The College of Fine Arts and Design鈥檚 Department of Industrial Design, which offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts, major in Industrial Design program, has begun its partnership with Hongkong Polytechnic University鈥檚 (HKPolyU) School of Design for a dual degree on focusing on Industrial Design and Product Design.
The 2+2 program entails first two academic years of schooling in UST, with the final two years being completed in HKPolyU. The agreement allows UST to nominate a maximum of five students of good academic performance to HKPolyU, where they must complete graduation requirements to earn the dual degree. HKPolyU evaluated UST鈥檚 curriculum and for the first two years and found the courses to be comparable and sufficient for credit transfer, without prejudice to HKPU mandating the completion of several other courses that may be needed to graduate. At the end of the program, graduates will receive diplomas from UST and HKPolyU.
In a social media post on March 28, 2025, Commission on Higher Education Chairman J. Prospero de Vera IV said that with the program, 鈥渕ore Filipinos can now break into the global creative industry鈥through the] dual-degree program that will elevate local talent to the global stage.鈥� CHED approved the program with Republic Act 11448 (Transnational Higher Education Act) as basis.
Third-year BFA major in Industrial Design students Beatrice P. Rodriguez and Kristine Marie C. Faelnar are set to enjoy full tuition scholarships from HKPolyU to finish the dual degree. They are accompanied by Industrial Design Chair Romano S. Macaisa, MFA.
The dual degree program, which will run until Academic Year 2028-2029, was operationalized with the agreement signed on March 15, 2024 by UST Rector fr. Richard G. Ang, O.P., PhD and HKPU Vice-President (Education) Prof. Kwok-yin Wong.
Interested UST Industrial Design students may also apply for the program sans a scholarship from HKPolyU.
