1960s
- Founded at the Hong Kong Technical College
- Part-time evening General Certificate courses offered
1970s
- Renamed as Department of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic’s establishment
- Joined ICSID World School Services
- First Polydesign Show held
- First 30 Higher Diploma students graduated
- 3-year Higher Diploma in Design offered
- Specialisms introduced to Higher Diploma in Design
- 2-year Higher Certificate in 2-Dimensional Design launched
- 2-year Diploma in Design with specialisms in final year introduced
- Streams added to Higher Diploma in Fashion Design
- 2-year Higher Certificate in Applied Photography launched
- Founded at the Hong Kong Technical College
1980s
- Renamed as the Swire School of Design
- Higher Certificates in Illustration and Studio Ceramics introduced
- BA in Graphic and Industrial Design offered
- BA in Fashion and Interior Design launched
- BA in Design offered specialisms in Fashion, Graphic, Industrial, and Interior Design
1990s
- Re-designated as School of Design
- Graphics and Interior Design became honours degrees
- MA in Design launched
- Degree in Photographic Design launched
- BA (Hons) in Art and Design in Education offered
- Higher Diploma in Multimedia Design and Technology offered
2000s
2001
- Higher Diploma in Product Innovation Technologies offered
- Self-financed Diploma in Design offered
- MSc in Multimedia and Entertainment Technology co-offered with Multimedia Innovation Center
2004
- First launch of Master of Design (MDes) programme
2005
- Multimedia Innovation Center became part of School of Design
2000s
2006
- First games production services unit named MERECL launched
- Partnered with Graduate School of Business in offering MBA programme in Innovation and Design Management
- Rated one of the Top Design Schools in the world by BusinessWeek magazine
2007
- SDWorks was established to develop student designs for commercialization
- First SD Design Month launched to raise public awareness for student’s and alumni’s creative talents
- MDes programme expanded to offer specialisms in Design Practices, Design Strategies, and Interaction Design
- Second year rated as world’s Top Design School by BusinessWeek magazine
2008
- BA (Hons) in Digital Media programme introduced
- Jointly established International Design Centre (IDC) in Ningbo with Zhejiang University
- New home for the School by renowned architect Zaha Hadid unveiled
2009
- MDes (Design Strategies) programme rated by the BusinessWeek among the world’s 30 best "design thinking programmes"
- Asia’s first English taught MDes (Design Education) launched
- PolyU Design Research made its mark on BusinessWeek/IDSA IDEA Awards, taking the Best of Show and Gold awards with its SizeChina project
2010s
2010
- The 4-year BA(Hons) Scheme in Design introduced
2011
- Design Institute of Social Innovation and Innovation Tower received HK$249 million donation from Hong Kong Jockey Club
- MDes (Urban Environments Design) programme launched
2012 - 2013
- First time to be ranked within the world’s top 25 design schools and the only one from Asia, by Business Insider
- Jockey Club Innovation Tower construction completed; building opened for partial use
- MDes (International Design and Business Management) programme launched
- BA(Hons) in Interactive Media programme launched
2014
- Celebrated its 50th anniversary and Grand Opening of its new home Jockey Club Innovation Tower
2015
- Ranked 1st in Asia and 24th in the world on QS' first World University Rankings by Subject in Art and Design
- Top 10 Best Industrial Design Schools in the World Design Schools Hub
- First interdisciplinary Executive Master programme launched
- Introduced the first featured Maker Faire to Hong Kong, promoting transdisciplinary and STEAM education
2017
- First programme in Social Design (BA Hons) launched
2019
- Marked the 55th anniversary of the school
2020s
- Ranked the 20th in the world on the QS World University Rankings® by Subject 2023—Art and Design
- Launch of interdisciplinary BA(Hons) Scheme in Design with specialisms in Advertising Design, Environmental Design, Information Design, Interaction Design, Interior Design, Media Design, Product Design, Service Design, and Social Design
- Master of Design Scheme selected as University Grants Committee established Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships Scheme eligible programme
- Master of Design Scheme restructured and launched new specialisms in Innovative Business Design, Intelligent Systems Design, Smart Service Design, Transitional Environments Design
