Why is the Diploma in MAD, Digital Media Communication 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 dives deep into User Experience and Figma, going beyond the basics to give you in-depth expertise in designing engaging digital interfaces. Paired with research methods, you’ll learn how to uncover user needs, analyze data, and turn insights into polished designs. By the end, you’ll be crafting top-notch user-centered experiences with confidence and precision.

This module exposes students to the theory and practice of digital photography within the framework of an integrative digital workflow in content creation, including the finer points of digital image enhancement, manipulation & compositing. Students will be taught product and portrait photography and learn the essentials of controlling and balancing artificial lights with natural lights to achieve impactful aesthetics for photography. Students will focus on studio and outdoor digital photography, and be equipped with the fundamentals of preparing digital images and intermediate techniques of image manipulation & compositing. By the end of the module, students would have created a portfolio of photographic fine prints and digital content for commercial applications.

This module provides students with foundational competencies in working with brands, and marketing communications. We see the effect of good branding in all the products and services we adore and choose to use on a daily basis. Indeed, branding gives all communications disciplines purpose, from marketing to advertising to public relations. This module will enable students to build and nurture a sustainable branding strategy, eventually applying the brand’s character across a spectrum of communications activations, while cultivating a foundational understanding of how branding synergizes with both marketing and communication activities.

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.

Please refer to Elective Modules Framework for more information.

This module aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge to plan and continuously optimize ‘always-on’ activities which can be used in an integrated way to maximise visibility and conversion through the customer lifecycle. Students will learn to employ various digital marketing concepts and strategies to build a strong omnichannel strategy for brands

This module introduces students to the research tools needed to understand the different elements of the ecosystem, analyse data and communicate their findings. In this module, students will also develop fluency in deriving insights through research. The insights yielded will help shape the strategy for marketing communications. Students will practise teamwork and develop problem solving and critical thinking skills as they learn to clarify the context, use research to create insights, develop a communication strategy to set the path for effective communication.

This module focuses on the fundamentals of good journalistic writing such as being clear and concise, and catering to the target audience. The skills taught in this module will specifically apply in the writing and content creation modules. In this module, students will develop a news sense and an ability to adapt their writing to suit the content and the target audience. This is essential in both journalism and content creation.

This module aims to equip learners with the knowledge and skills needed to develop digital content that resonates with audiences and aligns with the latest trends, including live streaming and emerging innovations. By the end of this module, learners will have the knowledge and practical skills needed to create effective branded digital content that harnesses the power of emerging innovations & technologies and adapts to future trends in the ever-evolving digital landscape through short form content.

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.

Please refer to Elective Modules Framework for more information.

In this module, students will be equipped with the skills to utilise a variety analytics tools and interpret data obtained from these sources to refine marketing strategies which will influence the overall business strategy of companies. They will have the opportunity to develop adaptability and problem-solving skills through the analysis of data to develop key insights which help create effective marketing strategies, campaigns or content.

This module equips students with the fundamentals of public relations practice (also otherwise known as ‘Owned’ and “Earned” media in the POE framework), as well the skills required to handle the changing nature of public relations taking into account digital and social media. They will use problem-solving, empathy and creativity to connect with different groups, and build mutually beneficial relationships.

This module will prepare students as multi-faceted communicators and explore creative strategy, concept formation, art direction, and copywriting in Advertising (also known as "Paid" media in the POE framework). Throughout this module, students will analyse the advertising process as a means of communication and its emotional appeal. Students will be engaged in practical communication assignments as appropriate to the subject matter and create a showcase portfolio of projects.

Video content is king. This module equips you with the skills to create compelling videos for diverse platforms. You'll learn scriptwriting, cinematography, sound design, editing, and lighting techniques. From pre-production to post-production, you'll gain hands-on experience to produce professional-quality videos. By the end, you'll have a showreel showcasing your skills to land exciting opportunities in the creative industry.

​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.

This module serves as a platform for students to reinforce their skillset and knowledge in order to develop effective and creative integrated communication strategies and campaigns based on provided live clients’ briefs. Students will craft their integrated communications proposals for their clients – from situation analysis, conducting research, deriving insights to development of communication strategy. They will harness communication tools and tactics to build a communications campaign, solving the issues posed by the client’s brief.

This module introduces students to key media laws, including intellectual property laws, and examines government policies behind the regulation of media content, as well as the challenges. Students will better appreciate their ethical responsibilities as media professionals, as they develop a working understanding of media laws.

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

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

Please refer to Elective Modules Framework for more information.