2018 Undergraduate Courses
  • Students are to follow the requirements of the Handbook for the year they commenced the course.

    However, the subject links below do not contain the subject information for the current year. You can view current subject information through the new Course Handbook.

Bachelor of Creative Arts | 2018

Testamur Title of Degree:

Bachelor of Creative Arts

Abbreviation:

BCA

UOW Course Code:

840

CRICOS Code:

001709K

Total Credit Points:

144

Duration:

3 years full-time or part-time equivalent

Home Faculty:

Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts

Intake Session(s):

Autumn

Delivery Mode:

On-campus

Delivery Campus / UAC Code:

Wollongong / Specified for each major

Overview

The Bachelor of Creative Arts (BCA) is a three-year full-time course that involves study of theory and practice-based work in a major study area: Creative Writing, Graphic Design, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts or Visual Arts and Design. The main focus of the degree is artistic practice informed by history and theory subjects.

Opportunities exist for artistic collaboration, exchange and study abroad.

A Bachelor of Creative Arts degree can lead to career opportunities as an artist, graphic designer, writer, musician, performer, composer, theatre technician, director, publisher, curator, arts administrator or manager, teacher (on completion of a Master of Teaching) or to opportunities to work in the radio, television and multimedia industries.

Entry Requirements & Credit Arrangements

Information on academic and English language requirements, as well as eligibility for credit for prior learning, is available from the Course Finder.

Course Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes are statements of learning achievement that are expressed in terms of what the learner is expected to know, understand and be able to do upon completion of a course. Students graduating from this course will be able to demonstrate:

CLO Description
1 Demonstrate a sound knowledge of contemporary arts, arts theory and history within Australia and in an international context.
2 Develop, research and evaluate ideas, concepts and processes through creative, critical and reflective thinking and practice.
3 Apply relevant skills and knowledge to produce and realise works, artefacts and forms of creative expression.
4 Interpret communicate and present ideas, problems and arguments in modes suited to a range of audiences.
5 Work independently and collaboratively in the Creative Arts in response to project demands.
6 Recognise and reflect on social, cultural and ethical issues, and apply local and international perspectives to practice in the Creative Arts.

Course Structure

To qualify for award of the degree, the Bachelor of Creative Arts, a candidate must successfully complete at least 144 credit points (cp) comprised of:

  1. Four subjects (24 credit points) of subjects from the BCA core, outlined in the below schedule;
  2. At least one of the five majors in this degree:
    1. Creative Writing (72 credit points)
    2. Music (72 credit points)
    3. Theatre (72 credit points)
    4. Visual Arts (72 credit points)
    5. Visual Arts and Design (96 credit points)
  3. Electives to bring the total number of credit points completed to 144.

Note: no more than 60cp at 100 level can be counted towards the Bachelor of Creative Arts degree. Students must achieve a clear pass in the core 300-level subjects to be eligible to graduate with a Bachelor of Creative Arts.
 

Subject Code Subject Name Credit Points
Core:
CACS101 Contemporary Creative Practice 6
CACS102 Critical Frameworks in Creative Practice 6
Plus TWO from the following:
CACS301 Professional Practice 6
CACS331 Contemporary Theory and Research Practice 6
CAGD331 New Media and Visual Communication Theory 6
CAGD332 Advanced Graphic Design and Visual Communication Theory 6
CAMS331 Music and Culture 6
CAPF331 Theory and Practice of Theatre in the 20th and 21st Century 6
CAPF333 Political Dramaturgy 6
CAVA331 Contemporary Artworlds 6
CAVA332 Globalisation and Contemporary Art 6
CAVA361 Curatorial Practices 6

Majors

Students studying the BCA will complete one of the following majors:

Students interested in Graphic Design are strongly recommended to enrol in VAD 190 and VAD 192 as electives in their BCA, or to complete the Graphic Design Minor.

Minors

As part of their elective subjects, students are encouraged to undertake a Minor Study in order to add a multi-disciplinary aspect to their Bachelor of Creative Arts Degree.

Each minor study comprises 24 credit points. Creative Arts offers minor studies in the following areas:

  • Art History
  • Creative Arts
  • Creative Production
  • Creative Writing
  • Design History
  • Graphic Design
  • Media Arts
  • Music
  • Photography
  • Technical Theatre
  • Theatre
  • Visual Arts

Students may not undertake a Major and Minor Study in the same discipline (for example, students cannot take both a major and a minor in Creative Writing). 

Information regarding minors, including which subjects to take to complete a minor, are available on the 2018 General Schedule of Minors page.

Minors appear on the transcript (i.e. academic record) but do not appear on the testamur. To have a minor study recorded, students must submit an Application to Declare or Change Intended Major/Minor.

Work Integrated Learning

Undertaking a work integrated learning (WIL) experience during your university education is now a significant contributor to being competitive in securing employment in your field of choice when you graduate from UOW.

Bachelor of Creative Arts students may apply via their Course Coordinator to enrol into the Creative Arts Internship subject, CACS302. The Faculty offers a limited number of industry placements each year. These offer students hands-on experience in cultural organisations that have agreed to partner with the Faculty on this initiative. Typically students will spend a minimum of 60 hours in an organisation, working on an agreed project from their major study area, with exposure to a fully operational professional environment. These hours can be undertaken on a daily basis or as a single block as negotiated with the host organisation. Students are selected for this opportunity on the basis of both strong academic achievement and through application and interview.

In their third year, students will undertake a major project in their chosen discipline continuing to build student experience, expertise and maturity, working with a range of methodologies and processes in a context that simulates professional working conditions.

Third year students may choose to take an additional history/theory subject, particularly if they are interested in Honours or teaching, however, they also have the option of enrolling in CACS301, the Professional Practice subject. In this subject, students will map professional and career pathways in the context of both individual artistic practice and the creative and cultural industries. It will develop an understanding of arts infrastructure, including government agencies, the commercial and the not-for-profit sector. Fundamental professional avenues of support such as legal advisory services and funding structures will be introduced as well as individual portfolios and curriculum vitae, project and funding submission development and making presentations. Students will undertake an individual research assignment into an aspect of the arts that fits with their career ambitions. The subject will be delivered in partnership with key arts and cultural organisations.

Honours

On completion of the Bachelor of Creative Arts, high achieving students may apply to undertake an additional Honours year.

Other Information

The Faculty may impose quotas on subjects to ensure optimal class sizes.

Further information is available via email: lha-enquiries@uow.edu.au

Last reviewed: 24 November, 2017