APIIT - Diploma in Design & Media

The APIIT Diploma in Design & Media is designed to:

• Provide a programme that covers the academic aspect as well as the vocational aspects of Design and Media.
• Prepare students for careers in the Design and Media environment.
• Provide students with academic and professional skills to develop solutions requiring a holistic outlook in Design Studies.
• Provide students with critical, independent and cooperative learning skills so as to facilitate their response to continuous future international change.
• Develop students’ intellectual skills, communications ability and team working capability.
• Provide students with opportunities for progression into Degree Programmes of Design and Media standard in relevant areas.

Admission Requirements:

SPM
3 Credits in at least 3 subjects at SPM level, with a minimum of a pass in Bahasa Malaysia and Sejarah (History);

IGCSE/O-Levels
3 Credits (Grade C & above) in at least 3 subjects at IGCSE/O-Levels;

UEC
3 Credits (Grade B & above) in at least 3 subjects in UEC;

Pass relevant Certificate Programme or its equivalent;

A qualification that APU accepts as equivalent to the above.

Note: Please take note that a Credit Pass in Mathematics at SPM/IGCSE/O-Level is required for progression to BSc (Hons) in Information Technology with a specialism in Business Information Systems.

Malaysian Students who do not possess a Pass in English at SPM/IGCSE/UEC; will be required to sit for the APU English Placement Test, and based on the outcome of the test may be required to attend the APU Intensive English Programme (IEP) prior to commencement of the Foundation/Diploma/Certificate programme.

Please note that under Ministry of Higher Education regulations, only students who have achieved the minimum requirement in the English Language proficiency assessment as indicated above will be allowed to continue their studies in the main study programme. Students who do not have the required English Language achievement may apply for a student visa on conditional basis and are allowed to enrol in an English Language Certification programme at APU upon arrival in Malaysia and, subsequently, appear for the IELTS/TOEFL/PTE/MUET assessment.

Students who are unable to obtain the required level of English Competency during the maximum 12 months’ period, will not be allowed to pursue their studies in the main programme and will have to return to their home country.

Students from English speaking countries and those with qualifications taught in English (IGCSE, A-Levels, IB, American High School Diploma etc) are exempted from English requirements. Applications for exemption must be accompanied by supporting documents.

Note: The above entry requirements may differ for specific programmes based on the latest programme standards published by Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

The qualification and entry requirements for the programmes will be determined based on the "Comparison List of Equivalency of International Qualifications with SPM (O-Levels equivalent) and STPM (A-Levels equivalent)" published by Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

What You Will Study:

Semester 1, 2 and 3 of this diploma is aim to provide some fundamental modules which are relevant to the Design and Media field and to prepare students proceed to different pathways in Semester 4 and 5. Students will be placed in an innovative learning environment to develop their knowledge and skills in various design and media curriculum.

The first semester aims to provide essential skills to new students that are relevant to their academic life. Students will be exposed to specific terminologies and technologies related to the Design and Media field. Students will learn the fundamentals of drawing, idea generations and the study of trends and visual thinking.

In the second semester, students will develop their communication skills and understand important art theories, media theories and its practices in the creative industry. Students will further polish their hand illustrations skills and presentation methods through the use of marker renderings.

During the third semester, students will be introduced to the management of creative projects. Students will be exposed to various methods of research that can be used to formulate effective design solutions. Students will also utilize the skills developed from previous semester and practically apply them into team-based projects that will cultivate their design thinking skills. In addition, they will be exploring theoretical original principles in animation, 3D digital imaging, character and environment conceptual art design. 

Be ready to get valuable hands-on experience and exposure to industry based projects in the fourth semester. Students will get to select their pathway modules to further expand their foundations in technical specialization and creative exploration.

Students will be introduced to the basic use of research techniques to analyse and understand concepts of brand placement and brand identity to formulate design brief based on market research. Students will also be looking into basic marketing principles, issues relating to consumer behaviour and strategies for creative practice.

Illustrated talks and informal discussions will take place in semester 5 to investigate the study of design context as well as to critically evaluate and interpret cinematography taxonomies. At the end of their semester, students will proudly showcase their design skills from their Major Project in a public exhibition. This will be an opportunity for them to meet and present their portfolio to a panel of industry experts.

Be ready to get valuable hands-on experience and exposure to industry based projects in the fourth semester. Students will get to select their pathway modules to further expand their foundations in technical specialization and creative exploration.

Students will experiment with other context of animation genres and theories as well as traditional character sculpting methods. Alternatively, they can be introduced to digital filming to understand the 2D compositing workflow and to advance their knowledge in 3D production pipeline.

Illustrated talks and informal discussions will take place in semester 5 to investigate the study of design context as well as to critically evaluate and interpret cinematography taxonomies. At the end of their semester, students will proudly showcase their design skills from their Major Project in a public exhibition. This will be an opportunity for them to meet and present their portfolio to a panel of industry experts.

Be ready to get valuable hands-on experience and exposure to industry based projects in the fourth semester. Students will get to select their pathway modules to further expand their foundations in technical specialization and creative exploration.

Students will experience hands-on practical sessions in our specialised workshops to understand how to work with different tools and materials. Students will also be exposed to solid modelling computer-aided design skills such as Solidworks or Rhino.

Supplementing to their final individual project, they will also learn essential techniques to digitally illustrate their designs and animate in 2D and 3D.

Illustrated talks and informal discussions will take place in semester 5 to investigate the study of design context as well as to critically evaluate and interpret cinematography taxonomies. At the end of their semester, they will proudly showcase their design skills from their Major Project in a public exhibition. This will be an opportunity for them to meet and present their portfolio to a panel of industry experts.

* In addition to the above, all students are also required to successfully complete General Studies modules as stipulated by the Malaysian Qualification Agency, as well as fulfill credit requirements for Co-Curricular Activities.

Note: Diploma in Design and Media graduates may progress to Level 1, Semester 2 of BA (Hons) in Media and Communication Studies.

Course Fees:

* Fees stated above do not include Deposits and other Miscellaneous Fees. Please refer to Fee Guide for details.

MQA Accreditation: