Why is the Diploma in MAD, Sound and Media 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.

Arranging & Composition is a series of three modules that are concerned with musical organization. Students will examine and explore a variety of approaches for realising musical ideas and music compositions, and they will also study genre-specific concepts for writing lead lines and accompaniments that make up various genres. The learning activities will utilise found objects, acoustic instruments, and computers.

Musicianship & Performance is a series of three modules that aims to develop the student’s musicianship and performance abilities through ear-training, basic keyboard skills and students' exploration in various customised practice methods for their respective instruments. Students will also learn to read, reproduce, notate musical elements, improvise and arrange for live ensemble performances.

Music Production Techniques is a series of three modules that develops students in the field of sound recording and engineering. Students will learn the techniques of recording and mixing using industry standard hardware and software. Through listening exercises, students will learn to critically analyse elements that make a good recording and mix. They will eventually develop the vocabulary and skills to replicate or produce works of commercial standards.

Production Workshop is a series of three modules that provides a facilitated time and space for students to engage with the entire production process, while giving opportunities to explore connections between the concepts introduced in the other modules. Through exercises, group projects, presentations and reflections, students will cultivate their sensitivity and approaches to the goals of the music production process.

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.

Arranging & Composition is a series of three modules that are concerned with musical organization. Students will examine and explore a variety of approaches for realising musical ideas and music compositions, and they will also study genre-specific concepts for writing lead lines and accompaniments that make up various genres. The learning activities will utilise found objects, acoustic instruments, and computers.

Musicianship & Performance is a series of three modules that aims to develop the student’s musicianship and performance abilities through ear-training, basic keyboard skills and students' exploration in various customised practice methods for their respective instruments. Students will also learn to read, reproduce, notate musical elements, improvise and arrange for live ensemble performances.

Music Production Techniques is a series of three modules that develops students in the field of sound recording and engineering. Students will learn the techniques of recording and mixing using industry standard hardware and software. Through listening exercises, students will learn to critically analyse elements that make a good recording and mix. They will eventually develop the vocabulary and skills to replicate or produce works of commercial standards.

Production Workshop is a series of three modules that provides a facilitated time and space for students to engage with the entire production process, while giving opportunities to explore connections between the concepts introduced in the other modules. Through exercises, group projects, presentations and reflections, students will cultivate their sensitivity and approaches to the goals of the music production process.

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.

Arranging & Composition is a series of three modules that are concerned with musical organization. Students will examine and explore a variety of approaches for realising musical ideas and music compositions, and they will also study genre-specific concepts for writing lead lines and accompaniments that make up various genres. The learning activities will utilise found objects, acoustic instruments, and computers.

Musicianship & Performance is a series of three modules that aims to develop the student’s musicianship and performance abilities through ear-training, basic keyboard skills and students' exploration in various customised practice methods for their respective instruments. Students will also learn to read, reproduce, notate musical elements, improvise and arrange for live ensemble performances.

Music Production Techniques is a series of three modules that develops students in the field of sound recording and engineering. Students will learn the techniques of recording and mixing using industry standard hardware and software. Through listening exercises, students will learn to critically analyse elements that make a good recording and mix. They will eventually develop the vocabulary and skills to replicate or produce works of commercial standards.

Production Workshop is a series of three modules that provides a facilitated time and space for students to engage with the entire production process, while giving opportunities to explore connections between the concepts introduced in the other modules. Through exercises, group projects, presentations and reflections, students will cultivate their sensitivity and approaches to the goals of the music production process.

This module aims to provide students with comprehensive, up-to-date and relevant information in the use of music to enhance visual. This module will expose students to various styles of music through the film and commercial medium and the associated technologies for music creation. Students are expected to apply composition techniques and sequencing techniques. The application of these related skills will help to expand creativity in producing their music for visuals.

​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.

Provides students with the opportunity to design and develop a completed portfolio that will best present their work in a visual and interactive manner. They will explore new medium and do investigation to reflect on their development and experiences gained. To demonstrate mastery of the competencies throughout this course, a final portfolio review will be conducted by professionals in the interactive and design field to assess student’s work.

To equip students with the ability to set-up, mix and run a ‘live’ show/concert. Students will be able to perform both FOH (Front of House) and monitor mixes and be able to handle the logistics, set-up, stage management, and running of a ‘live’ show/concert.

Ensemble Lab is a laboratory for exploring ensemble interaction. Students will apply musical skills that they have learnt in years one and two to musical ensemble performance situations. Students will produce a number of live performances/performance videos of improvised and prestructured material.

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.