Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will offer a new four-year Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) degree programme from August 2024.

The Bachelor of Chinese Medicine undergraduate degree programme will be offered by NTU's School of Biological Sciences, according to a joint press release by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and NTU.

Accredited by MOH

The new programme is the first locally conferred Chinese undergraduate degree programme to be accredited by the Ministry of Health's (MOH) Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board.

It is designed to cater towards Singapore's healthcare needs after a review by MOH, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and NTU concluded that the timing is conducive for the university to offer its own TCM degree.

The first cohort of 25 students will enrol in August 2024.

NTU said it has plans to expand the cohort size to up to 40 students eventually.

It will also replace the current five-year double-degree programme, which consists of a degree in biomedical sciences conferred by NTU, and a degree in Chinese medicine conferred by the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

The last cohort of this double-degree programme will graduate in 2028.

During Health Minister Ong Ye Kung's speech at the programme's launch, he said more than 430 students graduated from the double-degree programme, with an average of 30 students a year, according to The Straits Times.

More than 80 per cent of graduates went on to obtain their licence as registered TCM practitioners.

New TCM programme will include clinical training sessions

Under the new programme, students will have weekly three-hour clinical training sessions at the NTU Chinese Medicine Clinic as part of their curriculum to expose them to clinical settings.

In addition, students are required to go for two-month internships at partner TCM institutions at the end of every semester to accumulate clinical experience and gain confidence as they assume a greater role in caring for patients while being supervised by clinical mentors.

There are also plans to set up overseas clinical internships and exchange programmes for students to expose them to how TCM is practised worldwide.

Professor Ling San, NTU's deputy president and provost said:

"NTU’s new Chinese medicine programme localises the context for students, allowing them to dive deeper into the TCM areas critical for Singapore and better equip them to tackle the nation’s health challenges and help relieve the load on our national healthcare infrastructure."

Top photo via Ruth Chai