1950-60s
- Founded at the Hong Kong Technical College
- Part-time evening General Certificate courses offered
1970s
- Renamed as Department of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic’s establishment
- Joined ICSID World School Services
- First Polydesign Show held
- First 30 Higher Diploma students graduated
- 3-year Higher Diploma in Design offered
- Specialisms introduced to Higher Diploma in Design
- 2-year Higher Certificate in 2-Dimensional Design launched
- 2-year Diploma in Design with specialisms in final year introduced
- Streams added to Higher Diploma in Fashion Design
- 2-year Higher Certificate in Applied Photography launched
- Founded at the Hong Kong Technical College
1980s
- Renamed as the Swire School of Design
- Higher Certificates in Illustration and Studio Ceramics introduced
- BA in Graphic and Industrial Design offered
- BA in Fashion and Interior Design launched
- BA in Design offered specialisms in Fashion, Graphic, Industrial, and Interior Design
1990s
- Re-designated as School of Design
- Graphics and Interior Design became honours degrees
- MA in Design launched
- Degree in Photographic Design launched
- BA (Hons) in Art and Design in Education offered
- Higher Diploma in Multimedia Design and Technology offered
2000s
2001
- Higher Diploma in Product Innovation Technologies offered
- Self-financed Diploma in Design offered
- MSc in Multimedia and Entertainment Technology co-offered with Multimedia Innovation Center
2004
- First launch of Master of Design (MDes) programme
2005
- Multimedia Innovation Center became part of School of Design
2000s
2006
- First games production services unit named MERECL launched
- Partnered with Graduate School of Business in offering MBA programme in Innovation and Design Management
- Rated one of the Top Design Schools in the world by BusinessWeek magazine
2007
- SDWorks was established to develop student designs for commercialization
- First SD Design Month launched to raise public awareness for student’s and alumni’s creative talents
- MDes programme expanded to offer specialisms in Design Practices, Design Strategies, and Interaction Design
- Second year rated as world’s Top Design School by BusinessWeek magazine
2008
- BA (Hons) in Digital Media programme introduced
- Jointly established International Design Centre (IDC) in Ningbo with Zhejiang University
- New home for the School by renowned architect Zaha Hadid unveiled
2009
- MDes (Design Strategies) programme rated by the BusinessWeek among the world’s 30 best "design thinking programmes"
- Asia’s first English taught MDes (Design Education) launched
- PolyU Design Research made its mark on BusinessWeek/IDSA IDEA Awards, taking the Best of Show and Gold awards with its SizeChina project
2010s
2010
- The 4-year BA(Hons) Scheme in Design introduced
2011
- Design Institute of Social Innovation and Innovation Tower received HK$249 million donation from Hong Kong Jockey Club
- MDes (Urban Environments Design) programme launched
2012 - 2013
- First time to be ranked within the world’s top 25 design schools and the only one from Asia, by Business Insider
- Jockey Club Innovation Tower construction completed; building opened for partial use
- MDes (International Design and Business Management) programme launched
- BA(Hons) in Interactive Media programme launched
2014
- Celebrated its 50th anniversary and Grand Opening of its new home Jockey Club Innovation Tower
2015
- Ranked 1st in Asia and 24th in the world on QS' first World University Rankings by Subject in Art and Design
- Top 10 Best Industrial Design Schools in the World Design Schools Hub
- First interdisciplinary Executive Master programme launched
- Introduced the first featured Maker Faire to Hong Kong, promoting transdisciplinary and STEAM education
2017
- First programme in Social Design (BA Hons) launched
2019
- Marked the 55th anniversary of the school
2020s
- Ranked the 20th in the world on the QS World University Rankings® by Subject 2023—Art and Design.
- Curriculum reformed to include specialisms in Advertising Design, Environmental Design, Information Design, Interaction Design, Interior Design, Media Design, Product Design, Service Design, and Social Design in the BA(Hons) in Design programme; and Innovative Business Design, Intelligent Systems Design, Smart Service Design, Transitional Environments in the Master of Design programme.
- Master of Design Scheme selected as University Grants Committee established Targeted Taught Postgraduate Programmes Fellowships Scheme eligible programme.
- Established SD Plus (SD+) as the School's knowledge transfer and consultancy arm .
- Established POLYU-NVIDIA Joint Research Centre and Research Centre for Future (Caring) Mobility for interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Li Ka Shing Design and Innovation Centre established to fostering innovation, entrepreneurship and design thinking.
- Launched the Doctor of Design programme.
- Launched the MSc in Innovative Multimedia Entertainment (MScIME) programme to supersede the MSc in Multimedia and Entertainment Technology (MScMET) prorgramme.
