Why is the Diploma in MAD, Story & Content Creation 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 aims to give students the essential skills needed to enter the media industry. Students will learn about the evolution of the media and media platforms and the principles of creating good content amid constantly changing technologies. The module also exposes students to the influential role of media makers in shaping public views and opinions. Students will also pick up oral, written and research skills which will help them thrive as content creators. The module will train them on how to put together a concept proposal and sell their ideas by making effective pitches and presentations. Students will also study the importance of branding in the media industry and how this affects the way they create content.

This module introduces students to the digital video production process, from writing a two-column script to the final product. Students will learn practical aspects of single camera techniques, basic lighting, audio recording, camera directing and video editing. In addition, this module gives students a sound understanding of the entire production process, when they bring an infotainment script to life on screen.

In this module, students will learn to tell stories for the screen through sound and images. They will understand scriptwriting terminology and write scripts in a professional format. Students will develop stories from idea to final draft. They will create compelling characters and write character-specific dialogue. They will apply structure and conflict to create engaging scene sequences. Students will participate in collaborative writing by giving feedback to ‘punch up’ a script. They will use feedback to tighten scenes, ‘clean up’ dialogue and add polish to the final draft of the script.

This module provides students with foundational competencies in news writing, reporting and producing. It stresses the importance of journalism in a globalised and digital world and its impact on society, culture and politics. Students will learn to recognise what makes news and why, and how to craft hard and soft news reports. They will develop skills in interviewing and gathering information. Students will also be introduced to writing and producing news content for different platforms, including audio and video. News research, accuracy, ethics and strong editorial skills will also be emphasised to help students navigate this era of information overload.

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 develops the visual storytelling skills of students in both digital photography and video production. The students will learn to handle digital cameras to capture photographs that tell stories visually. In addition, the students will learn how to think creatively and apply various video production techniques to form entertaining sequences. Students will collaborate and solve problems while undertaking multiple roles of the production cycle to produce video content that inform and entertain. This module builds on the video production fundamentals learnt in the Video Storytelling module.

This module will introduce students to the fundamentals of the documentary genre. Students will learn the basics of documentary storytelling. They will research, script and produce a documentary short. This module promotes experiential learning through exposure to actual profiles and human stories. Students will be given opportunities to work on projects as individuals, building their ability to work independently, as well as work on a project as a team, developing their teamwork skills in the process. Students will also develop critical thinking and problem skills with the hands-on approach to real-world assignments.

This module introduces students to key entertainment genres for television as well as streaming services and other digital platforms. It exposes students to the broad processes of conceptualising,crafting and developing entertainment content such as infotainment, reality shows and game shows. Students will learn the fundamentals of story crafting and specific writing approaches to create effective entertainment content that will appeal to a targeted audience. Students will get the opportunity to individually conceptualise and pitch ideas as well as work in teams to develop projects.

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 module is designed to allow students interested in freelancing to learn how to turn their passions into profit. Students develop practical commercial skills, explore media law for the creatives and experience a taste of the gig economy. Students will learn how to hack it, negotiate it and close the deal. They will engage in professional practices with real clients in areas such as self-promotion, acquiring leads, estimating costs of services proposal writing and invoicing. With a practical understanding of media law and policies, including copyright and censorship, students will also recognise the legal rights and responsibilities they have as content creators, learn how to jump over the legal land-mines and navigate the real-life ethical dilemmas faced by media practitioners.

Please refer to Elective Modules Framework for more information.

This module guides students through the creative and production process of Entertainment Content. It will stack on knowledge acquired in MD5214 Introduction to Entertainment Content, to train students in the more rigorous process of producing Reality Content. Students will first learn how to deconstruct and analyse the effectiveness of existing Reality Content series. They will then adopt the roles, methodologies as well as strategies of the Reality Story Producer to produce original content. By the end of this module, students will also be able to recognise and apply creative strategies utilised by story producers in the industry.

In this module, students will learn to craft fresh concepts for a scripted series (drama or comedy) for TV or digital media platforms. They will learn the different genres, forms and structure of a scripted series. Students will pitch ideas, develop a premise, create compelling characters and define the world of the series. They will also be introduced to multi plotted episodic storytelling.

This module builds on the competencies introduced in the Fundamentals of Journalism. Students will refine their skills in finding and pitching news stories, producing engaging multimedia content and presenting the news on digital platforms. Students will also be trained on how to spot breaking news and respond swiftly to it. They will learn the importance of accurate and responsible reporting in these developing situations. The coursework will help to cultivate skills such as creative thinking, sense making, decision making and communication in students.

This module is designed to enable students to direct and produce narrative scripts. The students will learn the finer points of script interpretation, conceptualisation, storytelling, actor and camera direction, editing and production management, and apply these skills in the context of narrative production.

​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.

Students will research, ideate, develop, write, film and pitch an original concept for a television series. They will apply all they have learnt in developing scripted and unscripted content to showcase the skills as media content creators. The final year project will assess the students’ learning in the areas of research, concept development, scriptwriting, video production, multi-platform storytelling and pitching. By the end of this module, students would have created an original concept for a scripted/unscripted TV series in a chosen genre for a target audience.

This module introduces screenwriting as a distinctive media platform that requires a different set of skills and techniques in terms of storytelling, scriptwriting and the business of moviemaking. The module builds on the production modules from the earlier stages in the specialisation. Students will also learn the creative work in scriptwriting, directing, cinematography, art direction, sound design and editing. Through the works of film auteurs, students will also discover more about the social and artistic influences affecting film and the film industry.

This module is designed to enable students to develop a documentary film. Students will transform their documentary proposals into a five to seven- minute film, using the storytelling skills they have developed in the programme. This module challenges students to further refine their scriptwriting, directing, producing, and production management skills in the context of producing the documentary.

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.