20 years of doctoral research studies in design in Hong Kong

For the past 50 years, the School of Design of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has been a pioneer in nurturing design education in Asia. It is also one of the first schools in the region to grant PhDs in “Design” serving as a role model for other universities in the region. Since the 1990s, the school has produced tens of PhD degree holders across different design specialties. However, as times change and knowledge plays a more fundamental role in the economy, the ability to produce quality design researchers, capable of creating deep and specific insights will become fundamental for the future of design in the region. In this chapter we review the emergence, growth and future of the PhD programme at the school of design of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University against a landscape of challenges of doctoral research education, particularly in the case of design. We also discuss the strategies used in the past, present and future, as the school moves into a new era of economic and geopolitical scenarios in the 21 century.