Graduate Diploma of Fine Arts
2027 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2027 course information |
|---|---|
| Award granted | Graduate Diploma of Fine Arts |
| Deakin course code | A659 |
| Course credit points | 8 |
| Course version | 2 |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts and Education |
| Course information | For students who commenced from 2027 onwards |
| Campus | Offered at Burwood (Melbourne) |
| Online | No |
| Duration | 1 year full-time or part-time equivalent |
| Course map - enrolment planning tool | The course map for students commencing from Trimester 1 2027 will be available soon Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central. |
| Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition | The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 8 |
Course sub-headings
- Course overview
- Career opportunities
- Participation requirements
- Alternative exits
- Course learning outcomes
- Course rules
- Course structure
- Work experience
- Research and research-related study
- Fees and charges
Course overview
Challenge your imagination and take your creative practice further with Deakin’s Graduate Diploma of Fine Arts. Explore the ideas shaping your field while building the critical, practical and collaborative skills employers value.
Through projects and creative production, you will develop a portfolio that reflects your interests and professional goals. Learn in industry-grade facilities, including TV broadcast studios, dance and drama studios, a professional photographic light studio, visual arts and design studios and dedicated gallery spaces. Deepen your skillset by choosing from a wide range of electives, including writing with the camera, arts marketing, digital art and photography. Take part in internships, volunteering or on-campus practical experiences through studio work. By graduation, you will be ready to work as an adaptable, resourceful creative. You may also choose to continue building your creative expertise and articulate into Deakin’s Master of Fine Arts.
Career opportunities
Graduate with specialist knowledge, transferable creative skills and real-world experience that prepares you for a diverse range of creative roles in areas such as:
- entrepreneurship and management in the creative arts
- design
- video, sound and multimedia production
- freelancing as a creator or artist
- art production and curation
- consulting.
Your skills will be sought-after in museums and galleries, all levels of government, boutique art companies and design agencies. You can also explore opportunities in festivals, community events and curatorial projects typically funded by government and philanthropic entities.
For more information go to DeakinTALENT.
Participation requirements
Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.
Alternative exits
| Graduate Certificate of Fine Arts (A559) |
Course learning outcomes
| Course Learning Outcomes |
|---|
| Apply and extend specialist knowledge and technical and creative skills in creative arts practice in one or more disciplines or areas of creative arts including drama, dance, photography, visual arts, animation, and design. |
| Use specialist creative arts technologies and skills to communicate complex ideas to a range of audiences in academic and non-academic contexts. Harness specialist creative arts technologies, skills, and discourse to communicate complex ideas to a range of audiences in academic and non -academic contexts. |
| Draw on, analyse, and assess digital technologies to produce, document, present and publish in the creative arts. |
| Evaluate, interpret, and synthesise complex ideas within creative arts drawing on discourse and practice. |
| Address theoretical and methodological challenges in the creation of work that is discursive and reflective and engages in creative decision -making processes within the relevant field. |
| Develop systematic and episodic reflective approaches to creative work practices. |
| Advanced interpersonal and communication skills to participate effectively in the critical culture of production, completion and presentation of creative arts projects. |
| Establish ethical approaches that interrogate the value of art and performance in diverse communities and cultures and transfer creative practice outcomes into real world contexts |
Approved at Faculty Board November 2018
Note – From 2026, Deakin commenced introducing Graduate Attributes (GAs), which define the distinctive characteristics of a Deakin graduate. You may notice some courses still refer to Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) during this transition period.
Course rules
To complete the Graduate Diploma of Fine Arts you must pass 8 credit points. The number of credit points required may vary, depending on your entry point or how much credit you receive as recognition of prior learning (RPL) based on your professional experience and previous qualifications.
An 8-credit point Graduate Diploma of Fine Arts includes:
- DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in your first study period
- 8 credit points of course electives.
Most units are equal to one credit point. As a full-time student you will study four credit points per trimester and usually undertake two trimesters per year.
Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.
Course structure
Core units
Compulsory 0-credit point module
To be completed in the first trimester of study:
| DAI001 | Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin |
Electives
Select 8 credit points of units from:
| ACA701 | Materiality and Practice |
| ACA702 | Situating Practice |
| ACA711 | Methods and Design for Creative Arts Research |
| ACA712 | Site, Audience and Community |
| ACC700 | Communication and Creative Arts Internship |
| ACF700 | Writing with the Camera |
| ACF705 | Documentary Production Practice |
| ACI700 | Digital Practices and the Creative Arts |
| ADS720 | Culture, Arts and Sports as Community Development |
| ALC708 | Social Media Content Creation |
| EMP700 | The Arts and the Art of Teaching |
| MMK792 | Arts Marketing |
| MMM790 | Arts Management |
ACG708 Design Strategies [No longer available for enrolment for this course]
Work experience
Elective units may provide the opportunity for Work Integrated Learning experiences.
Course duration
You may be able to study available units in the optional third trimester to fast-track your degree, however your course duration may be extended if there are delays in meeting course requirements, such as completing a placement.
Research and research-related study
Independent research components are embedded across a number of units.
Fees and charges
Tuition fees will vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, your study load and/or unit discipline.
Your tuition fees will increase annually at the start of each calendar year. All fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD) and do not include additional costs such as textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment, mandatory checks, travel, consumables and other costs.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.
Further information
Contact Student Central for assistance in course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements. Student Central can also provide information for a wide range of services at Deakin. To help you understand the University vocabulary, please refer to our Enrolment codes and terminology page.