Bachelor of Design/Bachelor of Business
2027 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2027 course information |
|---|---|
| Award granted | Bachelor of Design / Bachelor of Business |
| Deakin course code | D3200 |
| Course credit points | 32 |
| Course version | 1 |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts and Education |
| Course information | For students who commenced from 2027 |
| Campus | Offered at Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online |
| Duration | 4 years full-time or part-time equivalent |
| Course map - enrolment planning tool | The course map for new 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 7 |
Course sub-headings
- Course overview
- Career opportunities
- Participation requirements
- Course learning outcomes
- Course rules
- Majors
- Course structure
- Work experience
- Fees and charges
Course overview
Turn creative thinking into a career solving complex challenges with a standout combination of design and business capabilities. Design begins with understanding people; business connects people to organisations, markets, and value creation. Together, they create solutions that are meaningful and commercially sound. You'll develop design expertise: engaging audiences through creative, distinctly human solutions no algorithm can replicate. Take a double major in Communication Design and Interactive and UX Design, or single major with minors such as public relations, digital media, advertising and photography.
Build business foundations in digital information, financial literacy, economics, management and marketing, specialising in marketing, entrepreneurship, human resources, business or project management. Graduate having practised turning design insights into compelling business ideas, and those ideas into stories that connect with the intended audience, moving full circle from insight to execution.
Career opportunities
The Bachelor of Design/Bachelor of Business can lead to a variety of careers including:
- Brand designer
- Business analyst
- Business entrepreneur
- Communication designer
- Digital communications manager
- Digital designer
- Human resources officer
- Interactive designer
- Marketing officer
- Project manager
- Social media designer
- Systems designer
- UI designer
- UX designer
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.
Course learning outcomes
| Course Learning Outcomes Bachelor of Design (A319) | Course Learning Outcomes Bachelor of Business ( M325) | |
|---|---|---|
| Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities | Apply theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the forms, functions, processes, languages and materials of communication design to meet client requirements in a rapidly changing industry setting. | Analyse and evaluate business opportunities and organisational challenges using business concepts and frameworks to inform sustainable value creation. |
| Communication | Articulate ideas using design-specific language, concepts, and media to initiate, resolve and generate professional outcomes in response to design briefs. | Influence business decisions and outcomes through ethical and professional judgement and communication by analysing problems and implementing business solutions. |
| Digital literacy | Identify, evaluate and navigate a complex and ever-changing range of digital tools in order to strategically achieve successful outcomes in dynamic industry environments. | Communicate business ideas, analyses, and recommendations clearly and professionally to diverse stakeholders, collaborate effectively in teams, and use feedback and reflection to improve business practice. |
| Critical thinking | Critically analyse and evaluate design methodologies, concepts, modes and media in order to generate ideas and resolve complex problems to achieve professional industry-based outcomes. | Critically evaluate business models, strategies, and practices to assess their economic, environmental, and social impacts, and advance recommendations that support sustainable outcomes. |
| Problem solving | Strategically evaluate design research methodologies to identify appropriate approaches to complex and ill-defined problems that generate and deliver diverse communication solutions. | Select and apply appropriate business technologies, demonstrating judgement of their relevance for the task and context. |
| Self-management | Critically reflect on professional performance and growth in order to prioritise needs and maintain professional accountability in communication design settings. | Apply business knowledge and cultural intelligence, with adaptability and reflective practice, to identify and address opportunities for shared prosperity across Indigenous, regional, and international contexts. |
| Teamwork | Lead, deliver and perform respectfully and inclusively within a collaborative and professional team, applying agile and responsive approaches in the delivery of industry standard outcomes. | |
| Global citizenship | Evaluate and apply design’s capacity to act as an agent of change that is responsive to the social, cultural and ethical needs of diverse communities in global contexts. |
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 Bachelor of Design/Bachelor of Business, you must pass 32 credit points. This includes:
- DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
- 16 credit points from the Bachelor of Design
- 1 credit point of core units
- 3 credit points of employability sequence units
- 1 Design major (8 credit points)
- 4 credit points of Arts and Education elective units at levels 2 or 3
- 16 credit points from the Bachelor of Business
- 7 credit points of core units
- 1 Business and Law Work integrated Learning Unit
- 1 Business major (8 credit points)
This double degree requires students to satisfy the course rules of both A319 Bachelor of Design and M370 Bachelor of Business through a 4 year integrated program of studies. A core first year requirement of M370 (MPB202 Professional Identity and Career Development), is satisfied by students undertaking the employability sequence core to A319.
Most units are equal to one credit point.
As a full-time student you will study four credit points per trimester/semester and usually undertake two trimesters/semesters per year.
You can also choose to study available units in the optional third trimester to fast-track your degree.
All students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.
Majors
A major or minor sequence is a group of units in a particular area of study taken over the three levels of your course. Each unit is usually worth 1 credit point.
A major sequence is made up of 8 credit points, and a minor sequence is made of 4 credit points.
Course structure
Bachelor of Design
Compulsory 0-credit point module
To be completed in the first trimester of study:
| DAI001 | Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin |
Units
| ADD101 | Design and Creative Thinking |
Employability sequence
1 credit point from:
| AWL200 | Leadership and Transformation |
| AWL201 | Communication and Persuasive Presentation |
| AWL202 | Entrepreneurial Mindset |
| AWL203 | Expand Your Experience |
Plus 1 credit point from:
| AWL300 | Internship |
| AWL301 | Enhance Your Experience |
| AWL302 | Your Professional Story |
Design Majors
Students must complete 1 of the following 8 credit point Design majors:
Bachelor of Business
Core units
| MAA104 | Financial Literacy |
| MAE120 | Economics for Business |
| MIS103 | Digital Information Management |
| MMK101 | Marketing Innovation |
| MMM132 | Managing People and Organisations |
| MPB200 | Shaping the Future of Business |
| MPB201 | Business Impact in Society |
Work Integrated Learning
Plus 1 credit point from:
| MWL305 | Business for Social Impact |
| MWL316 | Consultancy Experience |
| MWL318 | Internship |
| MWL319 | International Consultancy Experience |
Business Majors
Students Must complete 1 of the following 8 credit point Business majors:
AI and Business information Systems
Work experience
Work integrated learning is a core component of this degree. The Bachelor of Business offers Work Integrated Learning programs to enable students to enrich their studies with a range of international and domestic internships as well as volunteer experiences, while gaining credit towards their degree. Develop your professional work practices and networks while putting theoretical knowledge into practice.
To complete the Bachelor of Design/Bachelor of Business, students must attain a total of 32 credit points, consisting of 16 credit points from the Bachelor of Design and 16 credit points from the Bachelor of Business. Students enrolled at the Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus will be required to undertake some units of study at the Geelong Waterfront Campus.
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.