In recent years the University of Macau (UM) has been committed to undergraduate curriculum reform in an attempt to nurture outstanding graduates with a multifaceted approach. Major reform measures in this respect include (1) implementing an innovative “4-in-1” mode of education that consists of discipline-specific education, general education, research and internship education, and community and peer education, to meet the students’ varying needs at different stages of development; (2) introducing a residential college system modelled upon the successful experience of world-class universities to maximise students’ exposure to education through various means; (3) establishing Macao’s first-ever Honours College which concentrates resources to nurture future leaders for the Macao society; (4)launching new multidisciplinary general education courses to broaden students’ horizons so they can grow into versatile graduates with international competitiveness; (5) implementing an undergraduate research internship programme to create opportunities for students to participate in high-level research projects within undergraduate years, and (6) strengthening career counselling to prepare students for career planning as early as possible.

Overall high acceptance rate for employment and further studies

UM’s efforts to reform undergraduate curriculum are beginning to pay off, with students achieving excellent results in various areas, including acceptance rate for employment and further studies. A survey on employment and further studies among 2011/2012 UM graduates shows that the acceptance rate for employment and further studies reached 95 per cent. And among those UM graduates who chose to find a job, 50 per cent found one before graduation. Some graduates received offers from large international companies, including one of the “Big Four Accounting Firms”.

Number of published papers ranks No. 1 in Macao

According to statistics from the ISI Web of Science, the number and citation frequency of published journal papers by UM members are on steady increase, now ranking No. 1 in Macao. The number and citation frequency of published journal papers by UM members in 2012 stood at 379 and 2,380 respectively, up 64.8 per cent and 38 per cent from 2011 respectively. In terms of faculty team, approximately 70 per cent of the full-time academic staff at UM are from overseas. In the future the university will step up efforts to recruit more high-calibre academic staff in order to further improve its teaching and research strength.

Eight faculties on the new campus

The new UM campus on Hengqin Island will have eight faculties, including Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Design, and Faculty of Health Sciences. The greater diversity in academic programmes as a result of the addition of faculties will help the university to better realise quality undergraduate education and innovative research. A system of between eight and 12 residential colleges will also be established on the new campus, to provide students with more opportunities for peer interaction and to help students acquire self-discipline, become more independent, and achieve whole-person development. A diverse range of academic programmes to be offered by the eight faculties will not only provide more choices for graduating secondary students in Macao and the region, but will also help to nurture versatile professionals to meet the demand of the socioeconomic development of Macao.


Published at Page B09 by Macao Daily News on 27 May 2013


For the full version, please refer to Chinese Version.