 ($4,100)
  8. NUS Bachelor of Arts (Architecture) – $3,677 ($3,900)
  9. SMU Accountancy (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $3,671 ($4,125)
  10. SMU Information Systems Management (4-year programme) – $3,637 ($4,150)
  11. NTU Computer Engineering – $3,577 ($3,800)
  12. SMU Economics (4-year programme) – $3,559 ($3,864)
  13. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial & Systems Engineering) – $3,539 ($3,950)
  14. NTU Aerospace Engineering – $3,489 ($3,900)
  15. SMU Social Sciences (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – $3,450 ($3,700)
  16. NTU Computer Science – $3,425 ($3,500)
  17. NUS Bachelor of Computing (Computer Engineering) – $3,421 ($3,682)
  18. NTU (NIE) Arts (with Education) – $3,407 ($3,500)
  19. NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) (Hons) – $3,393 ($3,500)
  20. NTU (NIE) Science (with Education) – $3,381 ($3,600)
  21. NUS Bachelor of Computing (Computer Science) – $3,376 ($3,500)
  22. SMU Business Management (4-year programme) – $3,369 ($3,800)
  23. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Engineering) – $3,367 ($3,980)
  24. NUS Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) (Hons) – $3,346 ($3,500)
  25. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Bioengineering) – $3,334 ($3,800)
  26. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering) – $3,327 ($3,600)
  27. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) – $3,286 ($3,515)
  28. NTU Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering – $3,276 ($3,500)
  29. SMU Accountancy (4-year programme) – $3,267 ($3,600)
  30. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Materials Science & Engineering) – $3,255 ($3,500)
  31. NTU Business (3-yr direct Honours programme) – $3,245 ($3,600)
  32. NTU Electrical & Electronic Engineering – $3,243 ($3,500)
  33. NTU Mathematical Sciences & Economics – $3,226 ($3,500)
  34. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental Engineering) – $3,215 ($3,300)
  35. NTU Economics – $3,209 ($3,500)
  36. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Engineering Science) – $3,203 ($3,250)
  37. NTU Information Engineering and Media – $3,196 ($3,500)
  38. NUS Bachelor of Computing (Communications and Media) – $3,175 ($3,300)
  39. NTU Mechanical Engineering – $3,152 ($3,385)
  40. NUS Bachelor of Arts (Hons) – $3,151 ($3,500)
  41. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) – $3,143 ($3,400)
  42. NUS Bachelor of Business Administration – $3,141 ($3,500)
  43. NUS Bachelor of Science (Hons) – $3,138 ($3,450)
  44. NUS Bachelor of Dental Surgery – $3,136 ($3,400)
  45. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering) – $3,126 ($3,200)
  46. NTU Psychology – $3,125 ($3,450)
  47. NTU Mathematical Sciences – $3,125 ($3,200)
  48. NTU Civil Engineering – $3,115 ($3,400)
  49. NTU Bioengineering – $3,094 ($3,500)
  50. NUS Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) – $3,088 ($3,350)
  51. NUS Bachelor of Computing (Electronic Commerce) – $3,075 ($3,500)
  52. NTU Sociology – $3,055 ($3,403)
  53. NTU Materials Engineering – $3,047 ($3,300)
  54. NTU Chinese – $3,044 ($3,300)
  55. SMU Social Sciences (4-year programme) – $3,043 ($3,500)
  56. NTU Environmental Engineering – $3,034 ($3,300)
  57. NTU Physics & Applied Physics – $3,024 ($3,300)
  58. NTU Biological Sciences – $2,981 ($3,250)
  59. NTU English Literature – $2,976 ($3,200)
  60. NTU Communication Studies – $2,960 ($3,200)
  61. NTU Chemistry & Biological Chemistry – $2,956 ($3,200)
  62. NTU Maritime Studies – $2,906 ($3,000)
  63. NTU Accountancy (3-yr direct Honours programme) – $2,900 ($2,900)
  64. NUS Bachelor of Applied Science (Hons) – $2,890 ($3,150)
  65. NUS Bachelor of Science (Real Estate) – $2,888 ($3,000)
  66. NUS Bachelor of Arts – $2,763 ($3,000)
  67. NUS Bachelor of Science (Project & Facilities Management) – $2,760 ($3,000)
  68. NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) – $2,759 ($2,800)
  69. NUS Bachelor of Science – $2,741 ($2,900)
  70. NUS Bachelor of Science (Nursing) – $2,718 ($2,800)
  71. NUS Bachelor of Applied Science – $2,647 ($2,800)
  72. NTU Art, Design & Media – $2,563 ($3,000)

By Permanent Employment Rate (in brackets are the median salaries)

  1. NUS Bachelor Laws (LLB) (Hons) – 100.0% ($5,000)
  2. NUS Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) – 100.0% ($4,000)
  3. NTU (NIE) Arts (with Education) – 100.0% ($3,300)
  4. NTU (NIE) Science (with Education) – 100.0% ($3,300)
  5. NUS Bachelor of Dental Surgery – 100.0% ($3,000)
  6. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering) – 100.0% ($3,000)
  7. NUS Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) (Hons) – 98.9% ($3,300)
  8. NUS Bachelor of Arts (Architecture) – 98.6% ($3,500)
  9. SMU Accountancy (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – 98.6% ($3,225)
  10. NUS Bachelor of Computing (Information Systems) – 98.1% ($3,400)
  11. NTU Maritime Studies – 98.1% ($2,800)
  12. NUS Bachelor of Computing (Electronic Commerce) – 97.2% ($3,000)
  13. SMU Accountancy (4-year programme) – 96.9% ($2,900)
  14. NUS Bachelor of Science (Project & Facilities Management) – 96.7% ($2,770)
  15. NTU Accountancy (3-yr direct Honours programme) – 96.3% ($2,700)
  16. SMU Information Systems Management (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – 96.0% ($4,200)
  17. NUS Bachelor of Science (Nursing) – 95.6% ($2,750)
  18. NUS Bachelor of Computing (Computer Engineering) – 95.5% ($3,100)
  19. NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) – 95.5% ($2,700)
  20. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Engineering) – 95.1% ($3,000)
  21. SMU Information Systems Management (4-year programme) – 94.6% ($3,215)
  22. NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Accountancy) (Hons) – 94.4% ($3,000)
  23. NUS Bachelor of Science (Real Estate) – 94.4% ($2,800)
  24. NTU Computer Engineering – 94.0% ($3,250)
  25. NUS Bachelor of Computing (Computer Science) – 94.0% ($3,000)
  26. NTU Civil Engineering – 94.0% ($3,000)
  27. SMU Economics (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – 92.0% ($3,500)
  28. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Materials Science & Engineering) – 91.7% ($3,000)
  29. SMU Business Management (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – 91.5% ($3,500)
  30. NTU Mathematical Sciences & Economics – 91.4% ($3,200)
  31. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Industrial & Systems Engineering) – 91.1% ($3,500)
  32. NTU Information Engineering and Media – 90.6% ($3,200)
  33. NUS Bachelor of Applied Science (Hons) – 90.3% ($2,800)
  34. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) – 89.4% ($3,000)
  35. NUS Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) – 89.2% ($3,300)
  36. NTU Aerospace Engineering – 88.9% ($3,500)
  37. SMU Economics (4-year programme) – 88.9% ($3,200)
  38. SMU Social Sciences (4-year programme) – 88.5% ($3,000)
  39. NTU Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering – 88.4% ($3,200)
  40. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering) – 88.4% ($3,100)
  41. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental Engineering) – 88.4% ($3,000)
  42. NUS Bachelor of Business Administration – 88.1% ($2,975)
  43. NTU Physics & Applied Physics – 87.9% ($3,000)
  44. NTU Chinese – 87.7% ($3,100)
  45. SMU Social Sciences (4-year programme) – Cum Laude and above – 87.5% ($3,500)
  46. NTU Business (3-yr direct Honours programme) – 87.4% ($3,000)
  47. NUS Bachelor of Arts (Hons) – 87.3% ($3,200)
  48. SMU Business Management (4-year programme) – 87.3% ($3,020)
  49. NTU Electrical & Electronic Engineering – 87.2% ($3,100)
  50. NTU Mechanical Engineering – 86.8% ($3,000)
  51. NUS Bachelor of Science (Hons) – 85.3% ($3,000)
  52. NTU Computer Science – 85.1% ($3,200)
  53. NUS Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) – 84.9% ($3,000)
  54. NTU Environmental Engineering – 84.8% ($3,000)
  55. NTU Sociology – 84.5% ($3,150)
  56. NTU Psychology – 84.4% ($3,200)
  57. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering) – 83.9% ($3,184)
  58. NTU Materials Engineering – 83.6% ($3,000)
  59. NTU Mathematical Sciences – 82.1% ($3,100)
  60. NUS Bachelor of Computing (Communications and Media) – 81.6% ($3,000)
  61. NTU English Literature – 81.1% ($3,100)
  62. NTU Communication Studies – 80.3% ($2,900)
  63. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Bioengineering) – 79.5% ($3,250)
  64. NUS Bachelor of Engineering (Engineering Science) – 78.3% ($3,170)
  65. NTU Economics – 76.9% ($3,150)
  66. NTU Chemistry & Biological Chemistry – 75.1% ($2,950)
  67. NUS Bachelor of Arts – 73.8% ($2,700)
  68. NTU Bioengineering – 72.7% ($3,000)
  69. NTU Biological Sciences – 71.8% ($3,000)
  70. NUS Bachelor of Applied Science – 70.6% ($2,500)
  71. NUS Bachelor of Science – 67.2% ($2,600)
  72. NTU Art, Design & Media – 55.8% ($2,500)
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28 Comments

  1. why is NTU Art, Design & Media so bad? it has the dubious honour of being last in both ranking tables for the past few years!

  2. No wonder so many highly educated Singaporeans are leaving the country. My first job as a designer after uni was in Germany and it paid S$5,500.

  3. because Singapore is a finance and banking centre, where creativity and design talents aren’t sought after.

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  5. I worked for an MNC company overseas for 5 years. I was paid 3000, good pay for a poly grad. When i came back to upgrade my skills recently, I had to leave my job behind. To my horror, all the mid-low level jobs are snapped up. I have been looking for employment since 9 months ago. I didnt even get a phone all for interview. My resume is good-checked. I am a multimedia producer. I am 38 and too and too old expensive to employ? These days, to do multimedia you have to have knowledge in programming as well as print. That’s 3 jobs in one, no? cheap!

  6. Which NUS 2011 graduate earns $4016/month?
    We all draw a measly $3000/month salary from MOHH which is joint number 62 on the list. wonder where the guys at the graduate employment survey got their figures from.

  7. To YLLSOMDrs. according to the MOE document, gross salary includes basic salary, fixed allowances, overtime pay and commissions.

  8. lol. drs in singapore work slave like hours and on an hourly basis, they get less than lawyers.
    just a question – john hopkin drs still have to take USMLE in order to practice medicine in the states.
    if that is the case, they have wasted all their tuition fees and find that they are stuck professionally in singapore.
    plus the fees are not cheap.

    i will rather do post grad medicine in australia or the US in that case. at least, one can have the choice to practice in both countries.

    MOs who are not bonded (overseas grad) should consider seeking their fortunes overseas, unless say you are of blue blood.

  9. LOTS OF LAUGHTER AGAIN.
    hey, can i come and enjoy your free meal next week ? ;)…. i want to see you guys man!
    unfortunately, the australian bureacrats are very quick to cry wolf over the lack of intern ship placements to cover their butts. this has been happening year after year, and will con’t to happen till the cows come home.

    students who are prepared to do their internship in rural settings, in order to alleviate the medical workforce shortage will not have any problems getting their placements.
    yes vacancies are short in sydney/melbourne/brisbane.

    there will always be students who will want to ‘trial it out’ in sgp hospitals, but how long will they stay? 😉

  10. Hi i’m Kim and i’m an Australian health recruiter.
    I agree with simhat – it is best if you come to Australia to work, because we really need you to help do those rural postings no blue-blooded OZZIE doctor will do. We’ll even pay you more (but our tax is quite high, Lor!)
    Why suffer in Singapore?! Why stay at home when you can come to a foreign country and be spit upon by the locals?
    Simhat- hey matey, wanna grab a nice beer? (the good Aussie stuff, not the shitty Tiger crap they have in Sg)

  11. kim, wow, you are trying to get business from me huh!
    yes give me a tiger/foster! bring it on.
    my doctors here love me. we have made several pay and leave revisions not too long ago (to our advantage) and you know what, no complaints!

    wow, your taxes are high indeed, but why are some of our drs flocking to your end? would you mind educating me?
    you can be my guest this weekend at our gathering (depends on which city u are in).

    perhaps we can compare commissions! or perhaps how much we can suck from our drs/nurses!
    on or not! 😛

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  13. hello… anyone knows the average for bachelor of science (real estate) with honors? haha. shld i refer to salary given above under bachelor of science (hons)??

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  15. These numbers are pretty fake… definitely over inflated for the purposes of justifiying university tuition fees and study loans to suck the crap out of students and make them beholden to this high income disparity society.

    There are definitely some who earn more than the figures, but the vast majority earn way below. that’s why they show 75th percentile… most people dont earn enough to be lower class even, as they are saddled in debt.

    ONe should simply vote against the ruling party and crash this whole bloody system.

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  17. Pingback: (Reblog) Graduate Employment Survey 2012 (Published 2013) for Singapore | Halfmann

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