Director’s Message
It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I present to you the new Master of Science in Behavioural and Implementation Sciences in Health (MScBIS), offered by the Centre for Implementation and Behavioural Science Interventions.
The first of its kind in Asia, our program is designed to explore the dynamic intersection of behavioural change approaches and implementation strategies, providing you with a unique opportunity to delve into the complexities of human behaviour and translate evidence into effective interventions applied to healthcare settings. Throughout your time here, you will be exposed to cutting-edge research, engage in thought-provoking discussions, and collaborate with esteemed faculty members and fellow students who share your passion for making a positive impact on the major healthcare challenges facing our generation today and in the future.
As you embark on this academic adventure, I encourage you to embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Our dedicated course faculty and staff are committed to supporting your academic and personal growth, and we believe that your experiences within our program will not only enhance your knowledge and skills but also shape your future as a leader in the field of human health sciences and services.
I look forward to receiving your application and welcoming you to a community where curiosity meets action, and where your journey towards becoming a thought leader in modern health begins.
Professor Nick Sevdalis
Academic Director, MScBIS
Centre for Behavioural & Implementation Science Interventions (BISI)
What to expect in MSc in Sciences in Behavioural and Implementation Sciences in Health
Overview
The Master of Science in Behavioural and Implementation Sciences in Health (MScBIS) is offered by the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUSMed) as a full time (1 year) or part-time (2 years) postgraduate degree programme by Coursework that aims to produce graduates with in-depth knowledge and expertise in behavioural and implementation sciences, applied to healthcare settings through
- Learning state-of-the-art behavioural and organisational change methods, which you will then apply in healthcare organisations in Singapore – and further afield,
- Mastering methodological and statistical approaches to evaluate the implementation, dissemination and clinical and population health impact of evidenced interventions, and
- Applying theoretical principles and practical techniques of economic analysis essential to inform health policy and health care decision-making.
The programme will be taught by leading specialists at the forefront of behavioural and implementation sciences research and practice, as well as senior policy makers and leaders in healthcare. It has a rigorous focus on the cross-disciplinary theoretical, empirical, and applied fundamentals of behavioural and implementation sciences. You can check our faculty members here.
MScBIS is targeted at healthcare professionals, management teams, policy makers and thought leaders. This programme is also relevant to anyone at any stage of their career who are conducting or are involved in health services or quality improvement projects and implementation work in their workplace, and anyone who seeks knowledge in the areas of behavioural and implementation sciences as key in solving the challenges you currently face.
Inaugural Intake – August 2024
Application Period
February 2024 – June 2024-
Duration
1 Year (Full time) / 2 Years (Part time)
MScBIS is a 1 year (full-time) or 2 years (part-time) degree comprising 40 Units of coursework. Students can choose to specialise in one of 2 tracks offered:
- Research Track, or
- Practice Track.
Track specialisation is not a graduation requirement (i.e. you can mix and match courses as you wish, provided you complete the requisite number of core and elective courses).
To graduate, students have to:
- Complete 7 core courses (4 units each, 28 units in total), and
- Choose and complete 3 elective courses (4 units each, 12 units in all) from a list of 7. Students who choose all courses within the same track, will graduate with that track specialisation. Track specialisation is not a graduation requirement.
List of core courses:
| Course Title | Brief Description |
|---|---|
| BIS5001 Fundamentals of Behavioural and Implementation Sciences | This course will equip students with the foundational understanding of Behavioural science and Implementation science and how to apply their core concepts in healthcare. |
| BIS5002 Evidence-informed Practice and Policies in Healthcare | This course exposes students to a basic understanding of how clinical practice guidelines and health policies are developed using relevant evidence. |
| BIS5101 Intermediate Research Methods for Behavioural and Implementation Sciences | This course provides students with an understanding of how to conduct a research project and a working knowledge of the research methodologies used in Behavioural and Implementation Sciences. |
| BIS5102 Intermediate Behavioural and Implementation Sciences | This course provides students with a deeper understanding of how Behavioural and Implementation sciences can be used together to improve health. |
| BIS5103 Programme Evaluation in Health | This course will equip the students in skills to conduct different forms of health and healthcare programme evaluations in different contexts (as an internal or external evaluator of a programme). The students will acquire practical skills on how to prepare for an evaluation, conduct an evaluation and appropriately disseminate the evaluation results to the relevant stakeholders and decision makers. |
| BIS5003 Master's Project I | This course is part I of the capstone project students are required to fulfil for graduation. Students will apply knowledge gained in programme to design an intervention in the healthcare setting. |
| BIS5104 Master's Project II | This course is part II of the capstone project students require to complete for graduation. Having completed part I, students are to apply skills gained from the programme to design the implementation of the intervention (public health, clinical or implementation) in the chosen healthcare setting. |
List of electives:
| Course Title | Brief Description |
|---|---|
| BIS5004 Behavioural Decision Sciences | This course provides an overview of the field of decisions sciences, and how these techniques may be used to complement the application of behavioural and implementation sciences. |
| BIS5005 Introductory Research Methods in Behavioural and Implementation Sciences | This course will familiarise students with the concepts in how to conduct a research project and a working knowledge of the research methodologies used in Behavioural and Implementation Sciences. |
| BIS5105 Advanced Applications of Behavioural and Implementation Sciences | This course provides participants an overview of case studies from practitioners on aspects related to designing and implementing healthcare interventions in various healthcare settings including community and hospitals, and an opportunity to interact with different practitioners in the areas of patient safety, quality and technology deployment. |
| BIS5106 Advanced Research Methods for Behavioural and Implementation Sciences - Complex Intervention Design | This course will equip students with the knowledge to design and evaluate complex interventions. |
|
DL5102 Digital Agility & Change Leadership (from ISS) |
Digital Agility and Change Leadership enables participants to acquire skill set to lead their organisation with abilities to sense, response and adapt quickly to market changes and evolving customer needs in a complex and volatile digital business environment today. Some topics covered include practices of agile leadership style, implementation of agile practices, adopting digital first mind-set and developing cohesive change leadership strategies to increase organisation’s agility and digital quotient. |
|
BMI5108 Advanced Value-Based Healthcare (from MBMI) |
This course introduces participants to “Value Based Healthcare” concepts and framework, and how value-based healthcare can be implemented in Singapore’s context. Participants will learn structured data management framework, identification of key clinical quality measurements for specific medical conditions and tracking of improvements in quality and safety. |
|
BMI5207 Medical data and data processing (from MBMI) |
This course seeks to introduce data standards, its sources (traditional and contemporary) and applications in healthcare. Some important standards covered here include SNOMED, ICD9\10, HL7, OMOP and other international standards. Features of healthcare databases and processing of data would be covered. Concepts in databases and data mapping would be demonstrated in practice. |
Electives that fall under each track:
| Research Track | Practice Track |
|---|---|
|
BIS5004 Behavioural Decision Sciences |
BMI5108 Advanced Value-Based Healthcare |
|
BIS5106 Advanced Research Methods for Behavioural and Implementation Sciences - Complex Intervention Design |
BIS5105 Advanced Applications of Behavioural and Implementation Sciences |
As mentioned above:
- Full-time students are expected to complete the programme within 12 - 24 months. The maximum candidature is 24 months; excluding Leave of Absence (LOA).
- Part-time students are expected to complete the programme within 24 - 48 months. The maximum candidature is 48 months; excluding Leave of Absence (LOA).
Students can refer to the following tentative provisional timetable for the programme:
|
SEMESTER I (5 Aug 2024 – 7 Dec 2024) (Recess week: 21 Sep – 29 Sep; Reading week: 18 Nov – 22 Nov; Exam weeks: 25 Nov – 6 Dec) |
||
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 |
Monday 12 Aug – Friday 16 Aug (9am – 5pm daily) |
BIS5005 Introductory Research Methods in Behavioural and Implementation Sciences |
|
Week – 7, 9, 10, 12 (4 Oct & 5 Oct; 18 Oct & 19 Oct; 25 Oct & 26 Oct; 8 Nov & 9 Nov) |
Fridays (6.30pm – 10pm); Saturdays (9am – 5pm) |
DL5002 Digital Agility & Change Leadership |
| Weekly | PM |
BMI5108 Advanced Value-Based Healthcare |
| Evenings |
BIS5001 Fundamentals of Behavioural and Implementation Sciences |
|
|
BIS5101 Intermediate Research Methods for Behavioural and Implementation Sciences |
||
|
BIS5103 Programme Evaluation in Health |
||
|
BMI5207 Medical data and data processing |
||
|
BIS5004 Behavioural Decision Sciences |
||
|
BIS5003 Master’s Project I *Note weeks 7, 9, 10 and 12 |
||
|
SEMESTER II (13 Jan 2025 – 10 May 2025) (Week 0: 6 Jan – 10 Jan; Recess week: 24 Feb – 28 Feb; Reading week: 21 Apr – 25 Apr; Exam weeks: 28 Apr – 9 May) |
||
|---|---|---|
| Week 0 |
Monday 6 Jan – Friday 10 Jan (9am – 5pm daily) |
BIS5102 Intermediate Behavioural and Implementation Sciences in Health and Healthcare |
| Weekly | Evenings |
BIS5105 Advanced Applications of Behavioural and Implementation Sciences |
|
BIS5106 Advanced Research Methods for Behavioural and Implementation Sciences - Complex Intervention Design |
||
|
BIS5002 Evidence-informed Practice and Policies in Healthcare |
||
|
BIS5104 Master’s Project II |
||
A portion of our MSc programme can be taken separately as Executive Certificates (EC) and Graduate Certificates (GC), allowing you to acquire knowledge and skills pertinent to a specific topic in Behavioural and Implementation Sciences.
Upon successful completion of each certificate, you will be accredited with units (previously known as Modular Credits) which can be transferred towards the completion of the full MS degree if you so decide to complete the programme.
| Graduate Certificate | Courses |
|---|---|
| Fundamental of Behavioural & Implementation Sciences in Health (12 units) |
BIS5001 Fundamentals of Behavioural and Implementation Sciences BIS5002 Evidence-informed Practice and Policies in Healthcare BIS5005 Introductory Research Methods in Behavioural and Implementation Sciences |
| Intermediate Behavioural & Implementation Sciences in Health (12 units) |
BIS5101 Intermediate Research Methods for Behavioural and Implementation Sciences BIS5102 Intermediate Behavioural and Implementation Sciences in Health and Healthcare BIS5103 Programme Evaluation in Health |
Each individual course will also be offered as Executive Certificates of 4 units each:
| 1. | BIS5001 Fundamentals of Behavioural and Implementation Sciences |
| 2. | BIS5002 Evidence-informed Practice and Policies in Healthcare |
| 3. | BIS5005 Introductory Research Methods in Behavioural and Implementation Sciences |
| 4. | BIS5101 Intermediate Research Methods for Behavioural and Implementation Sciences |
| 5. | BIS5102 Intermediate Behavioural and Implementation Sciences in Health and Healthcare |
| 6. | BIS5103 Programme Evaluation in Health |
Graduates from our programme can expect to find various career and employment opportunities within and also outside the health and healthcare industry. Organisations and institutions would include:
- Universities
- Research organisations
- Ministries
- Non-government organisations (NGOs)
- Social service sectors/Social work organisations
- Healthcare institutions
- Insurance companies
- Management/Business consultancies
- Implementation research consultancies/agencies
Graduates will find career opportunities in/as:
- Project management in healthcare
- Population health professionals
- Health services research roles
- Policy advisors
- Implementation specialist/analysts
- Project consultants
- Implementation lead in their current roles
- Behavioural economists
- Operational partners/administrators
- Organisational scientists
Applicants must fulfil the following requirements to be eligible for the programme. Candidates will be selected on a competitive basis. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission into the programme.
Minimum requirements:
- Bachelor’s Degree (preferably with Honours) in Health, Healthcare, Psychology, Social Sciences, Social Work, and related fields.
- Graduates with M.B.B.S., Life Sciences (e.g. Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Molecular Biology) or Bioengineering or Biotechnology or Health Sciences related degrees will be advantageous.
- Candidates with other qualifications and relevant industrial experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to approval by the selection committee.
- International applicants who graduated from universities where English is not the main medium of communication are required to demonstrate their English proficiency by possessing a minimum TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 85 (Internet-based) or a minimum IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Academic score of 6.0. The TOEFL/IELTS scores must be valid for two (2) years from the test date and should not have expired at the point of application. Expired scores will not be considered for the application.
- Candidates should submit a Personal Statement of not more than 300 words and upload it as a document in Word or PDF format. The statement should showcase your academic strength, research interests, motivation to study and long-term development goals.
- Candidates should also submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV) which provides an overview of your relevant experience, skills and qualifications and accomplishments.
The University has not engaged any external agencies to undertake student recruitment on its behalf. Candidates interested in our programmes are advised to apply directly to the University and not through any agents or agencies. Candidates who apply through agents will not have any added advantage in gaining admission and the University reserves the right to reject such applications without giving reasons.
| August 2024 Intake | |
|---|---|
| Application Opens | February 2024 |
| Closing date for application |
End April 2024 (International applicants) Early June 2024 (Local applicants) |
| Outcome of application |
Mid May 2024 (International applicants) End June 2024 (Local applicants) |
Click here to apply online.
Please upload the relevant supporting documents according to the checklist when submitting your online application.
Applicant Guide to the Graduate Admission System (GDA)
Checklist for applicants
Total tuition fees (for students enrolled in Academic Year 2024/2025 only): S$58,860 (*inclusive of 9% Goods & Services Tax (GST)).
The payment schedule is as follows:
| Full-time Students | Part-time Students | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 Semester 1 | $29,430 | $14,715 |
| Year 1 Semester 2 | $29,430 | $14,715 |
| Year 2 Semester 1 | - | $14,715 |
| Year 2 Semester 2 | - | $14,715 |
- All non-NUS alumni who are Singaporeans or PRs will receive a 10% tuition fee rebate.
- All NUS alumni (regardless of nationality) will receive a 20% tuition fee rebate.
- Tuition fees are subjected to annual review and inflation.
Other miscellaneous fees chargeable by the School and University, please refer to here and here.
Please click here for a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs).
If you are unable to find the answer to your query in the list of FAQs, you can email us at bisi@nus.edu.sg and we will get back to you within 3 working days.
Want to know more?
Discover additional information on the programme by reaching out to our friendly course administration team today