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FAQ & Useful links

ERC Institute (ERCI) is a Private Education Institution which was established in 2003 by ERC Holdings (ERC). ERCI provides education with a difference and continuously raises bar in education services in Singapore, as highlighted by the strong testimonials from our students.

ERCI mentors and grooms our students to be the next generation of business catalysts, leaders with skills to analyse and take on real world business challenges. We adopt a holistic approach to encourage entrepreneurship through specialised education courses in the areas of Entrepreneurship & Business, Financial Services and Tourism & Hospitality Management.

Our hands-on, market-based approach to business education transforms our students into confident, effective and respected business leaders with a difference. University of Greenwich (UK), University of Wolverhampton (UK), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (US), Temple University (US), ERCI’s esteemed education partners have been key catalysts in driving this forward together with ERC Institute.

Yes, the programmes are all registered with the Committee for Private Education (CPE).

No, the degree conferred will be the same as those students who did their degrees in the countries where the universities are.

Yes, we do have various scholarship platforms where we aim to help outstanding and deserving students to pursue their education.

An example, is the Chairman & CEO Scholarship, which is given to outstanding Student Council leaders who have contributed to the Student Council and proved themselves to be a great leader.

Another scholarship platform is a SGD1 million scholarship fund, which we set aside to help financially underprivileged students to overcome financial obstacles and enable them to continue their higher education.

There is also a partial scholarship of up to SGD4,000 that is applicable and subjected to a review with ERC institute to qualify.

Our student population have grown to about 10,000 in the last 10 years, with a good mix of International and local students.

Yes, ERCI is EduTrust Certified.

The application may take up to 7 working days to be processed, depending on the application and if all necessary documents have been provided by applicant.

Yes, we approve applicants from different private schools on a case-by-case basis.

Yes, you can apply for more than one programme. We have course consultants to assist you with your academic decisions.

ERCI offer an array of from Certificates, Advanced Diplomas to Bachelors and MBA programmes in various faculties that include Aeronautics, Aviation, Business Administration, Tourism & Hospitality, Entrepreneurship and Accounting & Finance.

Singapore, often touted as the New York of Asia, is a melting pot of various nationalities.. With a stable government and economy, security and growth in many key areas has enabled Singapore to be a Financial and Research Hub in many areas .

In the recent 2013 Universitas 21 ranking of National Higher Education Systems, Singapore was ranked 9th among the world’s best higher education system. Within the four broad ranked attributes of Resources, Environment, Connectivity and Output – Singapore was ranked top 3 with greatest connectivity and we are also one of the biggest improvers on output measures.

This is just one of the many accolades that reinforce the high quality of Singapore’s higher education system and why we remain one of the popular study destinations for international students.

As a study destination, Singapore is extremely competent in terms of costing, not just in terms of Student Fee structure but also lodgings. ERC institute also provide programmes with our partners like University of Greenwich and University of Wolverhampton – both highly ranked Universities out of the UK - which can provide our students the opportunity to be affiliated with the international accreditation that they might be seeking.

At ERCI, we provide more than an education to our students as we are different from other institutions due to The ERCi Experience.

We always believe in giving our students a holistic approach during their education journey in ERCi. We aim to nurture a generation of outstanding young leaders who will stand out from the crowd and value-add to the society when they graduate.

This is done through our active Student Council. The Council aims to unleash the potential in our student leaders and we nurture and groom them to be outstanding individuals who possess the leadership skills and other critical life skills that make them more marketable and valuable to the workforce.

The Student Council organised various activities, such as CEO Forums, Graduation Ceremony, Prom Nites, Mega Orientations, workshops, etc. for the students. It has also represented ERCI in various national competition platforms that include Moove Media Hails Young Talents, Youth Entrepreneurship Symposium, etc.

The Committee for Private Education (CPE) was appointed by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) Board in October 2016 to carry out its functions and powers relating to private education under the Private Education Act. The CPE is supported by a team of dedicated staff from SSG to regulate the sector, provide student services, consumer education and facilitate capability development efforts to uplift standards in the local private education industry.

The EduTrust Certification Scheme (EduTrust) is a voluntary quality assurance scheme administered by CPE for PEIs in Singapore. It aims to recognise PEIs that are able to consistently maintain high standards in key areas of management and in the provision of education services.

For more information, please visit CPE website at https://www.ssg-wsg.gov.sg.

Payments can be made by telegraphic transfer (TT), cash, Visa, MasterCard or cheque.

ERCI’s latest partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) enables the university to offer part-time and full-time Bachelor of Science in Aviation Business Administration , Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics and Master of Business Administration in Aviation to students while working or before entering the workforce. It also allows the University to bring international students from the surrounding regions in Asia to Singapore to earn a degree in aviation and aerospace offered by ERCI.

ERAU is the world’s oldest and largest university specialising in aviation and aerospace. It alstarted in 1925 with the creation of the Embry-Riddle Company at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, Ohio. Then, the following spring, the company opened the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. What began as a simple plan to train airline pilots evolved into a trusted university in 1970. And now, with global presence through 150 campuses and time-tested distance learning methods, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide provides industry-leading aerospace and aviation education to students all over the world, including Singapore.

Yes, you can if you meet the criteria to be considered as a mature candidate.

You will need to provide your CV, a copy your NRIC/passport as proof that you are at least 30 years old, latest educational certificate and transcript of your highest qualification.

Our Academic director will interview you before the application.

ERCI offers a range of options, depending on the types of programmes. For lower level Diploma programmes, we ensure that we cover as much of the subject foundations as possible to instil confidence of studying in a step-by-step process. Students are given free access to extra tutorial hours with the lecturers outside of class hours as long as they make appointments with our lecturers. 

For Degree and Masters programmes, the University partners are selected based their ability to have flexible online study resources, such as our current partners University of Greenwich and University of Wolverhampton that have a reputation for good online resources and technologies. Students are allowed to email lecturers anytime and we strive to reply students within 48 hours for any course work issues. Blogs and chat groups are also set up to allow online discussions.

We also encourage active participation between mature and adult learners by encouraging them to use examples they came across in their working lives and the companies they are currently working in. This allows them to develop a better understanding of the changing workplace environment, taking into consideration their age and level of technology phobia, to integrate in class to develop their needs and tailor teaching to them. 

For examples, they may be unfamiliar with the Turnitin software and thus, will need extra guidance, or the online submission to our relevant Partner institutions where they will also be given the advice in the use of Library facilities and assessment submissions. We may also have them complete mini presentations within the class to involve them to share their own knowledge and also the use of debates to express their own views.

We further engage the mature students and adult learners by bringing the world into the classrooms. This is done through interactive discussions of real-life case studies that students can gain insights and see how the theories apply in the real world scenarios.

In one of our MBA modules “Global Networks & Innovation”, we utilise an online simulation game to develop students’ decision making process and making valuable judgements. Frequently, we have industry speakers conducting guest lectures to deepen our students’ knowledge. We also arrange field trips to include our part-time students who often are adult learners. Eg: In our “Career Management” module, we arrange an industry visit to Bloomberg for our students to take the Bloomberg Aptitude Test (BAT) – an online profiling test to assess student aptitude across a range of finance, business, career and personal competencies. After taking the BAT, students can choose to enter their scores anonymously into the Bloomberg Institute Talent Search – whereby employers in the finance industry can contact students with testing profiles complementary to their available career opportunities.

Here are a few examples:

Ken Leong, entrepreneur

Ken is our UOW MBA part-time graduate as well as a local entrepreneur. He is the founder of an accounting firm, 361 Degree Consultancy. Ken started his business as a one-man show whereby he used his own money to start up a small startup. It was tough initially as he needs to juggle with his business, his young family as well as his MBA studies. This father of 2 boys, has finally grown his business to a stable stage and graduated from his MBA.

Jude Nesa Rajah, full-time lecturer

Jude is a real-life example of why one is never too old to learn. He studied his Diploma at the age of 46 and did his UOG MBA with ERCI at 49. His perseverance and determination is really exemplary for all adult learners. Despite his seniority in his career being a director at a construction firm, he still made up his mind to pursue his MBA. After attaining his MBA, he decided to become a full-time lecturer to impart his experience and knowledge to the younger generation.

Suhaimi Rafdi, Chief Executive Office of Cathay Organisation Holdings

Started as a server with KFC and now CEO at Cathay Organisation and winner of Singapore main Malay newspaper, Berita Harian Achiever of the Year Award 2012, Suhaimi Rafdi has over 20 years of experience in the entertainment, leisure, hospitality and F&B industries, as well as extensive experience in F&B management, cinema operations and event organisation. Suhaimi has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing with the National University of Ireland, Masters in Marketing and Casino Management. Suhaimi has chosen to study his MBA with University of Wolverhampton, UK at ERC Institute and graduate with Merit in 2013.

In 1996, Suhaimi joined Cathay Organisation Holdings as an Assistant General Manager of Cathay Cineplexes, a subsidiary of Cathay Organisation Holdings Limited where he was seconded to Penang and assigned to set up multiplexes in Malaysia. In 2004, he was responsible for the operations and marketing functions of eight Cathay Cineplex sites and for acquisition and film distribution of commercial and critically acclaimed and cutting edge films in Singapore and Malaysia.

In 2006, Suhaimi was promoted to President of Business Operations where he was responsible for 21 of Cathay Organisation’s subsidiary companies in Singapore and Malaysia. Soon, he was assigned to oversee the Corporate Service functions of the Organisation, which include Human Resource, Finance, Legal, Group Communications, Information Technology, Internal Audit and Property & Projects Division.

He also set up joint venture partnership involves an extensive project in the development, management and operations of cineplexes and megaplexes in the Middle East, North Africa, the Indian sub-continent and Indonesia. In 2007, he was nominated 4th in the top ten power list of entertainers by The Straits Times, Life!.

In January 2008, Suhaimi was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of the Group overseeing all the business functions which has an annual turnover of SGD200 million.  

Most of our adult learners or mature students face the problem of time management as many of them are studying part-time while holding onto a full-time job. This inevitably resulted in these students having difficulties juggling both work and studies.

It may be more challenging for those who have a family where they need to devote their time on. Our counsellors and lecturers do provide advice and guidance to these students to assist them in better time management – by prioritising their important tasks, avoid procrastinating etc.

Our lecturers will always engage with the adult learners and share their experiences., This gives the mature students more confidence because the younger students may also want to learn from them based on their experiences whilst the mature learners can learn from the younger generation about things they are not comfortable in or from hearing experiences from different parts of the world. This works well in the Contemporary Issues in Management module when discussing Globalisation and what works here in Singapore may not necessarily work elsewhere, or may be completed somewhat differently.

As there are many PEIs in Singapore,  it is necessary to understand the institutions and their track records, such as the kind of students being accepted at there and the specialisations.  It is advisable to visit the institution to see what they have.

Many PEIs offer programmes that will accept adult learners leading to a Diploma, Degrees and Masters programmes from a variety of Universities around the world. There may be bridging courses required before you can officially enrol in a programme of your choice. 

An objective of a PEI is to ensure you graduate with a recognised qualification.   You may want to ignore the traditional advice of pursuing an education in a PEI  based solely on the brand and size of the school. It is advisable to examine other areas, such as student council activities, entrepreneurship learning, career path counselling activities, internships, scholarships, connections to industries and even job placement possibilities, flexibility of time tables, besides the programme of your choice. 

Other areas are:

    1) Duration – if the duration is of reasonable length. Too long a duration, one may not have the perseverance to pull through.
    2) Class schedules – whether the class frequency and timing suits your existing lifestyle or routine, e.g. weekend classes may be better and more focused for those who work late on weekdays.
    3) Budget – are the costs of the course is within your budget. Do not over-commit on the costs else it may be a burden and add onto the stress of the studies.

Most adult learners drop out of their courses because they lack the perseverance and determination to continue. In order not to give up, they should take note of their discipline and time management in coping with their studies, as well as work and family. The resources available to them at ERCI are:

  • Lecturers: They can always approach their lecturers for help if they face difficulties in their studies. Lecturers are more than willing to provide them with advice and guidance.
  • Programme Managers: Every programme has a Programme Manager who can assist the students in terms of their administrative matters. If the students cannot cope, they can always seek advice from their Programme Managers on the various options available – e.g. deferment of one term, etc.

Other reasons could be due to the struggle to concentrate in class after a tiring day at work. Secondly, the lack of determinations and self-motivations and thirdly, they may feel inferior to younger classmates in catching up with course work. 

ERCI has maintained a policy of allowing all students to gain access to tutors during non-class hours for course work meetings, even in the evenings. We design programmes keeping in mind the profile of adult learners and select lecturers who are “edutainters”, i.e. those who can teach, motivate, encourage and engaging to enhance learning experience.

Another reason is the pressure of work, this is something that we cannot control, but it is about educating them to be proactive, about setting some time aside each week to complete tasks in manageable chunks.  Again speaking with previous part time learners, by breaking the assessments down to, for example, a 3,000 word report into 6 x 500 words, it becomes more manageable and it is about reward, once one section is complete take break and reward oneself in order to get over the finish line and not to leave it till the last minute.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a top ranked American university. This world’s oldest and largest aviation university is elated to have a presence in Singapore, which has rapidly become a global hub for aviation. By partnering with regional universities and key players in delivering aviation education, Embry-Riddle is eager to contribute to building the talent and manpower pool needed to catapult Singapore’s aviation and aerospace sector to a new level. And through these partnerships, they are able to provide students a globally renowned education without having to take classes overseas and get the same Embry-Riddle diploma awarded at any of their other Worldwide or United States locations.

Embry-Riddle Asia’s partnership with the ERC Institute (ERCI) evolved from the May 2014 merger between ERCI and the International Executive Education Center (IEEC), their initial Private Educational Institute (PEI) in Singapore. The partnership with ERCI enables them to offer full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate degrees in Aeronautics and Aviation Business Administration in the heart of Singapore in a burgeoning educational hub.

Educating Beyond the Classroom

Faculty members at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are more than educators. They share a passion for aviation and aerospace that extends far beyond the classroom. Many of them hold full-time industry positions during the day and share with you their wealth of real-world experiences. They foster partnerships with fellow professionals and global businesses to stay in the know with the latest industry trends and ensure that curriculum satisfies the needs of employers.

Many of the faculty members that teach Embry-Riddle courses in Singapore are flown in from the United States to teach. Some of their full-time faculty members from the United States are also living in Singapore on a two-year rotation through Singapore.

Faculty members who reside in the Singapore area still have similar backgrounds to our United States faculty as they have had the same high-caliber education and possess the same credentials, having spent adequate time learning, working, and living in the United States.

Program Highlights

World-recognized degree programs in a convenient local setting

In Singapore's thriving aerospace and aviation industry, knowledge is power. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University offers part-time programs for working professionals looking to learn more on a particular subject and those hoping to get a promotion or start a new career path. Full-time programs are offered for younger students with no work experience.

No matter which program you choose, you can benefit from having a degree backed by the Embry-Riddle name and everything it stands for – leading-industry knowledge, advanced research, faculty who are also industry professionals, partnerships with globally renowned companies and lifetime affiliation with a group of individuals as passionate about aviation and aerospace as you are.

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