Where disciplines intersect

Nanyang Business School (NBS) is the most established and well-regarded business school in Singapore and the region. The various programmes offered by the school help students to gain a global, forward-looking perspective, plus critical analytical skills. No matter which specialisation you choose to be in, you will have an opportunity to learn solid technical skills and develop interdisciplinary knowledge and skills through the Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core (ICC) modules. Here, I am going to share three ICC modules that I enjoyed the most.

 

Backing decisions with data

Before coming to NBS, I had zero programming background and coding knowledge. I had no idea what programming and analytics meant. However, after attending the ‘Decision Making with Programming & Analytics’ module, I discovered my deep passion for business analytics and fell in love with it. Through this module, I learned how to manage data and conduct business analytics programmatically using Python. A broad understanding of how to manage data, the process of preparing data for analysis, the basics of analytics, and the means to communicate analytics outcomes are also provided to students. This course has equipped me with an ability to write customised solutions to inform business decisions, integrate statistical libraries for data analysis, and construct visuals or reports for business understanding. The skills that I have gained from this module are particularly useful in my internships because I was able to utilise my Python skills to make strategically sound recommendations and data-driven business decisions for companies.

 

Communicating with confidence

Another module that I really loved is ‘Communication Management Strategies’. The purpose of this course was to prepare students for the communication challenges that we are likely to meet in rapidly evolving global business environments. After going through the various individual and group presentations designed in this module, I was able to present myself confidently and professionally. It also allowed me to make intelligent choices about content, organisation, style, tone, delivery, and timing of messages and be more aware of my message effectiveness. In addition, this course also offered me the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in negotiation through engagement in negotiation simulations. 

 

Sharpening soft skills

The last module that I am going to share is ‘Career II’. When I was in Year 1, I always pondered on my future career path. At that point in time, I didn’t know how to answer interview questions, write a resume or a cover letter, or what to expect when in a workplace setting. I was so clueless…. This was where ‘Career II’ came in. In this module, I was guided on how to craft a simple but comprehensive resume. I also learned interview skills i.e. pre-interview preparation and how to answer challenging questions, and networking skills i.e. networking Dos and Don’ts and how to navigate networking events. Most importantly, this module allowed me to understand myself better - strengths and weaknesses - and helped me to build a step-by-step career development plan for the 2 to 3 years following graduation.

Overall, I enjoyed studying the Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core modules a lot. The set of modules has not only enabled me but also other students to integrate knowledge from different disciplines and gain a broad interest and knowledge outside of their specific disciplines.

 

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