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This combined degree offers you a unique opportunity to gain the creative and business skills necessary to prosper in the contemporary innovation landscape.
Study options
FULL TIME
4 years
PART TIME
8 years
Start times
Autumn
March
(2024)
Spring
July
(2024)
Available campuses
APPLY NOW FOR 2024
At Western, we care how you do in all aspects of your life. We believe your future is unlimited and together the possibilities are endless.
As the uni named number one in the world two years in a row – 2022 and 2023 for our social, economic and environmental impact in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, apply today to discover your unlimited potential and start at Western in 2024.
Design and Creative Industries at Western
Underpinned by a foundation of graphic design, the Bachelor of Design gives you fundamental skills and knowledge in the exciting and constantly changing area of visual communication.
The Creative Industries component combines a core of entrepreneurship with major studies including culture and society, creative writing, design, enterprise innovation, journalism, literature, media arts, music performance and photo media.
The program is designed for those who wish to pursue a creative practice while gaining the business and legal acumen to become a successful part of the creative economy on their own terms.
Professional accreditation
Our graduates are eligible for membership of the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) and the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA).
Program structure
The program structure is outlined in our handbook. Here you can view all of the subjects you will be studying.
The Advertising major gives students a thorough grounding in general principles of communication as well as practical skills in advertising. The external major can be completed by students enrolled in the Bachelor of Business.
The major offers a balance of advertising theory and practice and focuses on real, project-based outcomes. Areas of study include advertising strategy, advertising creative and art direction, client and account management, digital and social media contexts, advertising campaigns.
The Creative Writing major provides students the opportunity to produce their own creative writing and to edit and publish their work. Students study with professional authors, editors and publishers from the Writing and Society Research Centre and staff from the School of Humanities and Communication Arts.
In addition, students have the opportunity to study contemporary approaches to language and literary studies, including literary criticism and theory, linguistic analysis, genre and textual study, and to read and examine a wide selection of modern and classic literatures. Career prospects include publishing, editing, teaching, writing and advertising.
Cultural and Social Analysis is an interdisciplinary major developing knowledge, research skills and analytic capacities relevant to understanding and interpreting landscapes of cultural diversity and social difference in our contemporary world, both in terms of the broad contours, as well as specific micro-social environments. This major provides grounding in contemporary debates and methodologies in cultural studies and social theory, and draws on various disciplines including history, sociology, communications, and linguistics. Topics include popular culture, everyday urban life, cultural and social impacts of scientific theories and new technologies, multiculturalism, and contemporary spirituality. Study in this area is relevant for work involving commentary and analysis of contemporary social issues and cultural practices (e.g. journalism, teaching, activism) and fields concerned with designing, delivering and evaluating cultural and artistic productions, and education, communication, welfare or health services, in culturally diverse communities.
The English major invites students to explore contemporary approaches to language, literary study and writing, including literary criticism and theory, linguistic analysis, genre and textual study, and creative writing.
The English major focuses on the imaginative workings of language, and students can study a wide selection of modern and classic literature, as well as the relationships between written texts and other media such as film and information technology.
Students also have the opportunity to produce their own creative writing and to edit and publish their work. Career prospects include publishing, editing, teaching, writing and advertising.
The Enterprise Innovation major equips you with the expert skills to create a career as a management specialist. You will be prepared to succeed in a range of roles in contemporary private, public, and not-for-profit organisations in Australia and abroad.
In this major you will develop strategic management knowledge to enable effective organisational decision making. The units in this major focus on organisational learning and development and behaviour, operations management, leadership and entrepreneurship, change and innovation, and policy.
You can look forward to a range of careers in the broad and complex field of management.
The Journalism major combines an understanding of how the news media work with practical experience in broadcast, print and online journalism. Students develop journalism skills suitable for newspapers, magazines, internet, radio and TV, corporate and community media.
The Law and the Creative Industries major equips you with specialised legal skills and knowledge to support your career in the creative industries in Australia.
In this major you will develop tailored, strategic knowledge to enable you to effectively contribute to business decision making and to appreciate the legal and regulatory challenges within the context of creative and innovative enterprises.
The units in this major focus on the fundamentals of Australian law, critique and analysis of law, contracts, torts, alternative dispute resolution and media law, with the option to also incorporate studies in competition and consumer law, intellectual property and law within the employment context. The legal and regulatory focus of this major will provide you with specialised knowledge and skills designed to enhance your access to a range of careers within the creative industries sector. Students are advised that this specialisation does not qualify students for admission to legal practice in NSW. Students wishing to pursue a career in legal practice should apply for one of the relevant Bachelor of Laws courses. For further information, please contact the Academic Course Advisor for the Bachelor of Laws as noted below.
The major in Media Arts Production is designed to provide students with production skills, complete with practical hands-on experience together with a theoretical foundation in the moving, visual media. From 2017 this specialisation is available on Parramatta campus only.
The Music major provides students from outside the Music program with a comprehensive introduction to current practice in the fields of music, performance and sound production for sound design, composition and performance. Foundation level units examine the fundamentals of music performance, acoustics, stereo recording and mixing, MIDI systems and sequencing, sound synthesis, and composition utilising environmental sound. Technical concepts are contextualised within a survey of electroacoustic music and sonic arts practice. Students will also examine studio techniques, new performance technologies, and composition and design for screen media.
The Public Relations major covers the skills and knowledge required in the profession of public relations, including event management, issues and crisis management and campaign development.
The major focuses on the role of the public relations practitioner or adviser and provides a theoretical framework of the industry. Students engage with both theory and practical projects and complete an internship placement.
Fees and delivery
Fees: Varies depending on subjects selected. View available subjects in our handbook.
For further information on University fees, please visit Fees and University Costs.
Delivery: On campus
Fees: AUD $29,488*
Delivery: On campus
Start your unlimited journey today.
Your career
As a Design and Creative Industries graduate, you can look forward to career opportunities in:
- Writing
- Market research
- Photography
- Design
- Media Production
- Music Performance
Your career
Advertising Professional
Advertising Professionals develop and coordinate advertising strategies and campaigns, determine the market for new goods and services, and identify and develop market opportunities for new and existing goods and services.
Journalist
Journalists research and compile news stories, write and edit news reports, commentaries and feature stories for presentation in print and electronic media, and compose written material to advertise goods and services.
Media Producer
Media Producers plan, administer and review activities concerned with producing artistic media, determine artistic policies for performing arts organisations and prepare news, sports and other information for radio and television.
Photographer
Professional photographers are responsible for taking photographs of media specific to an organisation or on a freelance basis. Photographers have to edit photographs and manage copies or prints to meet deadlines.
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Facilities
Explore your potential in our $2 million, purpose-built media studio and industry-recognised television production unit at Parramatta South campus.
Industry partnerships
Semi Permanent is a global design platform that connects leading creators andthought-leaders, with brands and audiences - across live events, content and aspecial projects. Through this partnership, Western Sydney University students are able to access, learn from and be inspired by global leaders in the creativeand business worlds.
Apply now and start your unlimited journey.
*The tuition fees quoted above are the fees for the normal full-time study load of the program (80 credit points) per annum. International students will be subject to a variable fee regime; i.e. enrolled students will be required to pay fees during their program based on the approved fee for each calendar year. Fee changes (if any) will occur at 1 January each calendar year. Students who extend their program past the normal finish date of the program will be required to pay additional fees based on the prevailing fee level. Western Sydney University is a multi-campus institution. The University reserves the right to alter the location of its programs between campuses and other locations as necessary. Students should be aware of the possibility of change of location for the whole or part of programs for which they enrol and should plan for the need to travel between Western Sydney campuses.
** Lowest Selection Rank
