Design (Social Design) (Hons) PolyU Design

Overview

The Design (Social Design) (Hons) degree from PolyU Design , a four-year full-time studio-oriented programme, is one of the two key design specialisms in the Service Design cluster of the School of Design for local and international applicants.

Answering to the emerging design demands and market for service and social innovations globally and in Hong Kong, the School of Design strives to expand its spectrum of design so as to contribute to the newly developed international movement of Service and Social Design (e.g., Design for Sustainability or Design for Medical Service, etc.). Since design is transdisciplinary by nature, students admitted to the programme will acquire a variety of interdisciplinary design thinking, making and envisioning skills, which are developed from the traditional, but goes beyond merely two-dimensional, threedimensional and four-dimensional designs.

This dual-path programme caters for both the First Year First Degree (FYFD) and Senior Year Degree (SYD) students. FYFD students will go through a freshmen year common to all current design specialisms, preparing themselves to opt for the Service and Social Design study-cluster in the 2nd year. They will be joined by the SYD students in the 3rd year and 4th year to develop further interdisciplinary mindset, professional knowledge and collaborative design skills.

The senior year curriculum is set in coherence with that of the freshmen and sophomore years, but to admit candidates from a broader spectrum of disciplines, ranging from different areas of design to other social science, cultural, technological or service fields. 

Programme Structure 

• Year 1 Design Foundation: Common Basics 
  • The focus of Year 1 is to provide a broad-based foundation in common design skills, knowledge, and integration to enable students to become creative thinkers.

• Year 2 Design Cluster: Interdisciplinary Collaborations 
  • Year 2 students select and stream into one of five selected Design Clusters. The five clusters provide a broad base of discipline-oriented study in preparation for specialisation in Years 3 and 4.

• Year 3 Design Specialism: Discipline Exploration 
  • Year 3 is the first year of discipline-specific studies in one of the nine Design Specialisms offered. Students explore the chosen Design Specialism through dedicated study pathways indiscipline-specific subjects.

• Year 4 Design Specialism: Integrative Design 
  • Year 4 is the second year of Design Specialism. The year programme develops students’ critical and professional ability in design. Another important learning outcome students will accomplish is the research and negotiation of a final design proposal, also known as the ‘Capstone’ project, where they demonstrate the ability to address sophisticated issues and to overcome multi-faceted challenges encountered in the process.

Career Prospects

Graduates of the BA (Hons) in Design (Social Design) are expected to become project or service designers and/or creative coordinators in the field of social and cultural business, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multidisciplinary design consultancies, etc.