Bachelor of Design and Contemporary Art

The Bachelor of Design and Contemporary Art is the key to turning your creativity and innovation into an exciting career in the art and design industry.

With hands-on teaching and learning at the heart of this degree programme, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your practice through making and creating while developing the technical skills and expert knowledge you’ll need to land your dream job.

Your first year of study will involve lots of discovery and experimentation. From there, you’ll build a specialist area of practice that draws inspiration from your unique creative abilities and lived experiences, while remaining ever-focused on learning through doing.

You’ll be supported every step of the way by a team of expert professionals. They’ll help you develop the knowledge and skills required to excel in the industry, motivate you to step outside your creative comfort zone, consider different cultural perspectives – and try something new.  

Choosing your specialisation

In your second semester, you’ll choose an area of practice within one of our three specialisations– Visual Art, Design and Digital Media – and gain key skills and experiences in that area through studio projects, diverse technical workshops and in-depth contextual discussions.

Here are some of the areas of practice you can choose to focus on:

• Design: Graphic Design, User Experience (UX/UI), Product Design, Web Design
• Visual Arts: 2D/3D Practice, Photography/ Moving Image, Painting, Sculpture/Installation, Printmaking, Ceramics
• **Digital Media:**Animation, Visual Effects, Interactive Media, Digital Content Creation, Extended Technologies (AR/VR)

Highlights

• Specialise in your chosen area of practice. Choose an area of interest from one of three majors: Visual Art or Design
• Gain key skills and experience through exciting studio projects, diverse technical workshops and in-depth contextual discussions.
• Apply practical learning in studios, computer labs, workshops, through one-on-one and group tutorials, wānanga and noho marae – with the opportunity to meet a wide range of artists and designers.
• Be creative in your own spaces. Our purpose-built gallery, exhibition and presentation facilities will prepare you for the professional environment.
• Get excellent student support from expert lecturers and technicians, ready to help you realise your creative ambitions.
• Work on a major creative capstone project in your final year of study – and exhibit this work at our end-of-year Gradfest. .
• Graduate work-ready for the future. This new qualification is a culmination of four years’ research – hundreds of hours of industry consultation, interviews and reflection, undertaken to ensure it meets the future needs of Auckland’s creative communities.

Develop the necessary skills to succeed

It’s our job to ensure that when you walk across that graduation platform, you’re prepared and work-ready. Meeting the demands of the art and design industry and carving a thriving career means developing the right skills – and that’s exactly what you’ll do in this degree programme:

• Expert knowledge. Gain the technical and conceptual knowledge to create specialist creative work in your chosen field.
• Communication. Effectively and professionally communicate with a range of stakeholders.
• Industry preparedness. Be ready for employment, self-employment and/or postgraduate study.
• Cultural diversity capability. Engage collaboratively with diverse teams and cultures in Aotearoa New Zealand and global cultural contexts.
• Critical engagement with ethically and socially responsible art and design practices.

Create your future in art and design

In Aotearoa New Zealand, design is the largest sub-sector in the creative industries, employing almost half of all creative professionals in the Auckland region. It has grown four times faster than the total Auckland economy. Aotearoa New Zealand is experiencing a growth period in art sales, and work produced by emerging practitioners is highly desirable. There is a dynamic range of cultural and commercial practice within the arts sector.

The skills that you’ll learn in this programme will not only provide a solid foundation but also help you excel in the world of art and design. As of 2021, it’s estimated that employment for designers in Aotearoa New Zealand will increase over the next five years, keeping career prospects for graduates high. In this degree, designers and artists are taught to be dexterous and adaptive to meet the needs of the dynamic industry.

By developing skills and experience in a specialised area, you can apply for more specialist roles, and as you continue to build your portfolio, you’ll be well set to take on more senior roles or contracting work. 

Further study

Keen to push your creative boundaries even further? Then you might want to consider one of our postgraduate programmes: Postgraduate Certificate in Creative Practice, Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Practice and Master of Creative Practice programmes.  

Career Options

• Animator
• Art/design educator
• Artist
• Curator
• Gallerist
• Graphic designer
• Illustrator
• Motion graphics designer
• Packaging designer
• Photographer
• Product designer

Annual Tuition Fees

Domestic/NZ students

$8,000.00 (NZD)

(Approximate fees only - includes GST but excludes the Compulsory Student Services Fee (CSSF) levy. Your final study costs depends on a number of factors including the courses you select to study. View options for funding your study and fees-free eligibility)

International students

$26,415 (NZD) (approximate fees for 120 credits) Save up to $2,000 (NZD) with the Unitec International Study Grant 2026. Terms and conditions apply.

Semester Dates

Sem 1 2026: 23 Feb – 28 Jun

Sem 2 2026: 20 Jul – 22 Nov

For course and class timings, refer to the specific course webpage.

For StudyLink purposes, please ensure your application states your earliest course start date.

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