Why is the Diploma in MAD, Creative Community Engagement with Psychology the best course for me in 2025?

Stories are the most powerful way to communicate. A good story captures our attention, makes us feel, shapes the way we think and even influences our actions. Telling a good story is essential in the media and creative industry whether you choose to be a writer or a journalist, a games developer or a designer, a brand specialist or an animated content creator. Through the study of storytelling, students will recognise the power of story in connecting people and shaping the way we see the world. They will learn key concepts from ideation to character development, story world building and narrative structure. They will examine themes and create original stories that will resonate with a target audience. They will learn tools in video storytelling. Ultimately, students will present their story in the form of a media product using audio visual technology.

Design plays a vital role in shaping and improving the user experience across all disciplines in the creative industry. It is a basic skillset that is core to the creation of effective animations, games, videos, marketing campaigns, etc that users interact with daily in the real-world. This module aims to cultivate these skillsets through the introduction of the basic principles of design. Students will engage in hands-on photography, digital imagining and illustration exercises to expose them to the importance of visual hierarchy and flow, colour theory, typography and other core design elements. They will undergo training to understand the importance of the design process from developing creative concepts, to sketching for communication and finally art directing effective designs for their users across various platforms.

Creating an experience for users requires creativity and understanding of users. In this module, students will learn ideation techniques to generate interesting ideas, and how to identify entrepreneurial opportunities for their creative solutions. They will also be exposed to basic concepts in psychology to better understand themselves, and others.

This module fosters an awareness and appreciation for animation, game art and design development of interactive media content. You will experience the exciting creative process of design, development and execution in a studio setting. This is an introduction to the specialisation Animation & Games (AG).

Take a curious peek behind the workings of how brands become successful. You will learn how a brand can describe itself to its users, differentiate itself from its competitors, and convey its unique style and DNA through the practice of textual and visual forms. This is an introduction to the specialisations Visual Communication & Motion Design (VCMD) and Digital Media & Communications (DMC).

This module equips you with the skills to connect, interact and dialogue with communities to create effective and delightful solutions. You will gain the ability to understand communities by collecting data, analysing observations and addressing insights before streamlining information to target audiences in an instantly understandable fashion. This is an introduction to the specialisation Experience & Product Design (XPD) & Creative Community Engagement with Psychology (CCEP).

See the harmony between music, performance and production. You will gain knowledge of the fundamentals of music and hands-on experience at the digital audio workstations to produce simple pieces. Your creations can be used for apps, games and videos. This is an introduction to the specialisation Sound & Music (SM).

Unleash your creativity with Storytelling for Digital Media. Dive into the craft of telling compelling stories for the screen in both factual and scripted genres. Explore the Hero's Journey, learn how to engage your target audience, and bring your ideas to life by filming and editing your own video. This is your chance to create content that connects.

This module enables students to analyse the concept of “communities” in Singapore. By the end of the module, the students would have learnt how communities can be identified. They would also have found out about the needs of Singapore's vulnerable communities. By analysing the "Many Helping Hands" approach that Singapore uses to provide support to vulnerable communities, students will discuss the benefits and challenges of having different stakeholders involved in enabling social inclusion. These stakeholders include government bodies, social service agencies, the corporate sector and volunteers.

This module will focus on developing students’ facilitation skills in a workshop setting. Through practical workshop demonstrations, students will learn how to use effective questioning and listening techniques to encourage participation and dialogue amongst participants. They will also learn about the basic structure of workshops and how to plan warm-up and closing activities. At the end of the module, students will reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses as a facilitator and craft an action plan for their future practice.

This module aims to enable students to understand the basic principles for working with communities. The discussion on the ecological levels of analysis will enable students to explore the nature of the relationship between the individual in the context of the multiple levels of communities such as family, friends, workplace, school, volunteer organisations, neighbourhood and wider locality, and cultures. They will also discuss how these exist within larger societies and ultimately within a global context. Students will also study basic community research which combines community psychology concepts with traditional research methodology to allow practitioners to advocate for a cause or support community action.

This module introduces students to a view of human development that examines the phases of life from birth to death. At the end of the module, students will be able to describe the physical, cognitive and socio-emotional aspects (including personality factors) of human development - as a child, adolescent, adult and an elderly individual. Students will also be able to describe factors that affect human development throughout the lifespan and explain how this knowledge can be applied when working with different developmental groups.

Develop data fluency skills such as formulating questions, processing and analysing data to articulate numerical and graphical summaries. Build a simple data dashboard to generate insights and support a solution for a chosen SDG.

Appreciate the use of both creative and computational thinking skills to solve a SDG-related problem. Apply focused and diffuse thinking , brainstorming techniques, and the four pillars of computational thinking to a chosen SDG.

Work in multi-disciplinary groups to apply design thinking methods, backed by research and qualitative data, to tackle local sustainable issues mapped to the SDGs. Tap into knowledge and skills learnt in CCC modules to create innovative prototypes for real-life issues faced by local communities.

This studio module introduces students to basic concepts in participatory arts, for example, purpose, context and power. With a focus on the use of drama, the module introduces students to how drama games and activities could facilitate purposeful learning and meaningful dialogues. Through practical experiences, students will learn how to design, plan and execute drama activities in an ethical manner. By the end of the module, students will be able to plan and facilitate simple drama workshops to achieve different objectives.

Please refer to Elective Modules Framework for more information.

In this module, students will learn how to design and manage effective community engagement programmes. They will also be introduced to the Theory of Change model in programme design. Using this framework, students will design a programme that is sustainable for a chosen community. The module will also introduce students to the different types of grants and funding in Singapore, and how to design post-programme evaluation tools to assess the effectiveness of their programme.

This module aims to equip students with the ability to examine the theories and philosophies of learning and teaching relevant to the current educational environment. It emphasises the interactive nature of educational approaches, adapting instructional designs and strategies to the needs of diverse learners. By the end of the module, students should have a sound knowledge and understanding of the role of the teacher, the factors affecting the classroom environment and understand the key principles of learner motivation and the different learner needs

This module introduces students to fundamentals in marketing and communication, with a focus on the social space. Students will be introduced to developing a campaign across different digital communication channels, as well as basic content creation and management. At the end of the module, students will be able to apply foundational communication concepts and techniques to achieve their campaign’s objectives.

This module introduces students to the theory and methods of working with communities to prevent disease and to promote health. Students will be introduced to theories of health protective behaviours, seeking and receiving health care, as well as adherence to medical advice. They will also examine stress and pain in relation to health and disease and understand the link between behavioural and lifestyle factors and health, focussing on the importance of leading a generally healthy lifestyle in order to protect the community as a whole.

This module introduces students to how music and drama can be used as a tool to engage communities in different contexts. Students will learn how participation in these art forms allows people to explore their lives and to dialogue with others. The students will be exposed to different projects facilitated by artists who are proficient in using drama and/or music with the community. By the end of the module, students will be able to plan and facilitate a simple community workshop using drama and/or music, incorporating ethical practices.

​Tinker Lab is part of the Project Core modules that will be offered to all second year MAD students in semester 2. It is designed to strengthen students' skills and mindset as they work in a transdisciplinary team, tapping onto the transdisciplinary framework, process and tools to innovate solutions. Tinker Lab builds on the practices taught in X-Lab to further develop students’ ability to inspire innovation with purpose, encouraging participants to make a meaningful impact through their creations. This module aims to foster a mindset where tinkering is not just about play but about leveraging technology to bring about positive change (e.g. Sustainability Goals). Participants are invited to explore the endless possibilities of using their skills and ideas as catalysts for meaningful impact, whether on a personal, communal, or global scale. Through hands-on exploration, and collaborative projects, participants will uncover their potential as change-makers and learn to embrace creativity, experimentation, and iteration as tools.

Develop data visualisation skills and apply narrative elements and persuasive delivery techniques to communicate data effectively. Learn to craft compelling narratives, based on hard facts and data, to call stakeholders into taking action to tackle the SDGs.

Innovation Lab is an opportunity for students to integrate, apply and deepen the knowledge, skillsets and competencies (both technical and general) they have gained over the course of their study. Building on the skills taught in Experience Lab and the Tinker Lab, students will work in mixed groups to tackle complex real-world issues through industry projects. They will learn how to research and generate new, innovative solutions that go beyond a single domain, while considering other factors such as meeting a business-end, dealing with resource constraints, as well as taking advantage of social, cultural and economic trends. They will also learn how to communicate with their stakeholders and manage a project. By the end of this module, students will deepen their skills in acquiring and synthesising knowledge from across disciplines and develop resilience in tackling complex problems

This module requires students to complete a project which meets the needs of a community, while ensuring that it is collaborative and participative, using at least one art form.

Please refer to Elective Modules Framework for more information.

Get a head start in your career with the necessary skill sets, knowledge and tools to create your very own personal brand. Learn effective strategies to set yourself apart from the competition, and put it to good use and create awareness about the SDGs.

Acquire the skills needed to write in clear and concise English to effectively communicate an intended message to your target audience. Apply these skills when writing for specific contexts, such as scenarios related to the SDGs.

This module aims to immerse students with real-world industry experience. This programme comprises a 22-week enhanced internship programme integrating a structured learning outcome which facilitates authentic learning