This module is a foundation studio that aims to familiarize students with the areas, processes, and tools of design, focused on communication. It introduces students to fundamental issues of culture and visual perception and conceptualization, through learning based on solving practical problems of increasing complexity and scope.
Through lectures, discussion and hands-on studio experimentation, students will discover the fundamentals of design, the design process, and creative thinking. Students will explore and apply the design elements and principles in increasingly more complex design exercises, developing an awareness of their application within our environment. The theoretical-practical contents are divided into three fundamental thematic areas: typography, image and composition.
Students will explore diverse and emergent characteristics in a globally connected world where technology and way users and mass communication are rapidly changing through society. Students will learn about design thinking systems and participate in an iterative, multi-disciplinary, integrated design process that includes testing, observation, prototyping, and detailed assessment.

This module introduces methods of representation as means of observing, thinking, drawing, and conceiving design. It aims to deepen students’ visual perception, providing the essential representation skills and techniques for them to explore their surrounding environment and to develop their ideas.
This module explores the theory and practice of sketching and interpreting three-dimensional objects and introduces students to the technical standards in engineering drawings. Students work through a structured series of exercises to draw accurate engineering drawings and sketch increasingly complex objects, figures and spaces.
Alongside extensive hand drawings, students are also introduced to essential concepts and techniques of 2D computer-aided design.

This module introduces students to the history of design in a global context, from its historical origins and development of new design approaches into the present time, focusing on the various design movements at various times and how they were influenced by, and embodied, their political, social and economic contexts. The module will take a thematic approach to examine concepts and techniques related to design, beginning with a chronological overview of periodic styles, allowing for a link between historical and theoretical knowledge and design practice.

This module is a foundation studio that aims to familiarize students with the areas, processes, and tools of design, focused on the construction of artefacts. It provides students a hands-on experience of basic product design process encompassing: problem solving; application of essential skills such as drawing, rendering; and iterative prototyping of three-dimensional form. It is an introduction to the design of equipment and products, fundamental issues of function, form, structure, scale and conceptualization, through learning based on solving practical problems of increasing complexity and scope.
Students will be asked to develop several fast-paced short projects, questioning pre-acquired notions about the nature of artificial objects and their functions. They will thoughtfully and creatively experiment with a wide range of materials and methods, and in varying degrees of development, implementing out-of-the-box thinking. Experimentation and rapid prototyping strategies and techniques will be used to develop their projects. The exercises encompass reflective moments of research around the questions of the function and its materialization, and prospective moments of exploration of the limits and possibilities of formalizing the answers to these same functions.

This module intends to consolidate students’ representation skills and techniques, enabling them to understand the principles of visualisation of objects in space, and the use drawing as an essential instrument in the research, analysis, ideation and communication of design projects.
Students engage in a range of freehand drawing exercises to explore diverse representation techniques, such as fast sketching, observational drawings, perspective sketching or information drawing. The module reviews basic concepts of geometric construction, proportion, composition, line expression, value, shape/volume, texture, colour, and shadows, enabling various spatial illusions and expressive meanings.

This course explores fundamental concepts of design theory, methodologies, and processes from its origins to the new advances of digital age. It approaches the development of contemporary design in relation to new industrial models of production and communication technologies, and its relation to the cultural, political, social and economic contexts.
The module focuses on practice-based theories and related concepts in philosophy, reflecting on the importance of theory for an informed design practice. Students are provided with both an in-depth understanding of these issues and key analytical tools for further thinking, and will be asked to define and express critical positions in reference to a body of knowledge.
The module introduces design thinking as an iterative, multi-disciplinary, and integrated process to foster creativity and innovation, essential in the creation of good design. Students will explore the design thinking process and its tools and methods, from empathising to definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing.

This module introduces and explores the main concepts of academic and digital literacy. Students will gain an overview of research intent and design, methodology and technique, format and presentation, and data analysis and management. Furthermore, this module will guide the students in writing and reading tasks required in an academic context and help them to plan and write essays in academic language and format. To succeed as a student and in the professional world the module's content will help the students develop skills to create and perform academic and professional presentations. Furthermore, educational and digital literacy operate rapidly into the emergence of new forms of communication and interaction; therefore, they are crucial to be understood and used effectively and efficient way. This module will prepare students with the appropriate ability to find, evaluate, and compose clear information through writing and other media on various digital platforms.

Most “Thinking and Reasoning” courses offered in colleges and universities are taught and designed by professors from departments of philosophy and sometimes psychology. Not surprisingly, the questions asked and the critical thinking skills these questions are expected to stimulate and develop tend to be framed, in varying degrees of explicitness, by the instructor’s own disciplinary training and interests. Hence, it is often that “Thinking and Reasoning” courses speak of “higher-order thinking”, “philosophic and logic systems”, “analytical forms of reasoning”, and so on. This module takes a practical approach to thinking and reasoning as a liberal arts standard core module for beginning university students. In designing this course, particular attention is given to critical and analytical skills that are more immediately applied or “useful,” i.e., learning competencies that can be readily transferable across disciplines.
Nevertheless, the module focuses on issues of application, decision and judgment, tangible outcomes and results, and transferable strategies through a rigorous examination of the processes of thinking and learning at the undergraduate level. In other words, the module aims to enhance students’ capabilities to see things from different perspectives, emphasizing the role of imagination and creative thinking in articulating ideas. It will develop competencies in critical thinking and working collaboratively with others.

Building upon Design Studio II, this studio focuses on the area of furniture design, providing students with specialised skills to respond to challenges of future living and working settings. The module introduces the historical context of modern furniture, and explores the creative methods, common materials and production techniques used in designing and building furniture.
Students will be asked to create an original piece of furniture from a design brief, articulating and realising their intents into a design product and real-scale prototype. Their projects should address aspects of function, form, ergonomics, human interaction, materiality, manufacturing methods, sustainability, and design language.
The module is structured into studio exercises supported by workshop practice, aiming for students to learn and practise various design skills important within the area of furniture design: researching and conceptualising; ideating and developing design proposals; sketching and rendering; specification and technical communication; building, modelling and prototyping. Students have opportunity to use manual and digital tools oriented for the furniture industry, conceptualising ideas and concepts into reality, experiencing the production processes and the associated materials to build them.

This module highlights the importance of Ergonomics in Design, providing students with an overview of the concepts of ergonomics, usability and user experience and how to apply them in the context of user-centered design. Students will learn the principles of Ergonomics and its relationship to other scientific areas such as Anthropometry, Biomechanics, Safety and Cognitive Psychology. Concepts of clearance, reach, strength and posture in design will be approached, as well as perception, menmory and emotion at a cognitive level.
The module explores the relationship between people and the everyday objects they engage with or tasks they perform by establishing an iterative and applied design methodology. Students will engage in practical exercises to test and evaluate ergonomic designs for in products and to apply the acquired knowledge in the improvement of design objects.

This module introduces students to the concepts and technologies of digital modeling and prototyping tools and their applications across different areas and stages of the design process.
It aims to help students build up ability in three-dimensional computational design used for analysis, design development, and computer-aided fabrication in design projects, with a focus on rapid prototyping and material experimentation.
Students will learn how to create physical models to test and explore design solutions as the designer’s primary tool, along with drawing and research. Digital fabrication technologies – such as 3D printing, laser cutting, and CNC cutting – provide an opportunity for design students to take over their digital plans and empower them to control the full process from the digital design to the physical model.

Consolidating the knowledge and skills previously acquired, this studio expands the creative challenges to the area of industrial design, exploring the relationship between products and systems, environments, and those who use them. The module introduces the historical context of modern product design, providing examples of different types of consumer and industrial products with a focus on aesthetic, functional, structural, ergonomic, cultural and usage aspects.
This studio introduces the common tools, materials and technologies used in the design of industrial products, and engages students in the exploration of product development and design processes and methods, enabling them to acquire important design skills within the area of product design.
Students will be asked to develop an industrial product according to a design brief, and addressing cultural, material, and technological challenges affecting our environments in the near future. The module follows an overall product design methodology, including the identification of customer needs, generation of product concepts, design development, prototyping and testing, and design-for-manufacturing. Student work through a series of studio assignments, that allow them to apply their technical skills, methodology and thinking approach in the design of a new product solution, culminating in the fabrication of a prototype.

This module the basic concepts of graphic design in themes related to editorial and promotional design. It addresses the fundamental aspects of typography, image, composition and other visual grammar elements of graphic design, assisting students with an understanding of graphic products and the relevant technologies and applications necessary for creating visually dynamic products within the contexts of graphic and digital media.
The module has a practice-based approach, in which students learn through a series of short projects, creating editorial design products (books, brochures), posters, and other visual graphics. The module assignments provide diverse opportunities for the students to apply their analytical and creative problem-solving skills within practical constraints, getting them acquainted with form and message development, with an emphasis on visual concepts and fundamental design theory.
The module also provides basic training in industry-standard computational tools essential for the graphic design practice.

This module introduces students to a broad range of materials available for product design and industrial use, providing an understanding of their properties, their making processes and treatments, and their impact for the end-users.
Students will be encouraged to experiment and practice with everyday materials and transformation processes used in product design, including silicone and polyurethane resin concrete, engineered wood, 3D printing and more.
Students will learn how to select materials that best fit a product's demands – economic and aesthetic demands and demands of strength and durability – ensuring that their concept is adequate to the physicality of the object.

This module presents the key philosophical concepts as developed in the Aristotelian tradition, including (1) natural being, (2) human being and (3) the source and end of being. Students will first acquire an overview of philosophical anthropology, ethics and ontology. Students will then be exposed to Confucian thought and specifically Thomistic perspectives on virtue and natural law. The study of ethics goes beyond abstract considerations of right and wrong conduct or just and unjust behaviour to encompass inquiry into what constitutes “the good life” or a life worth living. A special focus will be given to the relevance of the Western Canonical tradition on value judgments and moral questions.

This module provides an understanding on the Chinese National Culture, it’s History and Philosophy. Furthermore, the module provides an overview of the key features and evolution of the China's political and legal system. There will be several topics covered in this course, including Chinese political ideology and organizations (the Chinese Communist Party and state institutions), legal and judicial systems and institutions, legislative systems and processes (the People's Congresses and the Political Consultative Conferences), and bureaucratic processes. In addition, the course introduces the concept of the One Country Two System and its operation.

This studio engages students in the development of creative solutions to spatial design challenges that explore the relationship of products/furniture with their surrounding environment. Both disciplinary and operational concepts are addressed, fostering awareness of contextual and contemporary issues relevant to spatial design and the development of a critical discourse necessary to ideate, articulate and communicate spatial and interior design projects.
The module introduces students to the methods and techniques of spatial design under three basic perspectives: a historical approach, an anthropological approach, and a tectonics and materiality perspective. Addressed topics include: conceptualization and structuring of themes, integration of programmatic components, spatial organisation and dynamics, user experience, selection of furnishings, materials and lighting, and principles of construction.
Students will be asked to develop and apply spatial design concepts, techniques, skills and processes in the production of a series of progressively more complex spatial design exercises in a range of contexts and according to a speculative design brief.

This module guides students on current definitions and processes of sustainability in design products and services, with the intent of proposing new solutions that address pressing issues of our times, such as resource consumption, ecological balance, biodiversity preservation, climate action, or human coexistence, amongst others. Students will explore the implications of sustainable technologies on social, environmental, and economic aspects, to understand the impact of professional design.
This module is guided by the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations. It introduces students to the current definitions and processes of sustainability in design products and services, with the intent of proposing new solutions that address pressing issues of our times, such as resource consumption, ecological balance, biodiversity preservation, climate action, or human coexistence, amongst others.
The course encourages critical thinking, challenging students to look at how sustainable design is conceptualised and executed to push the boundaries of knowledge in new directions and dimensions. Students will investigate sustainable materials, technologies, methods and tools used to reduce the environmental impact of design concepts, learning about sustainable design principles and their practical application in design.
The module fosters innovation, asking students to envision sustainable solutions to real-world challenges. Students explore innovative concepts, integrating handmade and emerging materials and technologies, and developing design-led experimental research with biomaterials, recycled materials, and other advanced materials.

This module builds upon Computer Aided Design I, further exploring the use of three‐dimensional computational tools and methods in the development and visualization of design projects.
It aims to enhance students's ability in the use of digital modelling to design increasingly complex three-dimensional products, with a focus on the design details and construction.
The module also explores 3D rendering fundamentals, focusing on the manipulation of material properties and lighting to create photorealistic visualisations. Students will be introduced to basic notions of animation and assemblage of synthesis images for communication of design projects

This studio engages students in creating interactive experiences and visually dynamic interfaces. Students learn the fundamentals of user experience and interactivity and how to design interfaces for a variety of products and applications.
This module requires that students identify specific problems in various cutting-edge products, design experiences and encourage active participation in several exercises using specific guidelines and principles. Students will understand the different interaction design dimensions, which are crucial for understanding what is involved in interaction design. The study of interaction design principles - Usability, Accessibility, Information Architecture and Human Computer Interaction, positive emotional responses, design patterns, ergonomics, and goal-driven - will also be explained and demonstrated to the students using various case-study examples.
Various tools that improve interactive media production and efficiency will be used in class to develop exercises and final products. The concepts of user experiences and interactive systems development will provide students with functional knowledge to support general practices, techniques, and properties in various interdisciplinary environments.

This module introduces theoretical and practical graphic design concepts in themes related to branding and visual identity. The module acquaints students with the methods and tools used in the visual branding process, emphasising brand strategy, and what it takes for a brand product to be recognisable and to stand-out.
Students will be asked to engage in the overall planning, strategy and preparation of a variety of visual components required to create a visual identity and branding project for an organization or business. They will engage in a process of research, problem definition, iteration and refinement to create the brand visuals, starting from the logo design, its appropriate application within the context of branding and culminating with the graphic standards manual. Through a series of exercises, students will learn how to design brand identity products that support and enhance the brand, such as logos, print ads, stationery, or packaging.
The module continues the basic training in industry-standard computational tools essential for the graphic design practice.

This module introduces students to tools, methods and languages to design, develop, and evaluate haptic and tactual interaction interfaces in various application fields, such as computer games, music instruments, cooperative assistance, home appliances, medical simulation, and industrial applications assistive technology.
Students will learn about tangible interaction design and to think critically about its methods, tactics, and design processes. They will also learn how to use computational methods to design interactive environments and how human cognition and motor skills can be used to direct the creation of tangible user interfaces. Various tools and programming languages are necessary to achieve this, exploring new aspects of expressive forms of interaction, (physical) product behaviour emphasising sensing and actuating.
This module covers practical thinking techniques and creative processes that can be learned through interactive systems. Students will apply their learnings in the design, build, and programming of a simple interactive system.

"Art Appreciation" is a Liberal Arts module that aims to develop students' ability to discuss, analyse, understand and criticise works of Art. Through multi and interdisciplinary approaches, this 2-credit module equips students with a broad overview and knowledge of the theoretical, historical, and cultural aspects and relevance of the Arts in general and the Sacred Aesthetical tradition. The ten sessions will focus on the analysis and appreciation of works of Art based on aesthetic value, historical context, tradition, and social relevance. The assumption, function, and nature of the Sacred Arts (such as painting, sculpture, music, literature, etc.) related to creativity, imagination and innovation will be at the core of this module. Students will learn to deepen their sensitivity to self, community, and society and discover their identity through Art with respect to their background, culture, and nationality. By providing measurable standards for understanding artistic intent and expression through the essential elements of Aesthetics and Beauty, Art and Transcendence, students may increase their Appreciation of the arts' role in today society.

This module provides students with an overview of major debates, trends, and factors that influence China's foreign policy. It will help students understand the pillars, principles and actors that shape the Chinese foreign policy. In this regard, the following topics will be explored in the course: the module will examine the actors, principles, constraints, and tools involved in the process of making foreign policy. On the other hand, the module will describe China's relations with the rest of the world through case studies. In order to achieve this, the course combines theoretical lectures, guest speakers, group exercises, and practical workshops. Additionally, this module will prepare students to conduct research on Chinese foreign policy.

This module prepares students for life after graduation, guiding them in the development of a portfolio, and providing practical professional experience in a real-scenario environment.
Students are required to prepare and present a portfolio with their unified body of work, incorporating a full range of projects, assignments, skills, and other work done by the student, synthesising all modules and topics. The portfolio is a holistic means of assessing student achievements and the most essential document for demonstrating the individual designer's quality and competency, used nationally and internationally for entry into the marketplace or application to postgraduate study programs in design schools.
Design students must complete two hundred and forty (240) hours of internship in an approved design office. The time distribution may be determined by the student together with the office (assumed to be 8 weeks, with a workload of 35 hours but other combinations are possible). During their internship, students must keep a log of their work, and examples of their work outputs. At the end of the module, students are required to present a summary of their internship in the form of a report or panel.

The Design Capstone Project is a full-year project that completes the students’ journey on the Bachelor of Design and is a catalyst for their endeavours after graduation. Students will look for their design assets and interests to develop an integrated project that summarises the best of their design knowledge and skills, and allows them to build up their identity and position as designers. Under a specific theme that changes every year, students are asked to conceive and develop their individual capstone projects in their preferred areas – such as product, furniture, graphic, digital, or interactive experience – aiming to positively impact our life and society.
Through the course of the year, students are required to thoughtfully research, ideate, plan, prepare, produce and present their projects, making the decisions – regarding the concepts, materials, technologies, strategies – that best translate their ideas.
In Design Capstone Project I, students are asked to: explore and define the design problem and concept of their Capstone Project; develop thorough and insightful research to frame and inform their project development; ideate potential solutions for their design problem; select and develop their final design at a conceptual level.

This module provides students with a critical understanding and applicable skills of visual storytelling and communication through static or moving image supports.
The module explores the creation, manipulation, and application of digital images in various design contexts. It also provides an overview of the methods for producing audiovisual projects, such as script, storyboard, image capture, animation, and editing.
Students will learn to conceptualise, design, and produce compelling visual content using industry-standard software and tools. Emphasis is placed on both technical skills and creative problem-solving, empowering students to create impactful visuals for a variety of media platforms, and that resonate with modern audiences.

This module focuses on fundamental topics in contemporary design and their relationships to social, economic, cultural, environmental, and political contexts. It explores contemporary design and media techniques to acquire a strategic understanding of how design is practised in the world today.
Content will focus on: Design of new technologies and materials in the twenty-first century; Design and new media cross/inter-disciplinary practices; Contemporary key practitioners; Problem-Solving in Contemporary Design; Design ideologies and philosophies; Aesthetics in the Twenty-First Century; Environmental, global, and social sustainability in design; User-centered design ideas; and Issues with unfocused products.
Students will be taught relevant research and writing approaches, applying to design practice and projects. They will be asked to analyse the influence of their work at the technological, economic, social, political, cultural, and environmental levels.

This module introduces spatial computational thinking as a method to generate parametrically driven prototypes with the capacity to create innovative design products.
It aims to provide students with an opportunity to explore the integration of generative procedures within design, learning the necessary skills to control elements within a 3D environment.
Through a series of guided design exercises, students use parametric modelling tools for analysing and generating elements of a product. They enable them to structure their ideas as algorithmic procedures that integrate data structures, material properties, spatial concepts and functions, aiming to explore diverse and innovative design solutions.

The Capstone Project is a full-year project that completes the students’ journey on the Bachelor of Design and is a catalyst for their endeavours after graduation. Students will look for their design assets and interests to develop an integrated project that summarises the best of their design knowledge and skills, and allows them to build up their identity and position as designers. Under a specific theme that changes every year, students are asked to conceive and develop their individual capstone projects in their preferred areas – such as product, furniture, graphic, digital, or interactive experience – aiming to positively impact our life and society.
Through the course of the year, students are required to thoughtfully research, ideate, plan, prepare, produce and present their projects, making the decisions – regarding the concepts, materials, technologies, strategies – that best translate their ideas.
In Capstone Project II, students are asked to further work their projects to: develop their final design, including all the elements, at a detailed level; prepare their design for fabrication; follow-up the production to ensure a successful working prototype; design printed, digital and spatial materials to exhibit, communicate and disseminate their project.

This module prepares students for the marketplace with professional knowledge about project management and entrepreneurship. It reviews the functional and operational activities and processes in typical design practices, and the common issues and concerns of practice managers. Ethical issues for professional conduct, such as ownership of intellectual property, are considered, as well as financial fundamentals.
Entrepreneurship will be discussed as a structured process based on innovation. Students will undertake a journey that starts with ideas about existing needs and problems in their field of expertise and converge into Business Models that describe how one can create, deliver and capture value in products, services, experiences or processes. They will explore tools and methodologies that support them in their creative process and in formulating an innovative entrepreneurial endeavour.
The module will also examine the differences between design management and design leadership and how to reconcile the two, explaining how students can merge design and business aspects effectively.

This module aims to introduce students to the processes used to manufacture a variety of products, emphasising on the fundamental principles as well as practical considerations that enable large-scale production. Students will learn about manufacturing process, their adequacy to the products, and relevance for their success.
The module content will approach: the process of planning; principles of manufacturing; machining; injection moulding; thermoforming and sheet metal forming; casting; additive manufacturing - manufacturing system; quality assurance; sustainability and robotics; electronics; examine competing and neighbouring products; examine leading users such as medical and automotive; costs; and the future of manufacturing.
The module provides students with tools for choosing the best manufacturing method for a product, considering numerous criteria such as cost, product material, volume, surface polish, post-processing requirements, and tolerances.

Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. By exploring how interconnected elements, such as economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection are crucial for the well-being of individuals and societies, this module empowers students to become positive change agents of change, today and in their future professional practices. The module will help students understand sustainability from cultural and canonical philosophy perspective and put into practice the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, they will become familiar with the Laudato Si” Sustainable Goals on “care for our common home”. In addition, this module will allow to practice social outreach and to engage with the University of Saint Joseph’s sustainability agenda for Macao.

The course aims to develop a basic understanding of China’s historical relations with the world. Specifically, it explains the socio-historical environment and cultural identity of Macau, covering key aspects of its development over four centuries. The module will enhance understanding of the key socioeconomic aspects in the relationship between China and the Portuguese speaking world. The course addresses Macau’s past and present, including the basic concepts, theories, principles and spirit of the Constitution and the Basic Law. It covers residents’ fundamental rights and duties, political structure, economy, and culture. Furthermore, key events that have shaped its geographical space, its demography and its plural communities will also be covered. The students will study and explore aspects of the history, economic and administrative development, and the social, cultural and artistic patrimony of Macau through lectures, film, fieldwork, and reading of local writers and specialists who had written about Macau and its people.