The Duke-NUS College System was created to bolster our students’ professional and personal development by providing support, advice, and mentoring, and facilitating relationship building among students of different years. The philosophy behind the Colleges is that if students experience the benefits of a supportive community, they will be better able to cope with the challenges of a medical education, thereby becoming more capable and effective physicians.

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The appointed College Masters serve as role models and experienced mentors for students and provide guidance for transitioning into the study of medicine and for building a successful medical career. They are also available for individual meetings and may assist students if they encounter academic difficulties or other challenges. The College Masters include clinicians from a wide range of specialties, as well as physician scientists who assist the students in formulating research ideas and selecting mentors for their third year research project.

The College System also serves as a platform for vertical integration and for students to build meaningful relationships with seniors and juniors in the same college. During the first year of the medical program, weekly meetings of the Colleges allow the students to know and be known by their Masters and by their fellow College members in the context of giving and receiving support.