Concurrent and Double Degree Programme graduates make an impact around the world

At Yale-NUS College, students have the opportunity to pursue Concurrent Degree Programmes (CDPs) and Double Degree Programmes (DDPs) with prestigious institutions, such as the Yale School of Environment, the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH), and the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Law. These special academic offerings have enabled Yale-NUS students to embark on more specialised academic pathways and professional opportunities to create impact in Singapore and beyond.

Yihao Xie (Class of 2017), who graduated with a major in Environmental Studies, later obtained a master’s degree in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Environment (formerly Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies) under the CDP. Yihao currently works as a researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation in San Francisco.

On his decision to pursue the CDP, Yihao said, “I knew that I wanted to develop a bit more subject-area knowledge and build a network outside of our then fledgling institution – so a master’s degree was always in the cards. Doing a master’s degree in half the time (and at half the cost) in one of the best schools is an enticing proposition and I’m glad I got the opportunity and the support to do it.”

“In grad school, I was able to deepen my undergraduate academic interest in the intersection of health and environment. This opened the door to my current job, which is solving climate change and air pollution from one of the largest emitting sectors in the global economy – transportation.”

On his transition to graduate studies, Yihao explained that the broad-based liberal arts education at Yale-NUS prepared him for his coursework at Yale, where he tackled diverse subjects from photography to toxicology. While many of his peers at Yale had extensive professional experience, Yihao shared that the rigorous academic experience at Yale-NUS endowed him with the intellectual maturity and confidence to express himself, and contribute in and outside the classroom.

Jasmine Su (Class of 2021), who studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Yale-NUS, pursued a CDP with the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH), concentrating in Chronic Disease Epidemiology. She is currently based in New York, where she works as an Epidemiology Research Data Analyst at NYU Langone Health, a hospital.

Jasmine reflected on how she discovered her interest in healthcare, and topics such as disease modelling and health economics, early in her academic journey. As such, she decided to pursue the CDP programme with YSPH.

“I would say I learned a lot about how to think critically about social issues during my time at Yale-NUS. My public health education was more technical and prepared me for a career. I’ve always been interested in modelling disease transmission, and my classes at both the NUS School of Public Health and Yale School of Public Health were able to satisfy that curiosity. Without this degree I wouldn’t have been able to do what I am doing now.”

At NYU Langone Health, Jasmine uses her training to statistically analyse data that she collects from literature reviews and health surveillance databases. She has contributed to research on healthcare policies related to HIV, as well as HIV transmission in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa.

On her time at Yale-NUS, Jasmine shared, “I remember the support that Yale-NUS faculty and staff gave us during COVID-19. As CDP students, we were supposed to be spending three semesters at Yale during our final two years. However, when COVID just broke out, things were very chaotic and no one knew what was going to happen. Professor Jeannette Ickovics (then Dean of Faculty) and Jenika Kaul (then programme manager at CIPE) called us every week to check in. Their support is something I look back on a lot.”

At Yale-NUS, Bozy Lu (Class of 2019) pursued the Double Degree Programme (DDP) with NUS Law. Currently, Bozy is a co-Founder and partner at Han & Lu Law Chambers LLP.

“Growing up, I always had a fond interest in criminology (thanks to captivating Hong Kong crime dramas on TV). It boggled my mind to ponder why people behave the way they do and how their psyches work. When the time came to apply for college, the DDP Law programme stood out to me as a synergetic blend of the study of my interests in human nature and the legal system. Needless to say, I was deeply drawn to the option of majoring in Psychology while pursuing Law at Yale-NUS,” Bozy shared.

Bozy explained that her Yale-NUS education gave her the tools and knowledge to consider legal issues more holistically, adding a compassionate human element to the study of black-letter law. Bozy contends that while the law may seem black and white to most people, the grey areas in between are where disputes often arise.

“The fusion of law and liberal arts studies reinforced my interest in community law and I’ve fallen in love with the practice of it. From navigating long-standing family feuds in contentious divorces and inheritance disputes to journeying with troubled individuals through the civil and criminal justice systems – the good, bad, and ugly in the mix-pot altogether. In furthering my passion (or obsession as some may say), and with the support and guidance of my senior mentor in the fraternity, we founded our own legal practice a year ago and it’s been nothing short of an adventure thus far!”