New Zealand Diploma in Arts and Design

Upon successful completion of this programme you will be able to:

• Apply professional practices to manage projects/briefs within defined guidelines, and select potential education and employment pathways in arts, craft and/or design
• Critique your own work and the work of others, communicate in a range of situations, and present own resolved work in simulated contexts
• Use research to support the development of ideas and to inform your own work within conventions and contexts in arts, craft and/or design
• Use investigative tools with creative processes, methods and technologies to develop responses to a brief and solve problems
• Manage projects/briefs under broad guidance, apply standard work practices, and describe potential education and employment pathways in arts, craft and/or design

All courses in this programme are compulsory, so you are sure to gain a good broad understanding of arts and design. You will also get a taste of each of the areas you can specialise in if you go on to further study at NMIT. You will complete a Lab and a Project course for each of the following disciplines:

• Lens-based Media
• Graphic Design
• Object Design
• Image Making
• Critical Studies
• Communication

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 subject 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)

OR

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

OR

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

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

Alternative requirements

Applicants (including those over 20 years of age) who are unable to evidence that they meet Academic Requirements, but who can demonstrate acquired skills for tertiary study gained through study, work and/or life experience, maybe 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

Portfolio

All applicants to provide evidence of creative work. (see 'Creative Work')

Online study

Applicants wishing to complete their study online must have the following to be able to complete the practical aspects of the program:

• Access to a suitable workspace
• Access to materials suitable for meeting assessment requirements

Please contact us(external link) about online study options as not all courses in this programme are available online.

Additional requirements

Please see the Supporting documents section for more information and form templates.

What does Creative Work look like?

As part of your application to study the Bachelor of Arts and Media at NMIT, you are asked to show us that you can take something down the creative process, from concept to presentation.

We are open to anything creative:

• Sketches, paintings, video clips, multimedia, photography, life drawings or murals
• 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

We are looking for an art applicant’s ability to develop the following:

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

This article about providing creative work(external link) can also help.

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:

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)