The School of Applied Science is entrusted to develop and conduct diploma courses, which emphasize the effective application of applied sciences in the applied sciences industries. Currently, the School offers six full-time courses (Common Science Programme and 5 diploma courses) for GCE “O” and “A” level qualification holders. The role of the School is to ensure that graduates of its courses are equipped with the necessary technical skills and knowledge for the relevant industry. In addition, graduates should also be able to work independently as well as work as an effective member of a team.

All courses emphasize the development of problem solving, communication and team working abilities. Opportunities are provided for students to exhibit their creative thinking through project based assignments and final year projects. The School works closely with employers to ensure that the curriculum of its courses remain relevant to industry needs. Students are also attached to various business and industrial organizations during the Student Internship Programme to gain first-hand experience of the realities of industrial demand.

Links to 6 courses:

Common Science Programme

Diploma in Chemical Engineering

Diploma in Food, Nutrition and Culinary Science

Diploma in Medical Biotechnology 

Diploma in Pharmaceutical Science 

Diploma in Veterinary Technology

Lectures

E-lectures may be conducted synchronously on Microsoft Teams or asynchronously through e-recordings. Alternatively, face-to-face lectures are conducted in groups of about 100 students and are usually delivered in lecture theatres.

Tutorials

Tutorials are conducted in groups of about 25 students. Tutorial worksheets, where appropriate, will be given one week in advance for students to prepare for the lesson. During tutorials, students will participate in activities outlined by their lecturers. Activities could include group discussions and peer-tutoring sessions among the students themselves. Students may be asked to present their findings or mini-projects to the class.

Laboratories

Laboratory sessions are held for all science subjects. They usually last for 2 to 3 hours. Students are expected to participate in hands-on activities such as experimental techniques, experimental tests and project work (if relevant). Students should observe all laboratory rules and regulations and be aware of safety issues at all times whilst in the laboratory.

Problem-based Learning (PBL)

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a teaching and learning methodology that encourages students to enquire, problem-solve and work effectively in teams. The problem-driven curriculum in PBL captures the students’ attention and sustains their academic interest by challenging them to seek solutions to given problem scenarios from the multiple perspectives offered by the team members. The essence of enquiry requires them to seek evidence to support, refute or throw doubt on a hypothesis or proposed solution. This process helps the students to develop an open but questioning mind much valued in the science classroom.

Class Duration

Although each lecture/tutorial is allocated a time slot of 1 hour, the lesson proper lasts for about 50 minutes. The remaining 10 minutes are for students to hand in their assignments and transit from one class to the next so as to ensure that all classes start on time.

Class Attendance & Punctuality

Students must satisfy a minimum of 85% attendance. Students who exceed the maximum number of non-attendance sessions could be given a Pass/Fail grade only. Students will be marked as ‘Late’ once they report beyond the stated start time of the lesson. Both ‘Late’ (‘L’) and ‘Absent’ (‘A’) records will be considered as non-attendance and counted towards the computation of attendance requirement for non-graded pass penalty.

Submission of Assignments

Assignments should be handed in on time. If a student has a valid medical certificate (MC) or leave of absence (LOA), the assignment should be handed in on the day that the student is back at school. You can refer to each subject's study guide for the guidelines regarding the submission of assignments for tutorials or laboratory classes.

Class Participation

Class participation is an important factor that contributes towards the final assessment of a student in a particular subject. Factors that count towards the assessment of class participation include a positive attitude towards learning, an inquiring mind, active participation during classes, attentiveness and a motivation to do supplementary reading to complement the information provided in lecture notes.

Absence from class

All leave is to be applied using the TP Online Student Services.

To apply for Leave of Absence (LOA):

• Application for leave of absence (e.g. participation in a school-based performance, official events or competition etc.) must be submitted, with supporting documents, at least one week before the date of absence.
• Students must inform the subject tutors concerned and obtain the Care Person’s recommendation and Course Manager’s approval.
• Students must retain original supporting documents for 6 months.
• Log into TP Online Student Services and click on Attendance -> Apply / Submit LOA. At the LOA Summary Page, click Apply LOA.
• Fill in your application details, and attach a picture of your LOA documents using your phone’s camera.
• Check that the picture of your LOA documents is clear and that the information provided in your application is correct, and submit your application.
• You will see the application reflected in the LOA Summary page and receive a confirmation of the LOA submission via email.
• Monitor your email for the outcome of the LOA application.

To submit Medical Certificate (MC):

•  During the semester, all medical certificates must be submitted within 2 working days, excluding Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays from the end of the MC period.
•  Only medical certificates issued by medical practitioners registered with the Singapore Medical Council will be accepted.
• Students must retain the original MC for 6 months and may be required to submit the original MC to the school for viewing upon request.
• Log into TP Online Student Services and click on Attendance -> Apply / Submit MC. At the MC Summary Page, click Apply MC.
• Fill in your application details, and attach a picture of your MC using your phone’s camera.
• Check that the picture of your MC is clear and that the information provided in your application is correct, and submit your application.
• You will see the application reflected in the MC Summary page and receive a confirmation of the MC submission via email.
• Monitor your email for the outcome of the MC application.

Assessment Methods

Various methods of assessment are used in the school. These include tutorial assignments, worksheets, practical reports, laboratory techniques, oral presentations, project interviews and reports, quizzes/tests and semestral examinations. They may be used individually or in part with other methods for lecturers to gauge the students’ understanding of the subject more accurately. More importantly, they also provide feedback for students to analyse their own strengths and weaknesses and to monitor their progress in a particular subject. Other reasons for conducting assessments are to ascertain a student’s ability to progress from one part of the course to another (e.g. from one semester to the next), to grant honours/awards to outstanding students and to confirm students’ competency in a !eld of knowledge or practice.

Absence from examination

Students who are absent from examination due to extenuating circumstances may submit an appeal with supporting documentary evidence to the Academic Affairs for special consideration, no later than forty-eight hours from the start time of the !rst affected examination paper (excluding Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays). Where the reason for absence from examination is known beforehand, students must submit their application for leave of absence at least 3 weeks before the start of each Semestral Examination.

The valid reasons include:

a) Bereavement of immediate family members, including spouse, parents, grandparents, siblings and children

b) Medical & hospitalisation leave

c) Participation in approved international/national events

d) Civil emergencies such as "oods or disruptions to national transportation system

e) Special cases such as accidents are subject to special consideration on a case-by-case basis.

Students whose appeal for absence from examination are successful will be arranged to sit for Special Assessment (for diploma students) or Alternative Assessment (for PFP students) for the affected paper.  The marks obtained for the paper attempted at Special Assessment or Alternative Assessment will be marked down by ONE grade and it will take the place of that for the Semestral Examination.  The down-one-grade rule WILL NOT be applied to approved absences granted due to hospitalization leave, contagious diseases, dengue fever, bereavement of immediate family member and representing in national/international event.

Credit Units

Every subject is assigned credit units (cu). These credit units are a measure of students’ workload and reflect the scheduled contact hours for a particular subject. In any subject, 1 credit unit is assigned 15 hours of work. Hence, if a subject were assigned 4 credit units, students taking the subject would have a 60-hour (15 x 4) workload.

Before the assigned credit units are awarded, students must have passed the subject assessments and fulfilled the required attendance at lessons.

In a semester, each student must take subjects that collectively award a minimum of 15 credit units and maximum of 26 credit units.

Letter Grades

The quality of students’ achievement in each subject is indicated by letter grades. Letter grades are assigned numeric grade values called ‘grade points’. The table below shows the grading system with the letter grades and their corresponding grade points. The grade points are used to calculate the Grade Point Average (GPA).

Grading System

Grade Point Average (GPA)

A student’s progress within a programme will be evaluated on the basis of the Grade Point Average (GPA). The GPA is a numerical value that indicates academic standing and serves as a means of measuring the student’s academic achievement in the course. Both the Semester GPA and Cumulative GPA are calculated. The grades for certain TPFun subjects (e.g. CARE) will not be included in the calculation of GPA.

Formula for calculating the GPA:

GPA   =  sum(credit units assigned to subject X subject grade point)
                     sum (credit units assigned to all subjects allocated)     

Re-taking (Repeating) a subject

A student who fails a core subject in main assessment must re-take the subject when it is next offered. The student must attend lessons and complete all coursework assignments for that subject to attain a new subject grade.

Number of Attempts Permitted for Re-Taking Subjects

A total of 2 attempts are allowed for each core subject. If a student fails to attain a pass within 2 attempts, he/she would be removed from the course.  For electives, student will not be allowed to choose the same elective again if he/she did not attain a pass within 2 attempts.

Eligibility Criteria for Taking Subjects at a Higher Level

Students must have completed the required credit units for subjects at a lower level before they can proceed to take corresponding subjects at a higher level.

For example:

•  To be eligible for a Level 2 subject in his diploma of study, a student must have completed at least 20 credit units. These include credit units from corresponding prerequisite Level 1 subjects.
•  To be eligible for a Level 3 subject in his diploma of study, a student must have completed at least 60 credit units. These include credit units from corresponding prerequisite Level 1 and Level 2 subjects.

Criteria for removal from course of study

Students will be recommended to the Board of Examiners for removal from their course of study based on any of the following conditions:

• Failure to pass a diploma core subject or required diploma elective subject in 2 attempts
• Cumulative GPA is less than 1.0 for 3 consecutive semesters
• Failure to ful!ll graduation requirements within 10 semesters of study (this refers to students who are not granted exemptions)

Lab safety should be a constant concern to everyone in the lab.  The following rules should also be observed at all times:

1.  Do not wait along the corridor or enter the laboratory unless authorized.
   
   
2. Leave all bags and files, except your laboratory manual and your pencil case, in the pigeon holes.  Do not overcrowd your workbench as this may cause accidents. Valuables such as your wallet should not be left unattended.
   
   
3. Laboratory coats should be worn at all times in the laboratories.  Students without lab  coats and proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are not allowed to conduct lab work in the laboratories.  Laboratory coats should not be worn outside the laboratories.  Students’ names should be sewn or written in permanent ink on    their laboratory coats for identification purposes.  Used lab coats should be kept in isolation or in a plastic bag to prevent cross contamination.
   
   
4. Note : Laboratory coats designated for food laboratories are not to be worn in any other laboratory.
   
   
5. Long hair must be tied up to prevent the hair from being caught in instruments or flames of Bunsen burner or from falling into chemicals.
   
   
6. Nails should be kept short and neat for hygiene and safety reasons.
   
   
7. During the first laboratory session, students should familiarise themselves with the locations of the first aid cabinets, eye wash, emergency shower, telephones, fire extinguishers and emergency exits and related lab rules and guidelines.
   
   
8. Make sure your work area is clean, dry and that all water, gas and electric supplies are turned off before you leave the laboratory.
   
   
9. Do not smoke, eat or drink in the laboratory.
   
   
10. Never work alone in the laboratory unless authorized to do so.
    
    
11. Students are liable for any breakage or damage to laboratory materials (glassware, equipment) due to their carelessness.  A maximum fine of $50 per item may be imposed.
    
    
12. Students are not allowed to remove any laboratory material or equipment from the laboratory unless authorised to do so.
    
    
13. Always practice good housekeeping and wash your hands before leaving the laboratory.
    
    
14. User shall approach staff i/c if he/she wants to know about the material or equipment that they are using in the lab by referring to laboratory operating manual and safety measures specific to that particular laboratory.
    
    
15. In the event of accident or injury, inform the staff on duty immediately or call the

      
       Emergency Hotline at:

       6780-5322, ASC General Office (during office hours)

       6780-5999, TP Fire Command Center (after Office hours)