Overview
The Graduate Certificate in Intellectual Property & Technology Law (GCIPTL) is aimed at graduates with a law degree, who are seeking to specialise in Intellectual Property & Technology Law and who may want to be in-house IP advisors, IP lawyers, IP-portfolio managers and licensing/technology transfer executives.
The programme offers a selection of carefully curated intensive courses taught in Singapore by renowned visiting IP professors from around the world and by local faculty members. It is conducted on a part-time basis and legal professionals have the flexibility to read a minimum of one 3-week intensive course at 4 Units per semester. The visiting faculty differs from year to year, and includes/have included Jane Ginsburg (Columbia), Christopher Sprigman (New York University), Kal Raustiala (UCLA), Andrew Christie (Melbourne), Sam Ricketson (Melbourne), Martin Senftleben (VU Amsterdam), Graeme Dinwoodie (Oxford/Chicago-Kent) and Cui Guobin (Tsinghua). The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) also runs a semester-long course “Foundations of IP Law” in this programme.
The GCIPTL will be awarded upon successful completion of 12-13 Units (a total of three courses). Academic Units are awarded only when the candidates pass the examination or other forms of assessments for the relevant course. Candidates who have not read and passed a general course in Intellectual Property at NUS or its equivalent in a common law jurisdiction are required to read "Foundations of IP Law". Candidates who have read and passed a general course in Intellectual Property at NUS or its equivalent in a common law jurisdiction may apply for exemption.
Admission Requirements
Candidates will be admitted based on the following admission requirements:
- A good Bachelor’s or Juris Doctor degree in Law
- Minimum TOEFL iBT 100 / TOEFL paper-based score of 600-603 / IELTS 7.0, if Law degree was not in English.
Graduation Criteria
Candidates must pass all courses and successfully obtain a total of 12 to 13 Units (generally 3 courses) within a maximum period of 36 months of their candidature in order to be awarded the GCIPTL.
Course Durations
Classes are typically held in-person at the NUS Bukit Timah Campus.
The class size for each course is typically limited to 50 students and the class will comprise LLB, JD, LLM, Exchange and other graduate students.
A semester-long course is typically a 36-hour, 5-Unit course taught once a week over the course of 13 weeks from August to November (Semester One) and from January to April (Semester Two).
Other than the semester-long courses on “Foundations of IP Law” and “Privacy & Data Protection Law”, each intensive course is taught over 3 weeks and scheduled as follows:
| Day | Time |
| Monday | 6:30pm - 9:30pm |
| Wednesday | 6:30pm - 9:30pm |
| Friday | 2:30pm - 5:30pm |
The following are the periods when intensive courses are conducted in the Faculty:
| Semester | Weeks (Phase One) | Weeks (Phase Two) |
| Semester One | Week 1 to 3 (August) | Week 4 to 6 (September) |
| Semester Two | Week 1 to 3 (January) | Week 4 to 6 (February) |
Assessments
The examination and assessment of student performances in the programme will be conducted through various assessment modes such as class participation, assignments, research papers, take-home examinations and final examinations as stated in each course description. Some courses may have an examination some time after the 13th week. The time and date of the exam will be made known at the time of course selection. Students are encouraged to review the examination and assessment details for each course before opting for it.
SILE-CPD Points
Participants who wish to obtain CPD Points are reminded that they must comply strictly with the Attendance Policy set out in the CPD Guidelines. For participants attending the face-to-face activity, this includes signing in on arrival and signing out at the conclusion of the activity in the manner required by the organiser, and not being absent from the each day of a course for more than 15 minutes. For those participating via the webinar, this includes logging in at the start of the webinar and logging out at the conclusion of the webinar in the manner required by the organiser, and not being away from each day of a course for more than 15 minutes. Participants who do not comply with the Attendance Policy will not be able to obtain CPD Points for that day of the course.
Please refer to http://www.sileCPDcentre.sg for more information.
| Public CPD points: | Up to 36 points for 5-Unit Semester Course Up to 27 points for 4-Unit Intensive Course |
| Practice Area Code: | Intellectual Property |
| Training Level: | Intermediate |
List of Courses
The following are courses offered in AY2024-25, Semester One. Courses for AY2025-26 will only be available from May 2025.
(Please note that course information, including class schedule and examinations, may be subjected to changes.)
Compulsory Course
For Candidates who have not read and passed a general course in Intellectual Property at NUS or its equivalent in a common law jurisdiction.
Elective Courses
Course Fees
Course Fees
| Categories | Fee Per Course (4-5 Units) |
| Full Fee for Non-citizen | SGD 5,886.00 |
|
Singapore Citizens & Permanent Residents |
SGD 3,996.00 |
The total programme fee for 3 courses (assuming student passes all 3 courses and obtains the required Units for graduation) is between SGD17,658.00 to SGD11,988.00 (inclusive of 9% GST), depending on the nationality of applicant.
A Student Services Fee is also applicable each semester.
Once enrolled in the programme, students will be billed for the course(s) and the student services fees. Payment is due before the start of each Semester.
SkillsFuture Credit
Most of the listed courses are eligible for SkillsFuture Credit (SFC) claim. All Singaporeans aged 25 and above can use their SkillsFuture Credit from the government to offset part of the course fee. Applicants who wish to use the SkillsFuture Credit may refer to https://www.skillsfuture.gov.sg/credit for more details or login to the SkillsFuture Portal to check their SFC balance.
Apply Now
Application Timeline
There is only 1 intake per academic year. The following is the application period :
| Intake Period | Application Period |
| AY2025/26 Semester One (commencing Aug) | 5 May to 4 June 2025 |
The following is the admission process and timeline:
Supporting Documents
Before you start, you should have details of your academic qualifications, employment and the PDF version of the following required documents at hand:
- A personal statement on why you wish to enroll in this programme, the nature of your work and such other information that you would like us to consider (not more than 1 page)
- Curriculum Vitae
- Scanned copy of NRIC/FIN/Passport(foreigner)
- Scanned copy of your LLB/ JD Degree Certificate (with a certified English translation if the original is not in English)
- Scanned copies of your LLB/ JD Transcripts (with a certified English translation if the original is not in English)
- Any other supporting documents (e.g. TOEFL/IELTS results), if applicable
Any omission of supporting documents or information required in the Online Application Portal will render the application void. All supporting documents, if not in English, must be accompanied by copies of the English translated version.
Application Procedures
The NUS Online Application Portal will open for application from 5 May 2025.
The application form will take about 15 minutes to complete.
Follow the steps below to apply:
| 1 |
Go to the NUS Online Application Portal |
| 2 | Identify yourself as “Member of the Public” |
| 3 | Select “Specialist/ Graduate Cert” and “Click Here to Apply or Check Status” |
| 4 | If you are first-time user, please click on "Register New User Account". Otherwise, please log in to your existing account. |
| 5 | Click on “Submit New Application” |
| 6 | Select "2025/2026 Semester 1" for Academic Year & Semester |
| 7 | Select "GD Cert (IP & Tech Law)" for Programme/Student Category. |
| 8 | Select "GD Cert-IP & Tech Law" for Specialisation/Level of Study and click "Apply Now" |
| 9 | Click on "Add/Select New Module" |
| 10 | Select "Faculty of Law" and click "Search" |
| 11 | Select and rank your modules and complete your application. |
Click HERE to apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click HERE to view the FAQs relating to this programme.
Contact
Please contact NUS Law Academy at email: nuslawacademy@nus.edu.sg.
