A ONE-page written document addressed to the Admissions Committee, designed to demonstrate why you are an excellent fit for the MDes programme and how you will contribute to our vibrant community.
 

In your Personal Statement, we encourage you to include:

1. Goals

2. Background and Experience

3. Research Interests

4. Career Aspirations

A portfolio is required for ALL applicants to the MDes.  Please read carefully the General Requirements and the Specialism-Specific Requirements outlined below.

• General Requirements

  Your portfolio should highlight your most advanced design work, emphasising the process of concept development across self-initiated, experimental, and commercial projects. Include concise descriptions of your work samples as needed.

The submission should reflect a high standard of undergraduate work, especially from your final year, or advanced professional projects of equivalent quality. It must demonstrate your maturity and readiness to pursue a higher degree in design.
 

Upon entry to the MDes, you should be able to demonstrate:

• Prior experience and knowledge indicating potential competency in your chosen MDes Specialism.

• The ability to benefit from and contribute to the programme you are applying for.

• Enthusiasm and aptitude to tackle various challenges within your selected Specialism or field.

When referencing your projects, please include the name and organisation whenever possible, and specify the project type (individual or group). For group projects, clearly indicate your role in the creative process.
 

Ensure that the organisation and appearance of your portfolio meet professional standards.

• Submission Options

  • ONE PDF file under 5 MB

    • Submit via PolyU eAdmission, upload the file to "Additional Document" section.
       

  • Files larger than 5 MB

    • Submit via Portfolio Submission System
       

  • Link Submission

    • Submit via Portfolio Submission System and indicate the URL in the "Personal Website" field.

    • Your portfolio should be accessible online, allowing it to be viewed without the need to download the file to a local computer.

Applicants with a Non-Design Background

You may present design-related projects that demonstrate clear research and design processes, or other projects related to making, innovation, or invention. Your portfolio may include concepts, ideas sketches, plans, experiments, testing data, and processes related to these areas.

IBD Specialism Portfolio Requirements

Your portfolio should serve as a compilation of your interests, beliefs, skills, qualifications, education, training and experience. This will provide us with valuable insight into your personality and work ethic. 

For applicants with an academic qualification in the field of design, your design portfolio should consist of the following items:

• THREE of your most representative design, business, or innovative projects.

• A maximum of TWO recent design or innovative projects from the past two years.

• Details of the process, include problem definition, concept development, final solutions and any validation for each showcased project.

• Evidence of your domain skills and knowledge, including the date, nature of work, and your role in each project.

• Any design-related awards or public/professional recognition.

For applicants with an academic qualification in business, humanities or a technological field, you must prepare a self-introduction presentation that includes the following items:

• Your most relevant experiences that convey your organisational, communication and tangible career-related skills.

• A work philosophy, briefly describing your beliefs about yourself and the industry.

• Your career goals for the next five years.

• Examples of work efforts and projects demonstrating your skills and work experience.

ISD Specialism Portfolio Requirements

All applicants must submit a portfolio of work to be assessed by the ISD team. The portfolio should demonstrate 

• excellence of your current expertise, study area and professional activities in the field of intelligent design and/or systemic design, including, but not limited to, interaction design, experience design, product design (with intelligent components or systemic approach) or innovative design;

• your interests and abilities, or attempts that are beyond your current expertise; 

• your user-investigation, data collection and analytical skills; and 

• your creative problem-solving abilities.

SSD Specialism Portfolio Requirements

All applicants must submit a portfolio that showcases design-related work, made up of images, videos or writing samples that will be assessed by the SSD team. The portfolio should show your ability, motivation and potential capacity by including

• a minimum of THREE most representative projects not limited to a single design domain but covering a wide range from communication design, product design, experience design, business/strategic design, as well as computing or other technological disciplines with services and service systems design;

• a clearly articulated process of problem framing, concept development and final solution design that shows intellectual engagement with the work;

• evidence of both technical skills and knowledge of creativity and innovation; and

• personal motivations, interests or aspirations that are appropriate to the work.

TED Specialism Portfolio Requirements

All applicants must submit a portfolio.

For applicants with an academic qualification in spatial design, your portfolio should include urban environment projects of multiple scales and typologies, demonstrating your conceptual and technical skills in analysing and designing hybrid and composite spaces.

For applicants with an academic qualification in other related disciplines, your portfolio may be supplemented with a presentation of your research and studies on transitional and environmental challenges in cities and sustainable futures.

To support your application, you must provide evidence of your academic qualifications, which should include:

• Full Official Transcripts: including explanatory notes (usually printed on the back of the transcripts)

• Degree Certificates: Accompanied by the graduation statement or diploma supplement (if applicable).

If you have academic qualifications from mainland China, please ensure to include the following documents:

• Academic Credential (毕业证书)

• Degree Certificate (学士学位证书)

• A certification letter of your GPA or average score if not indicated on your transcripts

• Notes explaining the grading system(s) (课程绩点与等级换算关系表).

If your documents are not issued in English, you must provide certified, literal English translations from your institution or the awarding body. For the evaluation of your qualifications, we require your transcripts and certificates in both your native language and English. Original documents are not necessary at the application stage; readable scans of the original documents will suffice.

If you are in your final year of study, submit a transcript showing your academic records up to the most recent semester. If your GPA or average score isn’t on your transcript, you’ll need to provide a certification of this information.

Applicants are recommended to provide detailed information about their post-secondary qualifications and both previous and current employment. This information, along with any supporting documents submitted through eAdmission, will be used to determine if your application meets the entrance requirements.

This refers to the recommendation letter related to your work experience. 

This section pertains to the recommendation letters related to your work experience. If you are in your final year of study, we encourage you to request a recommendation from your internship supervisor or team leader. Otherwise, two academic recommendations are acceptable. Recommendations must be submitted on official letterhead and should include the recommender's name, affiliation, contact details, and signature.
 

Please submit the document using ONE of the following methods:

1) DIRECT Submission
Provide the details of your referees, allowing the online application system to send them a link for direct submission of the recommendations to PolyU.

OR

2) Combined Document 
If you already have the recommendation letters, you may upload this file in the "Employment" section of your application.
 

Remarks: Employment certifications differ from letters of recommendation. Recommendations tailored specifically for admission are preferred over generic references.

This refers to the recommendation letter related to your academic qualifications. Recommendations should be submitted on an official letterhead and must include the recommender's name, affiliation, contact details and signature.
 

Please submit the document using ONE of the following methods:

1) DIRECT Submission
Provide the details of your referees, allowing the online application system to send them a link for direct submission of the recommendations to PolyU.

OR

2) Combined Document 
If you already have the recommendation letters from your referees, you may combine all recommendation letters, transcripts and certificates from the same institution into a single PDF document. Upload this file in the "Post-secondary Qualification" section of your application.

English Language Requirement

If you are NOT a native speaker of English, and your Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification is awarded by institutions where the medium of instruction is NOT English, you are expected to provide ONE of the following proficiency test result (taken in a single sitting within 2 years) for fulfill the minimum English language requirement for admission purpose:
 

1. A score of 80 or above in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Internet-based test
   OR

2. An Overall Band score of 6.0 or above in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module
    

Remarks: TOEFL iBT Home Edition, the IELTS Online, IELTS indicator test and IELTS one skill retake results will NOT be considered for meeting the English Language Requirements for taught programmes.

If your IELTS or TOEFL report are NOT available yet, please mention when you expect to receive them. Applications without a valid English test score or expected date may NOT be considered.

Do NOT mail your IELTS or TOEFL report to the School.