The University of Macau (UM) will establish five new science and technology faculties through faculty restructuring, with the new academic structure set to commence operations on August 1 this year, according to a statement from the public university on Friday.
According to a statement, the restructuring will see UM expand from two to five science and technology faculties, with student enrolment in related disciplines expected to reach about 14,500 at the five new faculties in the future.
Currently, the university has five faculties in the Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Technology, the statement noted.
Rector Song Yonghua (aka Yonghua Song) said in the statement that the move will enhance the university’s capacity for scientific and technological innovation and support its goal of becoming an internationally recognised university of excellence.
The five faculties will be the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Information Science and Computing, Faculty of Engineering, and Faculty of Science and Faculty of Design, the statement noted.
The Faculty of Medicine will be formed through the expansion of the current Faculty of Health Sciences and is expected to enrol about 4,000 students, while the faculties of Information Science and Computing and Engineering are each projected to enrol around 4,000 students as well, the statement said.
Meanwhile, the statement added that the Faculty of Design is expecting an enrolment of around 1,500 students, with the Faculty of Science expecting an enrolment of around 1,000 students.
The statement added that the Faculty of Medicine will introduce new departments, consisting of the Department of Clinical Medicine, the Department of Medicinal Food and Nutrition Sciences, and the Department of Dentistry.
In addition, the Faculty of Information Science and Computing will comprise the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Artificial Intelligence, the Department of Microelectronics, the Department of Robotics, the Department of Electronic and Communication Engineering, and the Department of Financial Technology and Business Intelligence, the statement said.
The Faculty of Engineering will comprise four new departments: the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, according to the statement.
The Faculty of Science, the statement said, will comprise the Department of Mathematics, the Department of Physics, the Department of Chemistry, and the Department of Biological Sciences.
Moreover, the Faculty of Design will consist of the Department of Visual Communication Design, the Department of Architecture and Urban Design, and the Department of Industrial Design, said the statement.
According to the statement, the Faculty of Science will focus on “foundational support” in the basic sciences for technological innovation in Macau and nationwide, while the Faculty of Design will integrate artificial intelligence (AI) with design education.
The objective of the restructuring is to optimise resources under the university’s ‘dual-campus’ model, with programmes offered across the main campus and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin campus, aiming to strengthen collaboration with industry and international institutions, the statement noted.
After the restructuring, UM will have 10 faculties, its existing five faculties in the Humanities and Social Sciences, and five new sci-tech faculties. Its existing faculties in Health Sciences and Science and Technology will be replaced by the five new sci-tech faculties.
According to UM, the initiative also aims to reflect its commitment to strengthening science and technology education, supporting Macau and Hengqin’s integrated development, and cultivating high-calibre multidisciplinary talent aligned with the city’s long-term development goals.
This artist’s rendition provided by the University of Macau (UM) on Friday shows the headquarters of the future Faculty of Medicine (top right), Faculty of Information Science and Computing (bottom right), Faculty of Engineering (top left), and Faculty of Design located on the campus in the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. The rendition does not show the university’s future Faculty of Science which will be located elsewhere.
