Master of Design (MDes) Design Strategies

The course title says it all, Design Strategies. The core subjects were pretty good and allowed us to see value in design more than ever. The different design tools have also allowed me to create more design explorations more than ever in my practice.

What makes this whole experience unique and one-of-a-kind is that I am a practicing architect and have two offices in the Philippines of which I fly in between to manage both and at the same time flying back and forth Hong Kong. Imagine flying four times in a week in three different cities. And cap it with the projects we work on at school! This wasn't easy but it was very challenging and the fact that it was made me even want to push it.

Some subjects do not demand so much, others did, so it is good to ask from previous years' classmates their thoughts about the electives you wish to take so you can gauge the work load you will be expecting from work too. One should be able to balance both work and school well and not have both work and school have the same amount of work to do. Check your onward schedules and expected work load prior to deciding which subjects to take in a particular semester.

This has definitely given me a new direction in my practice and together with a new train of thought even while I was in school mid-way through. Definitely, I am expecting a good change and improvement on my practice from what I have learned from school and can definitely see a lot of applications at this point and most probably in the future.

A space I will definitely miss most is the studio provided. It has the perfect spot for you to either work on office-related stuff or down to your school work. Very conducive to such work and socialise with the rest of the classmates and student from the program in different year levels.

Taking a master's degree in Hong Kong is one of the greatest learning experience in my life. The classes was mostly held on weekends. It was perfect for me since I can still run my business in Manila on weekdays and fly to Hong Kong on weekends for my classes. Most of the subjects were intense, but it was what I was expecting since the class is a 7-hour lecture, presentation and discussion. Professors are very approachable and accommodating. In Hong Kong, local people are very hardworking. They seem to move very fast so sometimes I tell my classmates to relax a bit. Food is really great and the place is very safe. Planning to study in Hong Kong? Be ready for an adventure of food, good friends and some home works in between.