Faculty of Innovation and Design (hereinafter referred to as FIAD), formerly known as Faculty of Urban Management and Studies which was established in November 2015, was renamed in June 2018.

In order to address the needs for urban governance due to social, economic, technological and environmental changes in a more accurate way, FIAD is committed to the development of leading figures with global vision in the field of innovative urban governance and urban management and design in the new era.

FIAD offers Bachelor of Arts in Design Programme, Master / Doctor of Urban Planning and Design Programmes, Master / Doctor of Philosophy in Arts Studies Programmes, and Master / Doctor of Philosophy in Design Programmes.

Now that industrialization of design arts has become an important part of Macao’s development, Bachelor of Arts in Design Programme is offered by FIAD to develop and prepare design professionals for Macao and the Greater China region. The three main areas of this programme are Environmental Design, Industrial Design, as well as Urban and Landscape Design. Well-known experts, scholars and designers have been invited to set up the faculty teaching force. Graduates may engage in design or research work in museums, convention and exhibition industry, design companies, advertising agencies, heritage departments, colleges, universities and so on.

Master of Urban Planning and Design Programme consists of three research areas: Urban Planning and Design, Urban Renewal Technology and Management, and Landscape Planning and Design. The main courses include Urban Planning Basic Theory, Urban Planning and Design Method, Urban Planning Digital Technology Research, Landscape planning and design of thematic studies.

Doctor of Urban Planning and Design Programme also consists of three research areas: Urban Renewal Theory and Methodology, Waterfront Urban Planning Theory and Methodology, and Intelligent Urban Planning Theory and Methodology. The main courses include Urban Renewal Theory, Waterfront Urban Planning Theory and Methodology, Smart City and Digital Technology.

Master of Philosophy in Arts Studies Programme focuses on the Research on Chinese Painting, Calligraphy and Seal Cutting, and Art Education. The main courses include History of Chinese Art, Research on Creation of Chinese Painting, Research on Creation of Chinese Calligraphy and Seal Cutting, and Psychology of Art Education.

Doctor of Philosophy in Arts Studies Programme focuses on the Research on Chinese Art History and Painting Theory, Art Education, and Chinese Music History. The main courses include Theoretical Study of Art, The Study of Chinese Art History and Chinese Painting Theory, Art Education Theory and Practice, and History of Chinese Music.

Master's Degree Program in Design Programme covers Architecture Design (Landscape Architecture, Regional architecture, Public Art), Product Design (Form Semantics, Classic Cases), and Visual Communication Design (Brand Planning, Contemporary Art) to meet varied student needs. The main courses include Research on Design，Research Methodology，Design History and Theory，Design and Culture Comparative Study，Design Thesis Reading and Writing.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Design covers teaching and research in related design fields such as architectural design (Landscape Architecture, Vernacular Architecture, Public Art), Product Design (Design Psychology), and Visual Communication Design (Creative Thinking). The main courses include Research on Design Theory and Practice, Design Methodologies, Design Pedagogy Theory,  Architecture Design Theory, Design Psychology, Interdisciplinary Design Research.

FIAD attaches importance to academic research and development in the areas of urban governance, planning and design, as well as urban economy and society. The Research Centre for Arts Education and the Craft Laboratory have been established, and there are plans to set up the Joint Laboratory of Heritage Science and Material Analysis.

Having the features in high starting point, international standardization and emphasizing practice, FIAD invited domestic and foreign cutting-edge scholars, lecturers and experts to teach and guide paper research. The urban governance research team is led by the academicians of China Engineering Academy, Qi Kang and Meng Jian Min. FIAD has established academic exchange and cooperation relationship with domestic and international famous universities and research institutions, including University of Cincinnati, University of New Mexico, University of Edinburgh, University of Plymouth, University of Minho in Portugal, Southeast University, Tongji University, Shanghai University, Jiangnan University, Taiwan Fu Jen Catholic University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

The future development of FIAD will be based on local conditions and draw on international experience. Efforts will be made to nurture a professional team of teaching and research and cross-cultural and multidisciplinary teaching, research and practice activities will be carried out to build FIAD into a teaching- and research-oriented institute with urban governance research as its top priority.