Master of Creative Arts

2023 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2023 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]

Year	2023 course information
Award granted	Master of Creative Arts
Course Map	This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2023. This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 2 2023. Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne)
Online	No
Duration	2 years full-time or part-time equivalent
CRICOS course code	083981D Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong)
Deakin course code	A759
Approval status	This course is approved by the University under the Higher Education Standards Framework.
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9.
Disciplines on offer Burwood (Melbourne) - Animation & Motion Capture, Dance, Drama, Photography, Visual Arts and Visual Communication Design Waterfront (Geelong) - Photography, Visual Communication Design and Visual Arts* Please note: This course will not be offered at Waterfront (Geelong) from Trimester 1 2023.*

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Realise your full potential as a creator while specialising in an area of passion with a Master of Creative Arts. Graduate with an eye-catching portfolio and build transferable skills that prepare you to be flexible across the creative jobs of the future.

Want to push your creative practice to new heights?

The Master of Creative Arts allows you to focus your studies on one of six creative areas: visual arts, photography, animation and motion capture, visual communication design, dance or drama. But that doesn’t mean your knowledge will be limited to your specialisation. Throughout the course, you’ll be studying complementary disciplines and practising alongside creative thinkers from different backgrounds, broadening your understanding of creativity and arming you with transferable skills that prepare you for any creative pursuit.

The multidisciplinary aspect of the course could see you specialising in dance while taking an elective unit in film writing, ultimately leading to the production of a dance film for your final creative project.

While core study areas will be tailored to your specialisation, there are common threads throughout each pathway that set you up to be a versatile creative practitioner. Build transferable skills that employers value, like imaginative thinking, problem solving and creative collaboration, and discover what it takes to be adaptable and resourceful – two key attributes of the modern creative.

Strengthen your creative repertoire with elective units. Your electives can play to your strengths, or help you upskill in an unfamiliar discipline. Some of your elective options include:

Writing with the Camera
Documentary Production Practice
Art Marketing
Introduction to Digital Photography
Design Thinking and Problem Solving

The course provides lots of practical experience, including sought-after internship opportunities, allowing you to hone your creative craft in real-world settings. You’ll work on industry-relevant creative projects, applying theoretical frameworks in teams and as an individual. And you’ll complete a major creative work in professional standard facilities, including TV broadcast studios, dance and drama studios, a professional photographic light studio, visual arts and design studios and dedicated gallery spaces. On top of that, your creative research projects will train you in practical research skills that benefit your everyday life, as well as your career.

While many of our graduates go on to secure exciting roles in creative industries, there are also opportunities for further study upon successful completion of the course. If you want to become a subject matter expert in your creative area, connect with leading researchers and access unique professional development opportunities, you might like to progress into a Higher Degree by Research.

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 Creative Arts (A559)
Graduate Diploma of Creative Arts (A659)

Research information

Students will undertake 6 credit points of research units consisting of research methods, theory and research-based project units where they will be required to undertake practice-led research, and traditional research in one of the creative arts disciplines incorporating a Creative Research Thesis and a Creative Practice Research project consisting of a major creative production (16,000-word equivalent) AND a critical exegesis (4,000-words).

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on your course, the type of fee place you hold, your commencement year, the units you choose and your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Use the Fee estimator to see course and unit fees applicable to your course and type of place. Further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods is available on our Current students fees website.

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline specific knowledge and capabilities	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, film and television and design.
Communication	Use specialist creative arts technologies and skills including writing, movement, film, image and voice to interpret and 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.
Digital literacy	Draw on, analyse and assess digital technologies to produce, document, present and publish in the creative arts
Critical thinking	Evaluate, interpret and synthesise complex ideas within creative arts drawing on discourse and practice.
Problem solving	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.
Self-management	Develop systematic and episodic reflective approaches to creative work practices.
Teamwork	Apply advanced interpersonal and communication skills to participate effectively in the critical culture of production, completion and presentation of creative arts projects.
Global citizenship	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 by Faculty Board November 2018

Course rules

To qualify for the Master of Creative Arts, a student must successfully complete 16 credit points of study comprising:

8 credit points of course work units (ACA701 (2cp), ACA702 (2cp), ACA710, ACA711, ACA712, ACA715)
4 credit points of research units ACA703(2cp), ACA704(2cp)
A further 4 credit points of electives chosen from Master of Creative Arts, Master of Communication or the Master of Arts (Writing and Literature)
Other units that may be counted as electives are: ECP711 Arts and early childhood, MMK792 Arts Marketing, MMM790 Arts Management
AAI018 Academic Integrity (0-credit-point compulsory unit)