The Singapore Management University (Abbreviation: SMU; Chinese: 新加坡管理大学; Malay: Universiti Pengurusan Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் நிர்வாக பல்கலைக்கழகம்) was officially incorporated on January 12, 2000, and was Singapore's first private university funded by the government. It is now an autonomous, government funded university like the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University. SMU is home to more than 7,000 students and comprises six Schools offering undergraduate, graduate, and PhD programmes in Business Management, Accountancy, Economics, Information Systems Management, Law and the Social Sciences. The University has an Office of Research, a number of institutes and centres of excellence, and provides public and customised programmes for working professionals through its Office of Executive and Professional Education. SMU is one of the youngest universities to receive accreditation from the oldest global accrediting body, AACSB International. SMU is accredited for both its business and accounting undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The idea of setting up a third university in Singapore was first mooted by the Singapore government in 1997.