Michael King Man HUI (Academic Affairs) Rui Paulo da Silva Martins (Global Affairs) Wei GE (Research) Mok Kai Meng (Student Affairs)[2] Xu Jian (Administration)
The University of Macau (UM or UMAC)[note 2] is a public comprehensive research university in Macau. The university campus is located in Hengqin Island,Zhuhai,Guangdong,on a piece of land leased to and under the jurisdiction of the Government of Macau.
With the approval of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China,the University of Macau has established three state key laboratories,namely State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI,State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine,and State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City.[4]
In March 1981,the private University of East Asia was established. In the beginning,the majority of the students came from Hong Kong.
With the signing of the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration in 1987,in order to meet the manpower needs during the transitional period before the return of Macao,the Macao Foundation under the Government of Portuguese Macau purchased the private University of East Asia in 1988 for 130 million patacas.
University of Macau
In 1991,the Legislative Assembly of Macau promulgated Decree-Law No. 50/91/M to establish the University of Macau as a new institution of higher education,and transfer all rights of the University of East Asia to the University of Macau without any formalities. All higher education courses,teachers and administrative staff of the University of East Asia,except for polytechnic higher education programmes,were also transferred to the University of Macau.[6] The then Polytechnic Institute of the University of East Asia became independent as the public Macau Polytechnic Institute (now Macau Polytechnic University). The graduate school and the open college of the University of East Asia that were not purchased by the Macau government,were merged to form the private East Asia Open College (now City University of Macau).
In 1999,the handover of Macau to China took place. The new Judicial Regime of the University of Macau and the new Charter of the University of Macau were officially passed at the Legislative Assembly of Macau and came into effect in September 2006.
In 2009,the Central People's Government of China authorised the Government of Macao to exercise jurisdiction over the new campus of the university located on Hengqin Island,Guangdong province.[7] On 20 December 2009,then President of China and General Secretary of the Communist PartyHu Jintao officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new campus. In early 2013 the Macau Legislative Assembly passed Law 3/2013 providing for the application of Macau Law on campus effective on opening day.[8] On 5 November,then Vice Premier of the State CouncilWang Yang officiated for the new campus inauguration ceremony. In the 2014–2015 academic year,the University of Macau began to conduct all classes on the new and modern campus.
In 2016,the University of Macau established a residential college system similar to that of Oxbridge in the United Kingdom.[9]
Cultivating responsible citizens and leaders of high calibre who possess the sound moral judgment and independent thinking ability necessary to meet the needs of the development of Macau and the region.
Identification
The logo of the University of Macau consists of two parts:the emblem and the university's name in Chinese (澳門大學),Portuguese (Universidade de Macau) and English (University of Macau) with assigned colours.
The University of Macau is ranked No. 180 in 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings,No 34. in the THE Asia University Rankings,No 14 in the THE Young University Rankings,[17] No 36 in the THE Asia University Rankings,and No 1 in the Association of Portuguese Speaking Universities.[18] It is ranked #285 in 2025 QS World University Rankings. In the U.S. News &World Report's Best Global Universities Rankings,it is ranked No. 262.[19] In addition,UM is among the top 1% in the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) database in 15 fields:Engineering,Materials Science,Computer Science,Chemistry,Pharmacology &Toxicology,Clinical Medicine,Psychiatry/Psychology,Biology &Biochemistry,Social Sciences,General,Molecular Biology &Genetics,Agricultural Sciences,Economics &Business,Environment/Ecology,Geosciences,Mathematics.
In the QS World University Rankings by Subject,UM's rankings are as follows:51–100 in Hospitality and Leisure Management,151–200 in Linguistics,251–300 in Education and Training,and English Language and Literature,301–330 in Psychology,301–340 in Sociology,501–530 in Mathematics,and 501–550 in Medicine.
In the THE World University Rankings by subject,UM's rankings are as follows:126–150 in Education,Engineering,and Psychology;151–175 in Computer Science,and Law;176–200 in Clinical &Health;201–250 in Life Sciences,Physical Sciences,Social Sciences,and Arts &Humanities;and 301–400 in Business &Economics.
Schools and colleges
The university has seven faculties in the fields of Arts and Humanities,Business Administration,Education,Health Sciences,Law,Science and Technology,and Social Sciences. The university also administrates Honors College,Graduate School,and the Centre for Continuing Education. Research institutes include the Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences,the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering,the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences,Institute of Collaborative Innovation,and Institute of Microelectronics,Asia-Pacific Academy of Economics and Management,and Centre for Macau Studies. They offer postgraduate and undergraduate programmes with more than 700 academic staff members involved in teaching and research. Many subjects are also taught in English.
Wu Yee Sun Library in the new campus of the University of Macau
The Academic Staff Association of the University of Macau[20] (Portuguese:Associação dos Professores da Universidade de Macau,Chinese:澳門大學教師協會) is an association composed of full-time academic staff members of the University of Macau.
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
The Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) comprises the Department of Chinese Language and Literature,the Department of English,the Department of Portuguese,Department of Japanese,the English Language Centre,the English Writing and Communication Centre,and it hosts programmes in Translation Studies,Philosophy and Religious Studies,French,Spanish,German,and Korean.
The faculty has various facilities devoted to student development,including Language Labs where students practice simultaneous translation and machine-aided translation or perfect their skills in Portuguese,Spanish,German,Japanese,or French. A black box theatre hosts various drama productions within the faculty. [21]
The Department of Portuguese Studies used to be the Institute of Portuguese Studies but was downgraded during the 1999 handover due to the anticipation that interest would decline. In 2001,the University of Macau began offering a bachelor's degree programme for Portuguese students. Enrollment grew from nine students in 2001 to about 240 students in 2011. In 2011 the Portuguese department had eight part-time employees and 30 permanent employees,with about three-quarters of the permanent ones having PhDs. Michael Taylor of the South China Morning Post wrote that year that the downgrading of the Portuguese department was perceived as a mistake in retrospect.[22]
Faculty of Business Administration
The Faculty of Business Administration is the largest faculty in the university. The medium of instruction for courses offered in the faculty is English. It offers several business programmes through its four departments:the Department of Accounting and Information Management,the Department of Finance and Business Economics,the Department of Management and Marketing,and the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management. The faculty is AACSB,EQUIS and AMBA accredited.[23]
Faculty of Education
The Faculty of Education offers bachelor's,master's and doctoral programmes. The faculty provides degree programmes of Secondary Education in Chinese,English,Mathematics and Integrated Science,Primary Education and Pre-Primary Education,Educational Administration,Educational Psychology,School Counselling,Curriculum and Instruction,Physical Education and Sports Studies,etc.[24]
Faculty of Health Sciences
The Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) has thrived since its establishment in 2013. FHS now offers two undergraduate programmes,one master programme and one PhD programme. The research of FHS focuses on eight major themes:(i) cancer research,(ii) cancer precision medicine (iii) stem cell and development (iv) ageing,neural and metabolism disorders,(v) drug development,(vi) data science,(vii) bioimaging and (vii) structural biology. To support these research activities,FHS has established a state-of-the-art infrastructure that includes 35 research laboratories,four research centres and four core facilities.[25]
Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law offers bachelor's,master's,doctoral and postgraduate certificate programmes in the Chinese,Portuguese and English languages. The bachelor's programmes are to prepare jurists who are familiar with Macau SAR legal system;the master's and doctoral programmes purport to educate knowledgeable and qualified legal professional jurists who are competent to conduct theoretical research and teaching in Macau Law,Comparative Law,European Law,International Law,and International Business Law. The teaching system of the faculty generally follows the Roman-German regime with strict standards in teaching style,student recruitment,and examination. The faculty members consist of legal experts from Macau,Mainland China,Portugal,Austria,Italy,Brazil,Belgium,India,and other countries.
Classes in law are taught in Portuguese since Macau's legal code is in Portuguese.[22]
Faculty of Science and Technology
The Faculty of Science and Technology was founded in 1989. Four-year undergraduate degree programmes in the following departments have been developed:the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,the Department of Computer and Information Science,the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,the Department of Electromechanical Engineering,the Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering,and the Department of Mathematics. Increasing numbers of students have been accepted in big firms worldwide,adding to the rising recognition of the University of Macau.
Graduate degree programmes in the faculty have been developed since 1993,in the fields of Civil Engineering,Computer Science &Information Engineering,E-Commerce,Electrical and Computer Engineering,Electromechanical Engineering,and Mathematics.
There are various kinds of enriched laboratories for teaching and research purposes in various science and engineering fields.
Faculty of Social Sciences
The Faculty of Social Sciences consists of the Department of Communication,the Department of Economics,the Department of Government and Public Administration,the Department of Psychology,and the Department of Sociology. The faculty provides a number of courses every semester,including Economics,Statistics,Econometrics,Political Science,Public Administration,Contemporary China Studies,Sociology,Communications,Journalism and Public Communication,Psychology,and Historical and Cultural Relations between the East and the West. The faculty also offers a variety of master's and doctoral programmes. They also have a Russian Centre.[26]
Honours College
The Honours College selectively recruits high-calibre undergraduates to nurture them into future leaders. They have access to the best research activities at the University of Macau and can study abroad at a world-renowned university to gain an international perspective on their disciplines.[27]
Graduate school
Professor Wei Ge[28] is the interim Dean of the Graduate School.
Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences
The Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences (ICMS) was established as the first research-oriented institute in Macau in 2002.
ICMS offers the PhD degree programme in Biomedical Sciences,and Master of Science degree programmes in Chinese Medicinal Science and Medicinal Administration,respectively.
Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering
IAPME offers a PhD programme in Applied Physics and Materials Engineering.
Institute of Microelectronics
IME offers programmes in the area of microelectronics.
Institute of Collaborative Innovation
ICI encourages multidisciplinary academic cooperation within universities. Currently,it hosts the Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences,the Centre for Artificial Intelligence,the Centre for Data Science and the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Departments and programmes
Bachelor’s Degrees
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Faculty of Business Administration
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Health Sciences
Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Language and Literature
Bachelor of Arts in English Studies
Bachelor of Arts in History
Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Studies
Bachelor of Arts in Portuguese Studies
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Bachelor of Science in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics
Bachelor of Science in Finance
Bachelor of Science in International Integrated Resort Management
Bachelor of Secondary Education –Chinese
Bachelor of Secondary Education –English
Bachelor of Secondary Education –Mathematics
Bachelor of Integrated Science with Specialization in Biology
Bachelor of Integrated Science with Specialization in Chemistry
Bachelor of Integrated Science with Specialization in Physics
Bachelor of Primary Education
Bachelor of Pre-primary Education
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics
Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Social Sciences
Faculty of Science and Technology
Bachelor of Law in Chinese Language
Bachelor of Law in Portuguese Language
Bachelor of Law (Conducted in Chinese and Portuguese)
Bachelor of Law in Chinese Law and Global Legal Studies
Bachelor of Communication
Bachelor of Economics
Bachelor of Government and Public Administration
Bachelor of Psychology
Bachelor of Sociology
Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics and Chemistry
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Electromechanical Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (Mathematics and Applications Stream)
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (Statistics and Data Science Stream)
Master’s Degrees
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Faculty of Business Administration
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Health Sciences
Master of Arts
English Studies
Translation Studies
English-Chinese
Portuguese-Chinese
Chinese History and Culture
Philosophy
Master of Philosophy
Chinese Linguistics
Chinese Literature
Portuguese Language and Intercultural Studies
Literary &Cultural Studies
Applied Linguistics
History
Master of Fine Arts
Executive Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
Master of Science
Accounting
Finance
International Integrated Resort Management
Business Analytics
Master of Philosophy
Education (The programme will come into operation upon publication in the Official Gazette of the Macao SAR and will be applicable to students who are admitted from academic year 2025/2026 onwards)
Curriculum and Instruction
Chinese Education
English Language Education
Mathematics Education
Science Education
Educational Technology
Educational Administration
Early Childhood Education
Educational Psychology
Physical Education and Sport Studies
School Counseling
Master of Arts
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Master of Science in Global Public Health
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Social Sciences
Faculty of Science and Technology
Institute of Applied Physics and Material Engineering
Master of Law in Chinese Language
Constitutional Law,Basic Law and Administrative Law
Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure Law
Civil Law and Intellectual Property Law
International Business Law
Master of Law in European Union Law,International and Comparative Law (English Language)
European Union Law
International Law
Comparative Law
Master of Law in International Business Law (English Language)
Master of Law in Juridical Sciences (Portuguese)
Master of Law in Juridical-Political Sciences (Portuguese)
Master of Law in Macau Law and Practice
Introduction to Macau Law
Master of Arts
Communication (Communication and New Media)
Master of Social Sciences
European Studies
International Relations
Public Administration
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Economics
Clinical Psychology
Master of Philosophy
Macao Studies
Master of Science
Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering (Hydraulics and Environmental Engineering)
Computer Science
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electromechanical Engineering
Mathematics
Financial Technology
Internet of Things
Artificial Intelligence
Robotics and Autonomous Systems
Coastal Environment and Safety
Construction Project Management
Smart Ocean Technology
Master of Science
Innovative Materials
Institute of Collaborative Innovation
Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences
Institute of Microelectronics
Master of Science
Cognitive Neuroscience
Data Science
Artificial Intelligence Applications
Marketing Analytics
Financial Technology
Data Strategy and Compliance
Precision Medicine
Computational Linguistics
Analytics in Teaching and Learning
Smart Governance
Master of Philosophy
Chinese Medicinal Science
Medicinal Administration
Master of Science
Medicinal Administration
Master of Science
Microelectronics
Master of Philosophy
Microelectronics
Doctor's Degrees
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Faculty of Business Administration
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Health Sciences
Doctor of Fine Arts
PhD in Linguistics (Chinese)
PhD in Linguistics (English)
PhD in Literary Studies (Chinese)
PhD in Literary Studies (English)
PhD in Literary and Intercultural Studies (Portuguese)
PhD in Applied Linguistics (Portuguese)
PhD in Philosophy and Religious Studies
PhD in History
Doctor of Business Administration
PhD in Business Administration
Accounting
Business Analytics
Finance
Business Economics
Management
Marketing
Integrated Resort and Gaming Management
Hospitality and Tourism Management
Doctor of Education
PhD in Education
Doctor of Public Health
PhD in Biomedical Sciences
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Social Sciences
Faculty of Science and Technology
Institute of Applied Physics and Material Engineering
PhD in Law
Constitutional Law,Basic Law and Administrative Law
Civil,Procedural and Commercial Law
Comparative Law
Criminal and Procedural Law
European Union Law
International Business Law and Dispute Resolution
International Law
Jurisprudence and Legal History
Law on Technology and Medicine
Doctor of Public Administration
PhD in Communication
PhD in Economics
PhD in Psychology
PhD in Sociology
PhD in Public Administration
PhD in Political Science
PhD in Civil Engineering
PhD in Computer Science
PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering
PhD in Electromechanical Engineering
PhD in Mathematics
PhD in Applied Physics and Material Engineering
Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences
PhD in Biomedical Sciences
Residential colleges
The University of Macau is the only university in Macao to implement a residential college system. There are currently ten RCs at UM,namely Chao Kuang Piu College,Cheng Yu Tung College,Cheong Kun Lun College,Choi Kai Yau College,Henry Fok Pearl Jubilee College,Lui Che Woo College,Ma Man Kei and Lo Pak Sam College,Moon Chun Memorial College,Shiu Pong College,and Stanley Ho East Asia College.
Campus
The University of Macau's campus lies across the river from Macau,connected by a tunnel
The University of Macau's campus is separated from Taipa by a river,with the Hengqin Hill serving as a backdrop with trees. It covers 1.09km2,with an area of 820,000m2 and more than 60 buildings. There is a new bridge that connects the campus to Hengqin. They have a library.
Faculty students and Macau residents can enter and exit the campus through an underwater tunnel. This means there are no border controls between the university and Macau.[29]
The campus is divided into four parts –east,south,west and north. The library,Central Teaching Building,facilities and Student Activity Centre are in the east. The Postgraduate Houses and Staff Quarters are in the south. The residential colleges are in the west,while the research buildings,Administration Building,sports facilities and University Hall are in the north.
↑ Establishment of the predecessor University of East Asia
↑ UMAC is widely used on university website domains, such as um2.umac.mo, or to distinguish it from other universities with the same abbreviation as UM, although the acronym is not recognized as an official abbreviation.
↑ Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Assembly of the People's Republic of China on the delegation of powers to the Macau Special Administrative Region to exercise jurisdiction on the new campus of the University of Macau to be installed on Hengqin, also published via Chief Executive Notice No. 19/2009 in the Official Bulletin No. 35/2009. See Aviso do Chefe do Executivo n.º 19/2009
Note: The civil parishes are purely symbolic. There are currently no political administrative subdivisions in Macau, and instead, the Municipal Affairs Bureau handles some of the functions formerly handled by the abolished municipalities, the former had replaced the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau that was formed in 2002.
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