The University of Macau (UM) is launching two new postgraduate programmes – one a masters, one a PhD – in visual communication design in the 2025 to 2026 academic year, with the aim of growing Macao’s arts and design industry, according to a statement from the university.
UM design professor Zhou Hongtao described the programmes as interdisciplinary, innovative and outward-looking, with links to “cultural design industries” in Macao, the Greater Bay Area, the mainland and beyond. Visual communication design combines the likes of graphic design, typography, illustration, photography, animation and digital media to convey ideas and information.
The director of UM’s Centre for Arts and Design, Lampo Leong, said he believed the programmes would inject more impetus into the local design scene through the “integration of Eastern and Western elements and international teaching methods.”
[See more: The University of Macau’s new Hengqin campus will open in 2028]
UM, which is currently ranked as the 34th best university in Asia by Times Higher Education, is accepting applications for its new Master of Design (MDES) and Doctor of Design (DDES) programmes until 31 May.
The MDES is a two-year course combining theory and practice. It will cover the history of design, include practical work in a range of media, and allow students to “create distinctive design portfolios that reflect personal style,” UM said. Graduates will be prepared for careers in design studios, educational institutions and related creative fields, or to continue into doctoral studies.
The DDES is a four-year, research-intensive programme that includes a graduation exhibition and thesis defence. “Graduates will emerge as professional designers rigorously trained in design and creation, design theory, and academic writing, with qualifications to teach in higher education institutions,” UM noted.
