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The University of Macau (UM) will significantly expand its science and technology footprint in the second half of this year, launching five new faculties as part of an academic restructuring aimed at strengthening research capacity and international competitiveness.
According to a statement from UM, the university will have a Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Information Science and Computing, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Science, and Faculty of Design from August.
These will build on and replace the UM’s two existing science and technology faculties, the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST). The plan has been approved by the University Council.
[See more: The University of Macau’s new Hengqin campus will cost 6.1 billion yuan]
At the centre of the expansion is the new Faculty of Medicine, expected to become UM’s largest science-based faculty. New academic departments will include clinical medicine, dentistry, and nutrition-related sciences, while international collaboration will be strengthened through a joint professional clinical medicine programme with Portugal’s University of Lisbon.
UM’s new Faculty of Information Science and Computing will refocus its existing science and technology offerings towards areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, microelectronics and financial technology. The faculty is expected to serve as a core platform for digital and data-driven disciplines.
The Faculty of Engineering will also combine existing FST departments with new offerings, while the Faculty of Science will “provide foundational support in the basic sciences for technological innovation in Macao and nationwide,” UM said.
[See more: The University of Macau has joined a UNESCO network for Portuguese cultural research]
The newly established Faculty of Design will focus on the intersection of AI and creative practice, offering programmes in visual communication, architecture and industrial design.
Rector Yonghua Song said the restructuring would deepen UM’s role in cutting-edge research and talent development, while supporting Macao’s integration with Hengqin. Several of the new faculties will operate across UM’s main campus and its Hengqin campus under a dual-campus model, designed to encourage closer links between academia, industry and international research networks.
