Beyond STEM: Why Singapore’s tertiary institutions are emphasizing arts and social sciences

Programming a robot once required students to write lines of code. With artificial intelligence now handling much of that technical work, the same task can take less than a minute, leaving students more time to decide what the technology should do.

That shift is reshaping tertiary education in Singapore. Institutions are moving beyond STEM, which covers science, technology, engineering and mathematics, toward STEAM, which adds the arts. Educators are putting greater weight on creativity, critical thinking, communication, empathy and solving real-world problems.

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Gone are the days where a technical person can just stay technical for a long time

PSB Academy said demand for STEAM education has grown 47 per cent in the past two years. Student numbers increased from around 3,400 in 2023 to 5,000 last year. Chief executive Derrick Chang said students want to broaden their abilities beyond their main fields of study. Technical students are seeking design-thinking and communication skills, while non-technical students need to become comfortable using AI.

“Gone are the days where a technical person can just stay technical for a long time,” Chang said. “As an engineer today and in the future, you need to be able to communicate your thinking, communicate your innovation.” He said multidisciplinary ability would remain essential in the new economy. PSB Academy is also developing an Integrated STEAM Hub at Tai Seng, with larger interdisciplinary learning spaces and high-tech facilities, due for completion in 2027.

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As an engineer today and in the future, you need to be able to communicate your thinking, communicate your innovation.

The Singapore University of Technology and Design is similarly combining technology with the humanities and social sciences. Its refreshed curriculum aims to attract students interested in economics, business, psychology and philosophy alongside mathematics and science. Dr Grace Dixon, an associate head of the programme, said these subjects should not be treated merely as soft skills added to a technology degree. They help students understand the context and define the problem before applying design and AI tools.

“It’s not just about asking, ‘can we do this’, but ‘should we do this’, for whom and under what conditions?” Dixon said.

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It's not just about asking, 'can we do this', but 'should we do this', for whom and under what conditions?