Teaching units at UM include Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Honours College, Graduate School, and Centre for Continuing Education. Research institutes include Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, Institute of Collaborative Innovation, Institute of Microelectronics, Centre for Macau Studies, Asia-Pacific Academy of Economics and Management, and Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences. Currently, there are more than 12,500 students at UM. For undergraduate students, the university provides a unique ‘4-in-1’ education, which consists of discipline-specific education, general education, research and internship education, and community and peer education. Adopting a credit system and a collegiate system, the university offers around 130 degree programmes at bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, covering a variety of fields, including literature, language, business administration, marketing, accounting, finance, international integrated resort management, science, education, biomedical science, law, history, economics, psychology, sociology, communication, engineering, computer science, and Chinese medical sciences.

UM is ranked in the 201-250 bracket in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, with a global ranking of No 5 in International Outlook, No 38 in the THE Asia University Rankings, No 39 in the THE Young University Rankings, and No 1 in the Association of Portuguese Speaking Universities. In the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, it is ranked No 322. In the Essential Sciences Indicators (ESI) rankings, it is among the top 1 per cent  in ten subjects, namely Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Science, Pharmacology & Toxicology, Materials Science, Biology & Biochemistry, Clinical Medicine, Psychiatry/Psychology, Social Sciences, General, and Agricultural Science.

UM is an international university with a multicultural campus. It adopts a modern governance model and recruits faculty members internationally. 80 per cent of its faculty members are from outside Macao. The fact that English is the main medium of instruction at UM has attracted outstanding students from around the world, which in turn has created a vibrant, multicultural campus. The university constantly expands its international network and actively builds new platforms for international collaboration in order to broaden the students’ horizons. It has established collaboration agreements with more than 250 institutions of higher learning in over 30 countries and regions. UM students can choose from over 150 institutions around the world for exchange programmes or overseas studies. The university also provides students with many internship opportunities, both local and overseas, in order to enhance their employability upon graduation.

UM has an outstanding team of faculty members, many of whom have earned prestigious titles such as member of Academia Europaea (Academy of Europe), fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, member of the Portuguese Academy of Sciences, fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, fellow of the American Psychological Association, president of the IEEE’s Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society, fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, and Chang Jiang Scholar Chair Professor (Ministry of Education).

Not only does the university constantly search for high-calibre scholars, it also offers attractive work conditions to enable faculty members to achieve their full potential. In addition, it has launched the UM Macao Talent Programme to nurture young local scholars and to encourage talented professionals to develop their careers in Macao.

UM adopts a holistic education system based on the residential college system, as a platform for the integration of the four types of education in the ‘4-in-1’ model. This is unique among universities in Macao. There are currently ten RCs at UM, namely Chao Kuang Piu College, Cheng Yu Tung College, Cheong Kun Lun College, Choi Kai Yau College, Henry Fok Pearl Jubilee College, Lui Che Woo College, Ma Man Kei and Lo Pak Sam College, Moon Chun Memorial College, Shiu Pong College, and Stanley Ho East Asia College. As a complement to the faculty-based system, the RCs serve as a vehicle for whole-person education through systematic planning of experiential programmes. RCs aim to nurture students into compassionate and socially responsible individuals with the ability for self-reflection amid a culturally diverse and intellectually stimulating environment, with the aim of nurturing students who are successful in their studies and of high moral character. The RCs strive to enhance students’ seven competencies: civic responsibility, global competitiveness, knowledge integration, teamwork, service and leadership, cultural engagement, and healthy living.