Bachelor of Media Arts
Innovate the role of creative media technologies.
Domestic
International
The Bachelor of Media Arts is a ground-breaking degree designed to meet industry demand for creative practitioners and content developers who possess multiple skills and a breadth of knowledge in creative media.
Faculty
Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture
Delivery Mode
Face-to-face (includes blended)
Award
Bachelor of Media Arts
Commencing Terms
Term 1, Term 2, Term 3
Duration (Full Time)
3 Year(s)
- Overview
- Entry requirements
- What will I study?
- Future careers
- Double degrees
- How to apply
- Fees & Scholarships
Overview
The Bachelor of Media Arts degree is innovative, industry-aligned and will provide you with strong foundations in contemporary creative media production, including animation, visual effects, moving image, sound and 3D visualisation.
Working in a studio-based learning environment, you’ll gain hands-on skills complemented by theoretical studies that encourage critical thinking, contextual awareness and innovation.
You’ll be taught by accomplished, industry-active media artists, producers and theorists and have connections with Australia’s leading research labs in creative robotics, interactive and immersive cinema and 3D Visualisation.
Key features
Future-focused skills
You'll utilise world-class facilities, workshops and equipment to make and exhibit your media artworks throughout your degree. With five disciplinary areas, you’ll gain specialised skills through practical projects and studio experience. You’ll learn to think critically about current and developing technologies, so you’re equipped to adapt to future industry changes. Professional Practice and Professional Experience Project courses will give you insights into future career paths and opportunities to apply your skills in industry through work experience.
Define your practice
Immersed in an innovative, supportive and collaborative learning environment, you’ll create your projects in workshops, labs and studios that are among the world’s best equipped. You’ll be encouraged to defend your ideas and develop new ways of using creative technologies in classes that simulate real-world media practice in industry.
Creative campus community
Benefit from a campus community of artists, designers, media practitioners and curators that will influence and expand your practice and network. You’ll be part of a community that is critically engaged with today’s challenges and debates and passionate about innovating solutions.
Why study this degree at UNSW?
- Adobe Creative Cloud subscription included from the day you start your degree for the duration of your studies
- Be supported by our diverse, open and inclusive Arts, Design & Architecture community.
- Learn through research-informed teaching
- Prioritise career success – UNSW won the Australian Financial Review’s Most Employable Students Award in 2020
- Join our School of Art & Design creative community with a dedicated campus and cutting-edge facilities
- Apply your creative skills in our on-campus galleries, student publications and events
- Benefit from strong industry links and partnerships
- Access world-class alumni connections
- Join a global top 50 university (QS World University Rankings, 2020)
- Join a community that’s part of the prestigious Group of Eight (Go8) universities
Program Code
4813
CRICOS Code
097694G
Campus
Paddington
UAC Code
421200
Total Units of Credit (UOC)
144
Indicative Enrolments
114
Want to see more from UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture?
Entry requirements
2021 Lowest Selection Rank
2021 A Levels
13
2021 IB Diploma
2021 Lowest ATAR
66.3*
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- The 2021 Lowest Selection Rank (LSR) is the adjusted rank (ATAR plus adjustment factors) you would have needed to gain entry to this degree in 2021.
- The 2021 A levels score is based on four Advanced Level (A2) subject. Entry scores are calculated from the best three or four A2 subjects (excluding repeated subjects) using the following values: A*=6, A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, E=1. At most one Applied A Level subject may be included in the best four subjects used to calculate the aggregate.
- The 2021 IB Diploma is an indication of the IB you would have needed to gain entry to this degree in 2021. It is to be used as a guide only.
- The 2021 Lowest ATAR is the lowest ATAR (before adjustment factors were applied) to which an offer was made. Where <5 is listed, this indicates that less than 5 ATAR-based offers were made and so the score has not been published. N/A indicates no offers were made on the basis of ATAR.
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At UNSW, we are committed to ensuring prospective students have all the information they need in order to make informed decisions about their study options.
To assist you in gaining a better understanding of how Admissions works at UNSW, we have provided you with a summary of ATAR offers and the student profile.
We hope this information will help you identify the degree that is right for you.
Assumed knowledge
Adjustment Factors
We offer a range of adjustment factor schemes that reward students for academic performance and extra-curricular achievements. These schemes also take into account a range of personal and educational disadvantages that may have affected your studies.
HSC Plus
This scheme rewards students who perform well in Year 12 subjects that are relevant to their preferred UNSW degree. You may be awarded up to five points.
Elite Athletes, Performers and Leaders (EAPL)
This program recognises achievements in the areas of sport, academia, leadership and music at an elite level. You may be eligible for up to five points.
Educational Access Scheme (EAS)
Factors such as illness, financial hardship, language difficulties or attending a particular school can mean you don't always get the best possible marks in Years 11 and 12. If one of these situations applies to you, submit an application for the Educational Access Scheme (EAS) via UAC. Eligible students can receive between 1 and 10 points towards their chosen UNSW degree.
Admission pathways
Your ATAR is not the only measure of your potential to succeed, which is why we offer a range of pathways into university. Explore your options below and get in touch with our future student advisors to discuss your path to UNSW.
Gateway Admission Pathway
This scheme is open to students in Years 11 and 12 who attend Gateway schools. It significantly adjusts the ATAR requirements for your preferred UNSW degree and provides you with an early conditional offer to UNSW.
Entry programs for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
We offer entry programs for Indigenous Australians, including the Indigenous Preparatory Programs and the Indigenous Admission Scheme (IAS). The entry pathway program you apply for will depend on the degree you want to study.
Portfolio Entry
At UNSW School of Art & Design we look for creative talent. As such, some students are admitted solely on their ATAR, or equivalent, and some are identified by demonstrating their creative potential by preparing and submitting a portfolio of art, design, media or written work. Submitting a portfolio can boost your chances of admission to Australia’s leading school of art and design. For more information and to see specific guidelines and deadlines visit Art & Design's Portfolio Entry page.
UNSW also offers a number of other alternative entry schemes to support you in boosting your admission opportunities. Explore your alternative entry options.
English language requirements
You may be asked to provide evidence of your English proficiency to study at UNSW depending on your educational background and citizenship. English language skills are vitally important for coping with lectures, tutorials, assignments and examinations - this is why UNSW requires a minimum English language competency for enrolment.
If you’re completing an Australian Year 12 qualification (e.g. NSW HSC or equivalent), you do not need to provide anything extra to prove your proficiency. Your qualification will be used as evidence of your English proficiency.
If you do need to provide evidence of your English proficiency, this will be indicated in your application. You can prove this by providing evidence that you meet one or more of the following criteria:
- English language tests and university English courses
- Prior study in the medium of English
- Other qualifications
UNSW Global offers courses and programs designed to help you reach the English language level required for entry into your chosen degree. Different options are available depending on your current English language level. Learn more.
International direct entry
We do not accept secondary qualifications from this country. We may accept tertiary study results, please contact us for more information.
Please contact us for direct entry requirements.
Admission pathways
UNSW Global has university pathway programs that provide seamless transition to UNSW Sydney so you can achieve your academic and career goals. Learn more.
English language requirements
You may be asked to provide evidence of your English proficiency to study at UNSW depending on your educational background and citizenship. English language skills are vitally important for coping with lectures, tutorials, assignments and examinations - this is why UNSW requires a minimum English language competency for enrolment.
If English is not your first language, you’ll need to provide proof of your English proficiency before you can be given an offer to study at UNSW. You can do this by providing evidence that you meet one or more of the following criteria:
- English language tests and university English courses
- Prior study in the medium of English
- Other qualifications
UNSW Global offers courses and programs designed to help you reach the English language level required for entry into your chosen degree. Different options are available depending on your current English language level. Learn more.
Check the specific English language requirements for this program
Program structure
The Bachelor of Media Arts is three years full-time and consists of 24 courses. You’ll explore a variety of creative approaches and incrementally develop your creative skills and knowledge in media arts through:
- 4 Core studio courses
- 6 Disciplinary studio courses
- 1 Professional Practice course
- 5 Theory courses (can include a Professional Experience Project)
- 6 Free electives
- 2 General education courses
Full program structure
Each university year at UNSW has three terms and an optional summer study period.
Some courses need to be studied in your first and second year, so you’re prepared for courses that can only be studied in later years. You can study full-time or part-time. Depending on how you plan your study load, you can fit two or three courses into a term and one course in a summer term.
Throughout the Bachelor of Media Arts, you’ll utilise world-class facilities, workshops and equipment to make and exhibit your media artworks. The degree includes the following types of courses:
Core studio
In first year, the two core studios establish foundational skills that you’ll build on and apply throughout your degree. In third year, core studios allow you to undertake a substantial self-directed creative work.
Disciplinary studio
In first year, choose from a range of introductory courses to expand your skills and knowledge. In second year, select at least two areas in which to deepen your practice.
The degree features five disciplinary areas, from which you'll choose at least two.
- Animation
In the animation studio, you'll develop skills and knowledge in contemporary animation practice. By exploring a range of traditional and 3D animation processes, techniques, and concepts, you'll acquire skills and understandings applicable in a wide variety of media arts practices. - Visual Effects
In the visual effects studio, you'll explore the contemporary potentials of compositing. Combine live action and CG elements to create engaging composites and sequences, exploring new possibilities for media arts practice in a critically-engaged studio context. - Sound
In the sound studio, you'll create media artworks utilising sound-based techniques and processes. Working in studio and acoustic environments, you'll develop skills and knowledge to help you create sound-based media art projects for the gallery, as well as virtual and public spaces. - Moving Image
In the moving image studio, you'll explore contemporary approaches to video art, short film, audio-visual composition and installation. You'll develop understandings and skills in various creative contexts for moving image practice including gallery, screen, virtual and public spaces. - 3D Visualisation
In the 3D visualisation studio, you'll delve into the computer-generated world and explore various methods used to generate virtual environments. Through live, hands-on experiences, you'll use key technologies such as virtual reality systems to develop a suite of design practices and skills that will enable you to contribute to a growing digital industry.
History and theory
Throughout the degree, you'll critically engage with the histories and theories informing media arts practice. You'll develop analytical, communication and research skills that will help you understand and challenge the ideas shaping the future of media, art and culture.
Professional practice and experience
We offer one of the country’s longest running professional experience programs for university students. You'll gain real-world creative media experience through professional placements with our extensive network of industry partners.
Free electives and general education
Add to your repertoire of skills and knowledge through elective courses in a wide range of areas in art, design, media, and theory, as well as courses from across the university. General education courses enable you to broaden your educational experience. You can choose from any general education course from across the university in areas that align to your interests.
Below is an example of what you could study in a standard three-year, full-time study plan:
First year
- 2 Core studio courses
- 2 Disciplinary studio courses
- 2 Theory courses
- 2 Free electives
Second year
- 4 Disciplinary studio courses
- 1 Theory course
- 2 Free electives
- 1 General education course
Third year
- 2 Core studio courses
- 1 Professional Practice course
- 1 Theory course
- 1 Theory course or a Professional Experience Project
- 2 Free electives
- 1 General education course
Honours
Media Arts (Honours) is a one-year program intended for high achieving students who have completed an undergraduate degree in media arts (or similar area), either from UNSW Sydney or another university. The degree allows you to extend your media arts practice by developing a significant practice-led research project in a rigorous and supportive community of practice.
Future careers
UNSW’s Bachelor of Media Arts prepares students to be dynamic and successful creative media practitioners. Our graduates are highly sought after in the digital media, communications, film and entertainment industries nationally and internationally.
Potential careers
Career Opportunities
- Animator and 3D artist
- Digital publishing and communications specialist
- Art and advertising director
- Film and television producer
- Visual effects and post-production designer
- Media strategist
- Sound designer
Double degrees
UNSW offers a comprehensive suite of career-enhancing double degree options. The Bachelor of Media Arts can be combined in the following double degrees:
How to apply
Applications for undergraduate study from domestic students (Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents, Australian permanent humanitarian visa holders and New Zealand citizens) are processed by the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC).
Visit the Apply section of the UAC website and you can nominate up to five degrees in order of preference, with the first being your most desired degree and university.
On-time applications for admission usually close at the end of September each year for Term 1 admission. Late applications can be submitted, but a late fee will apply. For study starting in Term 1, the majority of offers are made in December and January. Visit the UAC website for key dates for admission outside of Term 1.
Ready to apply?
For most international students, applications are submitted via our Apply Online service. We encourage you to submit your completed application as early as possible to ensure it will be processed in time for your preferred term.
Some high-demand programs with limited places, may have an earlier application deadline or may have an earlier commencement date. For more information visit our international applicant information page.
*If you are an international student studying an Australian qualification, go to the Universities Admission Centre (UAC) for application and UAC key dates. Note: If you are under 18 years of age, you need to make special arrangements. Read more.
Ready to apply?
Fees & Scholarships
2022 Indicative First Year Full Fee
$8,185*
Commonwealth Supported Place: Student Contribution Band 2
*The student contribution for a Commonwealth Supported Place is an indication only of the amount payable in Year 1 based on a standard full-time load of 48 credit points (1.0 EFTSL). The actual student contribution you will be liable for depends on your individual program of study and the calendar year in which you enrol. Actual fees are calculated upon enrolment. Student contribution amounts are subject to annual review by the university and may increase each year during your studies (subject to caps determined by the Australian Government), effective at the start of each calendar year.
The indicative fees listed here are based on an estimated average and are for tuition only - other fees and charges are not included.
2022 Indicative First Year Fee
$38,525*
2022 Indicative Fee to Complete Degree
$119,195*
*Fees are subject to annual review by the University and may increase annually, with the new fees effective from the start of each calendar year. The indicative fees listed here are based on an estimated average and are for tuition only other fees and charges are not included. The amount you pay will vary depending on the calendar year to enrol, the courses you select and whether your study load is more or less than 1 Equivalent Full Time Student Load (8 courses per year).
Indicative fees are a guide for comparison only based on current conditions and available data. You should not rely on indicative fees. More information on fees can be found at the UNSW fees website.
Indicative fees to complete the program have been calculated based on a percentage increase for every year of the program. Fee increases are assessed annually and may exceed the indicative figures listed below.
Indicative fees to complete the program include tuition plus an estimate of study-related costs of approximately $1,000 per year. To find out more about other costs, visit UNSW International.
Scholarships
At UNSW, we award over $83 million in scholarships each year. We pride ourselves on rewarding excellence and making university accessible to students from all walks of life. Whether you’re a domestic or international student, our range of scholarships, prizes and awards can support your journey.
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Top 50WorldwideQS World University Rankings, 2022.
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MostEmployable GraduatesAFR Top 100 Future leaders Award.
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LeadingInnovation#1 Australian uni attended by start-up founders.
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