Singapore Management University, Lee Kong Chian School of Business

Singapore Management University (SMU) is Singapore's national university focused on providing broad-based business education. Established by Singapore's Ministry of Education, SMU is distinct from other Singaporean universities in that its educational practices are modelled on world-class institutions, in particular the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, which has played a key role in SMU's development.

According to Dr Tony Tan, former Deputy Prime Minister (Singapore), “From its conception, SMU was designed to provide a different model of university education in Singapore. We wanted to start with a clean slate instead of just adding another public university in the mould of existing ones. From this starting point emerged a confluence of factors that make SMU special.”

Today, SMU is home to more than 7,000 students and has 6 schools as well as 21 institutes. Within a few short years, SMU has achieved wide recognition and respect in Singapore, Asia and beyond.

Building on this momentum, the Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB) is rapidly establishing its credentials as one of Asia's top business schools. Today, LKCSB is a dynamic Asian business school with over a hundred full-time faculty and more than two thousand five hundred students. The school offers undergraduate, master's and doctoral programmes.

According to Professor Howard Thomas, Dean, LKCSB, “LKCSB is a leading international school with many distinguished academic partners including the Wharton School. We offer business and management education at the cutting edge of research and practice relevant to the changing world today. We pursue research and teaching excellence to achieve international reputation.

Further, we foster a high degree of communication and participation within the classroom, and aim to produce graduates who are confident, competent, and socially responsible. Students are encouraged to challenge their professors with tough questions and expect insightful replies. Every student who joins the school should walk out with a global view attained through activities such as international exchange and internship programmes, and acquire the capability to change at least part of the world for the better.”

The SMU campus is located in the heart of Singapore, an integral part of Singapore’s central business district. Surrounded by museums, theatres, educational institutions, art galleries, cafés, restaurants and a range of retail outlets, SMU has formed close relationships with the business community and the neighbouring cultural institutions.

The campus has porous structures that engage the surroundings with open courtyards and free-flowing walkways and allow for an easy and natural integration with activities of the city. The campus design and structure reflect and support the character of SMU's curriculum and its style of teaching.