Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is the name given to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, located in California, USA. It is home to many of the world's largest high-tech corporations, as well as thousands of tech startup companies, serving as a global centre for high technology, innovation and social media.

NOC Silicon Valley is a full year programme, esteemed and challenging for our students. Apart from interning and networking with movers and shakers in the tech community, students also take entrepreneurship-related courses at Stanford University, one of the world's leading research and teaching institutions located right in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Academic Details

From NOC AY2024/25 intake onwards

The NOC Silicon Valley (1-year) programme is credit bearing and students will receive up to 42 units.

NOC Components	Units (Max)
Internship courses	32
Entrepreneurship courses	8
ETP2271 Discovering Resilience and Purpose	2
Total	42

For NOC AY2023/24 Sem 2 intake and earlier

The NOC Silicon Valley (1-year) programme is credit bearing and students will receive up to 38 units.

NOC Components	Units (Max)
Internship courses	28
Entrepreneurship courses	8
ETP2271 Discovering Resilience and Purpose	2
Total	38

Click here for detailed programme curriculum.

Financial Details

The NOC programme is financially neutral, which means that students should expect to pay out of their own pocket the monthly expenses that they would have incurred if they had remained in Singapore. This personal contribution plus the monthly stipend should be sufficient to cover the monthly cost of living overseas. Students continue to pay regular tuition fees to NUS for the duration of the programme, while programme costs will be borne by NOC. Personal expenditures are expected to vary, as it depends on the individual preferences and lifestyle.

NUS Overseas Colleges will provide the following:

Tuition fees for approved entrepreneurship courses at the partner university
Internship assessors appointed to supervise student on internship
NUS student travel insurance
Cost of visa application

Students need to pay:

Your regular tuition and other miscellaneous fees to NUS
Regular overseas living expenses
Round trip air-fare to Silicon Valley
Miscellaneous visa fees
Additional expenses incurred for personal/recreational activities

Alumni Voices

Lee Jun Liang

NOC Silicon Valley Alumnus | Aug 2023 Intake
NUS Business School | BBA
Co-Founder of API-Rex

Being part of the NOC Silicon Valley program was truly an enriching experience for me. It provided the perfect environment to immerse myself in the fast-paced world of startups, where I had the chance to work at an AI startup surrounded by some of the most innovative minds in the industry. This hands-on experience not only sharpened my technical skills but also gave me a deeper understanding of the challenges and intricacies involved in building and scaling a startup.

In addition to the startup experience, being enrolled at Stanford University greatly broadened my perspective on global business and entrepreneurship. Engaging with students from diverse backgrounds, I gained new insights into different markets and business practices that have been instrumental in shaping my approach to entrepreneurship.

Overall, the NOC experience has equipped me with the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to thrive in the startup world. It also connected me with a global network of entrepreneurs, mentors, and peers who continue to support and inspire me as I embark on my own startup journey. I’m excited for what lies ahead and am deeply grateful for the invaluable experiences and connections I made through this program.

Varun Ramnarayan

NOC Silicon Valley Alumnus | Jan 2022 Intake
College of Design and Engineering | Mechanical Engineering
Co-Founder of OnSight

In my yearlong stint in Silicon Valley, I had the pleasure of being part of a team developing disruptive technologies in the medical technology space. Working alongside the best in the industry and in a global innovation hub enabled me to broaden my capabilities and hone skillsets that are essential to the success of a deep tech startup. I am glad that I had the opportunity to directly impact the lives of many patients.

Alongside work, I enrolled in a few modules at Stanford. I was able to work closely with the students to develop ideas and gain critical perspectives on global entrepreneurship and innovation trends. I also seized the moment and immersed myself in the culture of those that call the Bay Area their home. I have had a remarkable time learning about practices in different parts of the world and growing my network!

All in all, the NOC experience has been exceptional in enabling me to step outside my comfort zone to grow as a young innovator and soon-to-be entrepreneur!

Talagadadivi Durga Rukmini Manaswini

NOC Silicon Valley Alumna | Jan 2021 Intake
College of Design and Engineering | Computer Engineering

Getting to be a part of the NOC Silicon Valley programme was truly a shaping experience for me. It gave me the opportunity to be immersed in an ecosystem that emphasized on technological innovation and entrepreneurship - something that I have always wanted to be a part of. Being able to work in a fast-growing tech start-up with some of the most passionate individuals had not just helped me develop technical skills but also be inspired by their vision and their effort to bring ideas into reality. Simultaneously being able to take entrepreneurial modules, participating in events and competitions, and getting to work on our ideas during this programme were definitely challenging but had given me valuable lessons and a holistic experience. Although the first 10 months of this programme were remote, it never took away from what NOC Silicon Valley strived to provide. Actually going there in the last 2 months and to be surrounded by the culture of Silicon Valley had indeed made this experience even more memorable and fruitful. The programme introduced me to wonderful individuals/friends, allowed me to better discover my passion, helped me dive deep into the start-up world and just grew as an individual!

Hans Sebastian Mulyawan

NOC Silicon Valley Alumnus | Jan 2021 Intake
College of Design and Engineering | Industrial & Systems Engineering

Silicon Valley has always been the go-to ecosystem for any aspiring startup founders, including me. Ever since I knew about NOC Silicon Valley, I had always aimed to be a part of it and had high expectations of how the program would shape me as an entrepreneur. Although Silicon Valley is most well-known for its tech ecosystem, as a generalist I was fortunate enough not to be disheartened by it, allowing me to work in a US-based venture capital firm and be exposed to diverse industries. Looking back, it was the combination of the internship company, well-structured program modules, inspiring partner university, and ambitious fellow students that made the NOC experience exceptional and memorable. NOC also gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, not only to delve into entrepreneurship but also to reach a deeper level of self-discovery. Ultimately, I am most grateful that all these learnings and support from NUS Enterprise have encouraged me to work on achieving my dream - to build my own startup. It is fair to say that NOC has not only met my expectations but far exceeded it.