Bachelor of Arts and Media

We are evolving

From 2023, NMIT and the programme you have enrolled in will become part of
Te Pūkenga, and you will graduate with a Te Pūkenga qualification. See more here.
Locations and dates

Nelson:

18 July 2022

20 February 2023

17 July 2023
Study options

Full time or part time
Length

3 years full time; each year of full time study is 42 weeks, made up of 36 tuition weeks and 6 weeks of study breaks.
Total credits

360
Fees

2022: $6,136 (dependent on course selection) plus $240 Student Services Levy per year

A Compulsory Student Services Levy applies ($2 per credit).

Fees listed are for each year of the programme, indicative only and may vary with course selection.

View course details for individual fees.
National qualification code

NE4711

Study art and design in an innovative environment and fuel your creativity.

If you achieved University Entrance (UE) in 2020, the entry requirements for this programme may differ from those displayed on this page and in printed material due to the disruption caused by COVID-19. To find out about entry requirements for those who achieve UE in 2020 see the NZQA website(external link).

Photo of NMIT Creative Industries Building — NMIT's award winning architecturally designed Creative Industries building

Based in Te Tauihu, a region blessed with stunning natural landscapes and an abundance of sunshine hours, you'll be able to draw on the same creative influences that have attracted a legacy of practicing artists and designers to the region for many years.

The Bachelor of Arts and Media programme provides the fundamental skills to enable graduates to move into personal practice or embark on a career in arts and design.

Photo of interior of Studio Space at NMIT — Spacious studio areas

Grounded in academic and technical excellence, you will learn the effective use of visual language by developing an extensive knowledge in painting, graphic design, animation, photography, digital video and illustration.

Study pathways

In your first year, you will develop the fundamental skills through a range of compulsory courses that include lens-based media, graphic design, object design, image making and communication and critical studies.

In your second year, you will advance your critical design thinking and professional practice while specializing in several creative areas of your choice. Courses include lens-based media, object design, graphic design and image studio.

In your third and final year of the Bachelor programme, you will complete a major project by tying together your research and independent study to present a final studio project at the end of year Bachelor of Arts and Media (BAM) exhibition.

The Bachelor of Arts and Media can be completed in three years of full time study. Each year of full time study is 40 weeks made up of 34 tuition weeks and 6 weeks of study breaks or part time equivalent.

Student work

(external link)

What will I learn?

To apply broad knowledge and practical and conceptual skills in the production of arts and design work, (thinking creatively)
To investigative tools with creative processes, methods and technologies to develop responses to briefs, (apply creative processes and methods)
To use research to support the development of ideas and to inform your own work within the conventions and contexts of arts and design,
(research skills)
To critique your own work (critical thinking) and the work of others, communicate in a range of situations and present your own resolved work in simulated real-world situations, (communication and presentation skills)
To apply professional practices (act professionally) to manage projects within defined deadlines (time management) and select potential education and employment pathways in arts and design.

Take a virtual tour of Creative Industries

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

University Entrance: NCEA Level 3 (60 credits at Level 3 and 20 credits at Level 2 or higher) which must include:

14 credits at Level 3 in each of three approved* subjects including at least one from the following subjects list: Painting (Visual Art); Design (Visual Art); Photography (Visual Art); Sculpture (Visual Art); Printmaking (Visual Art); Graphics (Technology);Design (Technology); Textiles (Technology); Media Studies; Drama; Materials Technology; Digital Technology; English; History; Social Sciences or Art History

as well as

Literacy* - 10 credits at Level 2 or above, made up of 5 credits in reading, 5 credits in writing

and

Numeracy* - 10 credits at Level 1 or above (specified achievement standards, or unit standards 26623, 26626, 26627)

A qualification on the NZQF at Level 4 or above in a related discipline

A qualification or examination recognised as being equivalent to achievement of NCEA Level 3 (e.g. International Baccalaureate, Cambridge Examination)

*NZQA approved subjects: see http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/awards/university-entrance/(external link).

Alternative requirements

Applicants who are unable to evidence that they meet Academic entry requirements, but who can demonstrate acquired skills for tertiary study gained through study, work and/or life experience, may be approved for alternative entry by the Curriculum Manager (or delegate).

English language requirements

If English is not the applicant’s first language, applicants will need to provide a result from a test or qualification on the acceptable alternatives English Proficiency Outcomes Table(external link):

IELTS 6.0 Academic (no lower than 5.5 in each band),

Note: Applicants who do not have evidence of English language skills and are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, may contact NMIT for an assessment

Applicants who have achieved NCEA Level 3 University Entrance requirements are not required to provide evidence of English language skills . IELTS scores used must be taken from a single IELTS Test Report Form and are valid for two years from the date of the test.

Other requirements

Computer literacy:

A sufficient level of computer literacy is required.*

Portfolio:

All applicants must submit a portfolio of work showing ability in arts and design.**

Special Entry

In exceptional circumstances an applicant who does not meet the full entry requirements may be granted admission to the Programme on the approval of the Head of Department or delegate if he/she is confident of the applicant’s ability to successfully undertake the degree with a reasonable likelihood of success.

*COMPUTER LITERACY REQUIREMENT

This study programme involves producing work in electronic forms. Therefore, applicants applying to enter the programme without sufficient computer literacy for study at the relevant level will be expected to make use of computer facilities and/or training to develop their computer skills to a competent standard to succeed in their studies. A sufficient standard for entry would include competence using Microsoft Word or similar programme, email and the internet.

**PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENT

Portfolios should be an arts and/or design portfolio or equivalent personal portfolio.

The portfolio may include a selection of the following:

Sketchbooks or workbooks showing the development of ideas
Arts or design works, including both process works and finished works
Photographs or slides or recordings relevant to the programme
Photographic or digital records of any of the above

Portfolios will be examined for evidence of the applicant’s potential to further develop the following attributes:

Technical skills in arts and/or design
Design processes and/or concept development

See more about Supporting document requirements(external link)

Additional course costs

Our Creative Industries programmes require you to bring your own device/laptop (BYOD) with Adobe Creative Cloud installed in order to complete your studies.

BYOD specifications for Creative Industries programmes

The following BYOD specifications are required for:

Bachelor of Arts and Media
NZ Diploma in Arts and Design (Level 5)
NZ Diploma in Arts and Design (Level 6)

The minimum specifications required are:

Minimum specifications

Processor

Intel or AMD Multi-Core Processor

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 10 (64 bit) versions 1903 and later. Note: Win version 1607 is not supported.

RAM

16 GB minimum (32 GB recommended)

GPU

2GB of GPU VRAM. (4GB or more recommended)

Adobe strongly recommends updating to NVIDIA driver 451.77 or later when using After Effects. Drivers prior to this have a known issue which can lead to a crash.

Hard disk space

15GB of available hard-disk space; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on removeable flash storage devices)

Additional disk space for disk cache (64GB+ recommended)

Monitor resolution

1920 x 1080 or greater display resolution

Internet

Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions and access to online services

Discrete graphics are not mandatory but are strongly suggested as there are several aspects of the degree which can require considerable graphics power.

Optional items include:

optical drive (DVD)
web cam

Can I use an Apple product?

Across our programmes, we use Microsoft Windows based applications. As such we can only sanction Windows based laptops for use on the degree Please be aware however, that you will not be able to login to our network using an Apple laptop.

You will also need a digital SLR camera to complete the Lens Based Media courses. Find out more here.(external link)

Portfolio