Overview 2021
This course may not be available to international students. Please see the International Online Course Guide (PDF 809KB) for courses that are offered to international students
The Bachelor of Visual Communication degree prepares students to enter the communication design industry.
Students are introduced to a wide range of design approaches and processes, including theoretical and historical design contexts.
Students gain the technical, conceptual and research skills necessary to produce innovative and effective visual communications for print, digital, multi-media, film, video, television and user interfaces.
Course objectives
The Bachelor of Visual Communication will equip you with the necessary technical, conceptual and research skills to produce innovative and effective visual communications for an identified audience. You will focus on the design of communication and on developing communication strategies to solve particular communication problems. The BVC provides a pathway to enter all aspects of the communication design industry including advertising, graphic design, multimedia, publishing, film, theatre, music, video and television industries.
The program develops general abilities in the following areas:
- Developing effective Communication strategies
- Technical and conceptual problem solving skills
- Presentation skills both visual and verbal
- An appreciation for the historical and societal context of design
- An awareness of the ethical and responsible practice of design and the impact of design on society
- Research skills
Career outcomes
Career opportunities are available to graduates with a Bachelor of Visual Communication in the diverse communication design profession and industry including: multimedia, graphic design, visual communication, electronic transmission, image generation, art direction, interactive media, publishing, print based media, advertising design, marketing, exhibition and environmental graphics, illustration and electronic imaging, corporate design and mass communication, design management interpretation design, theatre design and event design.
Course structure
In the Bachelor of Visual Communication, you enrol in 2 majors, a minor, 2 breadth units and 2 student electives. The Support Studies major is the compulsory major for all students, with a choice of second major and minor, breadth units and student electives
This degree consists of a total of 24 units comprising:
- A reversed major of 8 units: 4 introductory, 2 intermediate, and 2 advanced units
- A (standard) major of 8 units: 2 introductory, 2 intermediate, and 4 advanced units
- A minor of 4 units: 2 introductory, and 2 intermediate units
- Two breadth units: 1 Introductory, and 1 introductory/intermediate/advanced level unit (see the available Breadth Units).
- Two student elective units: units which may be chosen from this or any other subject area within the University, provided they meet the unit level requirements for the degree (see next point below), unit pre-requisites and quotas.
- Unit level requirements for the degree are:
- between 8-10 units at introductory level,
- 6-10 units at intermediate level, and
- 6-10 units at advanced level.
Schedule of units for students who commenced BVC in 2015-2016
Year 1
Core units:
You will be given an introduction to digital layout software tools and processes used by designers forlaying out documents for publication. Common commercial software tools such as Adobe Illustratorand Adobe InDesign are introduced through this unit, but the emphasis of…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This studio introduces the multi-disciplinary practice of Visual Communication.Emphasis is placed on the development and acquisition of a repertoire of visual skills, and approaches. Students are encouraged to explore different mediums and methods while integrating theoretical knowledge through research. Projects…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
The moving image is the dominant form of communication in the world today, online and through television and cinema. Time Based Media 1 will introduce you to the history and contemporary practice of how artists engage with different time-based media,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for FST101 Introduction to Art and Design Theory 1A
…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for FST102 Introduction to Art and Design Theory 1B
This practical unit introduces you to key knowledge and concepts used in contemporary drawing practice. You will undertake a suite of exploratory exercises that will develop your practical knowledge of drawing, observation, composition, the visual elements (line, tone, shape, volume,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
The 21st century is presenting a revolution in making that is characterised by a departure from the heavy infrastructure of mass production to the bespoke digital design and manufacture of objects. CNC Routers, 3D printers, Laser cutters are revolutionising this…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for FSF102 Introduction to Digital 3D Fabrication
3D Design 1 focuses on developing students' creative, analytical, and technical skills, enabling them to investigate and produce effective design solutions for a range of directed design problems. Directed by staff and technicians, in the context of a studio/workshop/tutorial curriculum,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Photography 1 will introduce you to the medium of photography. Directed by staff and technicians, in the context of a studio/workshop/tutorial curriculum, you will be introduced to traditional techniques, new technologies and approaches to contemporary practice. Study of this unit…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
Launceston | Semester 1 |
Painting is a vital and exciting medium that continues to fascinate contemporary artists and audiences. By undertaking this unit, you will gain an understanding of painting and its place within contemporary visual culture, exploring contemporary forms of painting as well…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
Launceston | Semester 2 |
Students are introduced to the techniques of printmaking as a process of enquiry and creation. You will be introduced to the technical and material possibilities of the print medium and you will learn how to use the studio as both…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Sculpture 1 aims to encourage and develop your capacity to research and investigate practical and conceptual approaches to making art, with a view to developing your personal creative ability. Guided by staff and technicians, in the context of a studio/workshop/tutorial…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
The purpose of this unit is to equip you with functional skills in using a camera as a tool for capturing moving and still imagery and to prepare that imagery for other purposes that will be required in your studies.…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for FSX101 Introduction to Digital Image: Capture and Editing
Year 2&3
Studio Major and linked Studio Minor
Choose one of the following:-
75pt Electronic Media Major + 25pt Visual Communication Minor + 2 Student Electives
75pts Electronic Media Major
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
In consultation with staff, you will produce your graduating project, in a form of electronic media in which you have developed some expertise. The outcome will be a resolved work to be installed for the third year Graduate Show. Students…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
25pt Visual Communication Minor
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
75pt Visual Communication Major + 25pt Electronic Media Minor + 2 Student Electives
75pt Visual Communication Major
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Study of this unit will develop your critical, analytical, creative and technical skills, enabling you to produce design solutions at an advanced level. The emphasis for this unit is on research, conceptual development and professional practice. You will continue to…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit will develop your critical, analytical, creative, practical and technical skills, enabling you to produce effective design solutions to a high level of professionalism. You will undertake a major research project, which was introduced in semester 1. Emphasis of…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
Electronic Media minor
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
87.5pt Electronic Media Major + 25pt Visual Communication Minor + 1 Student Elective
87.5pt Electronic Media Major
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
In consultation with staff, you will produce your graduating project, in a form of electronic media in which you have developed some expertise. The outcome will be a resolved work to be installed for the third year Graduate Show. Students…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
25pt Visual Communication Minor
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
87.5pt Visual Communication Major + 25pt Electronic Media Minor + 1 Student Elective
87.5pt Visual Communication major
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Study of this unit will develop your critical, analytical, creative and technical skills, enabling you to produce design solutions at an advanced level. The emphasis for this unit is on research, conceptual development and professional practice. You will continue to…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit will develop your critical, analytical, creative, practical and technical skills, enabling you to produce effective design solutions to a high level of professionalism. You will undertake a major research project, which was introduced in semester 1. Emphasis of…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
Electronic Media minor
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
100pt Electronic Media Major + 25pt Visual Communication Minor only
100pt Electronic Media Major
x…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
In consultation with staff, you will produce your graduating project, in a form of electronic media in which you have developed some expertise. The outcome will be a resolved work to be installed for the third year Graduate Show. Students…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
25pt Visual Communication Minor
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
100pt Visual Communication Major + 25pt Electronic Media Minor only
100pt Visual Communication Major
x…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
Study of this unit will develop your critical, analytical, creative and technical skills, enabling you to produce design solutions at an advanced level. The emphasis for this unit is on research, conceptual development and professional practice. You will continue to…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit will develop your critical, analytical, creative, practical and technical skills, enabling you to produce effective design solutions to a high level of professionalism. You will undertake a major research project, which was introduced in semester 1. Emphasis of…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
Electronic Media minor
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
BVC Support Studies reverse major
BVC Support Studies
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for FST213 Contemporary Art of the Asia-Pacific Region
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for FST215 Experimental Art and New Technology
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for FST218 The Art of the Twentieth Century Avant Gardes
This unit offers an in depth investigation of word-based communication and its relationship to language. It embraces both traditional craft issues and new technologies towards the practical application of typography across a range of print-based platforms. The unit engages with…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit will introduce you to the professional environment for practitioners in the fields of art and design. Your learning will be centred on: hatching and developing ideas for projects for life after art school; developing and maintaining a professional…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Student Electives
Breadth Units
Introductory Breadth
Contemporary media is saturated with images of extreme weather events, hunger,poverty, conflict, pollution, austerity, and financial crisis. Mounting evidence suggeststhe 21st century will be defined by unprecedented challenges related to environmentalinstability, economic inequality and risks to social well-being on a…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Do you want to make a difference to something in the world you care about? Would you like some time and space to consider, develop and test your approaches in a safe environment, supported by experts in the field? Following…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Semester 2 |
View all details for XBR102 Developing your Creative and Entrepreneurial Potential
The challenge of ensuring adequate and sustainable food production and equitable access to food for a diverse human population in the 21st century is crucial and profoundly complex. This unit helps you contribute to meeting this challenge. The interdisciplinary skills…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Become better prepared to deal with the variety of culturally challenging situations you will encounter in whichever part of the world you live and work. Develop an appreciation of the personal and professional benefits which come from being more culturally…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR104 Living and Working with Cultural Diversity
This unit aims to teach the fundamentals of good reasoning. You will learn how to construct, analyse, and critically evaluate arguments; how to identify and avoid common errors in reasoning; how to think logically and well; and how to communicate…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR105 Good Thinking: Reasoning Skills for Life
Do you consider yourself an ethical individual? Do you think you understand what is meant by social responsibility? We all know that ethical and value-driven leaders are required in society and what this unit will do is challenge your current…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR106 Ethics and Social Responsibility
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR107 Asia and Australia: Bound by Sea
Who owns art: the artist, the purchaser or the culture that it represents? How does art reflect our cultural identity? Why is art a priority victim of war, invasion and the black market. Through different disciplinary lenses including history, art…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR108 The Dark Arts: Culture, Crime and Corruption
Ever thought of yourself as one in a million?Universities Australia notes that in 2017 Australia has more than one million students enrolled in Universities across the country. That is more than one million potential graduates entering the workforce over the…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Intensive Session Jan B | ||||
Hobart | Intensive Session Jun |
View all details for XBR110 Discover your potential: Leadership, Service and Employability
In the modern world we must often makedecisions under uncertainty, weighing up ouroptions in the face of incomplete (and oftenconflicting) information. In this unit we examinethe problems of evaluating evidence, formingbeliefs, and making decisions based on thosebeliefs. We do this…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR111 Big Decisions! Rational belief and action in an uncertain world
Earth is a lively and dynamic planet that is undergoing rapid changes wrought by the activities of humans. In what ways are these changes impacting on us and other species? Are we precipitating another mass extinction; the 6th major mass…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Semester 2 |
This unit uses the theoretical concept of ‘Lifeworlds’ to frame an exploration of the lifeworlds of Indigenous peoples globally: across cultural, social being and doing of Indigenous peoples at the local (palawa/pakana) Tasmania, national (Noongar) Western Australia and international (Navajo…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR113 Indigenous Lifeworlds: Local to the Global
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This is an introductory unit for students with little or no prior knowledge of Japanese. This unit has an emphasis on the interactive use of the Japanese language. It develops competence in basic spoken and written Japanese. The unit also…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This is an introductory unit for students with no prior knowledge of Indonesian. This unit will provide students with the skills to communicate and interact with Indonesian people on a range of topics, to find their way around in Indonesia,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit will explore the interlinked scientific, technical, environmental, economic, social and political factors that have shaped society's energy usage and which will impact on future energy policy and decision making.Energy science, technology, usage and energy policy affect almost all…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Semester 2 |
X.…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This is an introductory unit for students with little or no prior knowledge of Chinese. This introductory unit is for anyone who is interested in the Chinese language and/or has the need to learn Chinese for business or academic purposes.…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Pulling together the disciplines of sociology, law and complementary medicine this unit is designed for students who want to develop their knowledge in order to understand, debate and critically analyse the use and place of complementary medicines in the modern…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR120 Complementary Medicines in Contemporary Society
The swiftly rising prevalence of dementia is one of the most significant health, social and economic issues facing the world. The global challenge of dementia will require innovative solutions to improve the lives of people with dementia and their carers.…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR121 The Global Challenge of Understanding Dementia
Sports doping is a truly international problem and has a significant impact on todays society; from cheating, to the politics and ethics of sophisticated doping programs, the enormous bureaucracy and cost of monitoring and prosecuting, along with the impact on…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR122 Sport Doping, Performance Enhancing Drugs and their Detection
Intermediate Breadth
This unit gives students the opportunity to build skills essential to crafting and communicating effective arguments. Every academic discipline values the ability to articulate a clear argument and to support it with logical reasons and persuasive evidence. Achieving the learning…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR201 The Art of Persuasion: How to Build and Communicate Effective Arguments
This second-year unit Working with Communities will give students in a range of conceptual and practical tools to understand the complex idea of community and skills to work effectively with diverse communities in their professional practice. The focus is on…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit introduces students to Big History, with a special focus on Tasmania. Big History is anevolving interdisciplinary field that investigates human history within the historical time scales ofgeological and biological history. It does so to understand how powerful forces…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
We live in a world of sciences. From the pure physics of string theory to the applied sociology of interventions, from the study of nanoparticles to broadband strategies. Science, in its various forms, plays an important role in how we…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Launceston | Semester 2 |
This unit provides an introduction to the emerging field of ‘forensic studies’. While forensic science usually refers to technical and vocational expertise, forensic studies explores the ‘forensic sciences’ as a social phenomenon. Forensic science has captured the public imagination in…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
In this breadth unit you will investigate how to enhance resilience in the face of an emergency. Breadth units are units that must address ‘wicked problems’. A wicked problem is a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR206 Resilience in the Face of Emergencies
Human Rights are fundamental human rights that are inherent in every individual on the basis of humanity. They are underpinned by concepts of human dignity and the essential equality of all people. This breadth unit takes an inter-disciplinary perspective to…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
In the post-truth world, we need to look at data of all types with fresh eyes, to be able to discern patternsand what they might evidence. Participants learn how interpretations can be biased by existingparadigms, and by cultural context. Diverse…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit draws on popular culture texts from the humanities – such as anime and film – and discusses these in terms of issues related to health science and ethics. The aim is to encourage students to think about what…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR210 Beyond Human - Exploring Science and the Humanities
Tasmania has a growing reputation as a gourmet paradise, with high quality primary products and a growing fermented food and drink industry. In this unit, students will learn about the full production life cycle for fermented food and drink, from…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR211 From bugs to bucks: The business of fermented food and drink
This unit introduces students to the world of social research. It answers questions about how to produce knowledge through empirical research, and discusses the methods used to solve practical problems. The unit covers a wide range of social research methodologies and approaches,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR212 Interdisciplinary Social Research
Advanced Breadth
This unit will provide you with the intellectual resources to reach your own informed judgments about when it would be morally right for your nation to resort to the use of armed force and what legal limits the use of…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR301 War! The Moral and Legal Limits of Political Violence
The fast-paced development of new digital technologies provides powerful resources for addressing today's social and environmental challenges. Combining the perspectives of business entrepreneurship, regional science and information systems, this breadth unit will uncover the potential of digitally connected social entrepreneurship…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR302 Social Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age
One Ocean examines all aspects of the ocean to emphasise its interconnectedness, physically, biologically, climatically, culturally and economically for humanity. This unit describes the Earth’s ocean as an entity; the roles that it plays in life on Earth and the…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Human Rights are fundamental rights that are inherent in every individual on the basis of humanity. They are underpinned by concepts of human dignity and the essential equality of all people. This unit takes an interdisciplinary perspective to the development,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Schedule of units for students commencing BVC in 2017
Year 1
You will be given an introduction to digital layout software tools and processes used by designers forlaying out documents for publication. Common commercial software tools such as Adobe Illustratorand Adobe InDesign are introduced through this unit, but the emphasis of…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This studio introduces the multi-disciplinary practice of Visual Communication.Emphasis is placed on the development and acquisition of a repertoire of visual skills, and approaches. Students are encouraged to explore different mediums and methods while integrating theoretical knowledge through research. Projects…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
The moving image is the dominant form of communication in the world today, online and through television and cinema. Time Based Media 1 will introduce you to the history and contemporary practice of how artists engage with different time-based media,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
The purpose of this unit is to equip you with functional skills in using a camera as a tool for capturing moving and still imagery and to prepare that imagery for other purposes that will be required in your studies.…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for FSX101 Introduction to Digital Image: Capture and Editing
The purpose of this unit is to introduce you to art making as an integrated process of material exploration and critical thinking; you will learn how making and thinking go together in effective artistic communication. You will also develop the…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
The unit will introduce methods used to describe, analyse and evaluate art and reflect on the discussions and debates that surround it in historical and contemporary terms. You will engage in reading, writing and making tasks which connect the field…
Credit Points: 25
This unit is currently unavailable.
Year 2&3
Supported Studies reverse major
BVC Supported Studies
Exhibitions are not only a way to present creative works. They are also a way to make meaning, generate ideas and communicate with an audience. This unit will present key contemporary, historical, philosophical and cultural debates and guide you through…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
Launceston | Semester 1 |
View all details for FSA221 Critical Practices in Art: Exhibitions
This unit explores the interaction between art and writing. More than writing about art or the inclusion of text in art works, this unit encourages you to think about writing as both a mode of creative expression as well as…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
Launceston | Semester 2 |
View all details for FSA222 Critical Practices in Art: Writing
This unit offers an in depth investigation of word-based communication and its relationship to language. It embraces both traditional craft issues and new technologies towards the practical application of typography across a range of print-based platforms. The unit engages with…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit will introduce you to the professional environment for practitioners in the fields of art and design. Your learning will be centred on: hatching and developing ideas for projects for life after art school; developing and maintaining a professional…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Studio Major and linked Minor
75pt Time Based Media Major
Year 2 - core intermediate units
Building upon the foundation of Time Based Media 1 the specific aspects of practice and process in Sound and Documentary will be explored in greater depth.You will explore Sound as a medium and a material, through a series of in-class…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Building upon the foundation of FSE111, the specific aspects of practice and process in Animation and Media Installation will be explored in greater depth. Animation is one of the most intriguing and captivating forms of contemporary art, bringing objects and…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Year 3 - core advanced units
You will be coached in the generation of ideas for art and design projects through speculative play and experimentation.You will develop an independent Project Proposal through iterations of research, making and reflection. You will develop your creative research practice and…
Credit Points: 25
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
Launceston | Semester 1 |
In this unit you will develop and apply a contextual narrative for a body of resolved work suitable for public exhibition and display. You will engage in the processes and strategies of refinement, which can include iteration, material manipulation, reflection…
Credit Points: 25
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
Launceston | Semester 2 |
25pt Visual Communication Minor
Year 2 - core intermediate units
The emphasis for this studio is on conceptual development and experimentation; through thinking and making. The unit focuses on the landscape and languages of Visual Communication and its diverse applications, through a range of media, processes, design applications and typography.Studio…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This studio will further extend your critical, analytical, creative, practical and technical skills, enabling you to produce innovative design concepts. You are encouraged to explore different mediums and methods while integrating theoretical knowledge through research. Study of this unit involves…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
75pt Visual Communications Major
Year 2 - core intermediate units
The emphasis for this studio is on conceptual development and experimentation; through thinking and making. The unit focuses on the landscape and languages of Visual Communication and its diverse applications, through a range of media, processes, design applications and typography.Studio…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This studio will further extend your critical, analytical, creative, practical and technical skills, enabling you to produce innovative design concepts. You are encouraged to explore different mediums and methods while integrating theoretical knowledge through research. Study of this unit involves…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Year 3 - core advanced units
You will be coached in the generation of ideas for art and design projects through speculative play and experimentation.You will develop an independent Project Proposal through iterations of research, making and reflection. You will develop your creative research practice and…
Credit Points: 25
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Semester 1 | ||||
Launceston | Semester 1 |
In this unit you will develop and apply a contextual narrative for a body of resolved work suitable for public exhibition and display. You will engage in the processes and strategies of refinement, which can include iteration, material manipulation, reflection…
Credit Points: 25
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Semester 2 | ||||
Launceston | Semester 2 |
25pt Time Based Media Minor
Year 2 - core intermediate units
Building upon the foundation of Time Based Media 1 the specific aspects of practice and process in Sound and Documentary will be explored in greater depth.You will explore Sound as a medium and a material, through a series of in-class…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Building upon the foundation of FSE111, the specific aspects of practice and process in Animation and Media Installation will be explored in greater depth. Animation is one of the most intriguing and captivating forms of contemporary art, bringing objects and…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Breadth Units
Introductory Breadth
Contemporary media is saturated with images of extreme weather events, hunger,poverty, conflict, pollution, austerity, and financial crisis. Mounting evidence suggeststhe 21st century will be defined by unprecedented challenges related to environmentalinstability, economic inequality and risks to social well-being on a…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Do you want to make a difference to something in the world you care about? Would you like some time and space to consider, develop and test your approaches in a safe environment, supported by experts in the field? Following…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hobart | Semester 2 |
View all details for XBR102 Developing your Creative and Entrepreneurial Potential
The challenge of ensuring adequate and sustainable food production and equitable access to food for a diverse human population in the 21st century is crucial and profoundly complex. This unit helps you contribute to meeting this challenge. The interdisciplinary skills…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Become better prepared to deal with the variety of culturally challenging situations you will encounter in whichever part of the world you live and work. Develop an appreciation of the personal and professional benefits which come from being more culturally…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR104 Living and Working with Cultural Diversity
This unit aims to teach the fundamentals of good reasoning. You will learn how to construct, analyse, and critically evaluate arguments; how to identify and avoid common errors in reasoning; how to think logically and well; and how to communicate…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR105 Good Thinking: Reasoning Skills for Life
Do you consider yourself an ethical individual? Do you think you understand what is meant by social responsibility? We all know that ethical and value-driven leaders are required in society and what this unit will do is challenge your current…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR106 Ethics and Social Responsibility
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR107 Asia and Australia: Bound by Sea
Who owns art: the artist, the purchaser or the culture that it represents? How does art reflect our cultural identity? Why is art a priority victim of war, invasion and the black market. Through different disciplinary lenses including history, art…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR108 The Dark Arts: Culture, Crime and Corruption
Ever thought of yourself as one in a million?Universities Australia notes that in 2017 Australia has more than one million students enrolled in Universities across the country. That is more than one million potential graduates entering the workforce over the…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
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Hobart | Intensive Session Jan B | ||||
Hobart | Intensive Session Jun |
View all details for XBR110 Discover your potential: Leadership, Service and Employability
In the modern world we must often makedecisions under uncertainty, weighing up ouroptions in the face of incomplete (and oftenconflicting) information. In this unit we examinethe problems of evaluating evidence, formingbeliefs, and making decisions based on thosebeliefs. We do this…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR111 Big Decisions! Rational belief and action in an uncertain world
Earth is a lively and dynamic planet that is undergoing rapid changes wrought by the activities of humans. In what ways are these changes impacting on us and other species? Are we precipitating another mass extinction; the 6th major mass…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
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Hobart | Semester 2 |
This unit uses the theoretical concept of ‘Lifeworlds’ to frame an exploration of the lifeworlds of Indigenous peoples globally: across cultural, social being and doing of Indigenous peoples at the local (palawa/pakana) Tasmania, national (Noongar) Western Australia and international (Navajo…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR113 Indigenous Lifeworlds: Local to the Global
x…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This is an introductory unit for students with little or no prior knowledge of Japanese. This unit has an emphasis on the interactive use of the Japanese language. It develops competence in basic spoken and written Japanese. The unit also…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This is an introductory unit for students with no prior knowledge of Indonesian. This unit will provide students with the skills to communicate and interact with Indonesian people on a range of topics, to find their way around in Indonesia,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit will explore the interlinked scientific, technical, environmental, economic, social and political factors that have shaped society's energy usage and which will impact on future energy policy and decision making.Energy science, technology, usage and energy policy affect almost all…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
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Hobart | Semester 2 |
X.…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This is an introductory unit for students with little or no prior knowledge of Chinese. This introductory unit is for anyone who is interested in the Chinese language and/or has the need to learn Chinese for business or academic purposes.…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Pulling together the disciplines of sociology, law and complementary medicine this unit is designed for students who want to develop their knowledge in order to understand, debate and critically analyse the use and place of complementary medicines in the modern…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR120 Complementary Medicines in Contemporary Society
The swiftly rising prevalence of dementia is one of the most significant health, social and economic issues facing the world. The global challenge of dementia will require innovative solutions to improve the lives of people with dementia and their carers.…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR121 The Global Challenge of Understanding Dementia
Sports doping is a truly international problem and has a significant impact on todays society; from cheating, to the politics and ethics of sophisticated doping programs, the enormous bureaucracy and cost of monitoring and prosecuting, along with the impact on…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR122 Sport Doping, Performance Enhancing Drugs and their Detection
Intermediate Breadth
This unit gives students the opportunity to build skills essential to crafting and communicating effective arguments. Every academic discipline values the ability to articulate a clear argument and to support it with logical reasons and persuasive evidence. Achieving the learning…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR201 The Art of Persuasion: How to Build and Communicate Effective Arguments
This second-year unit Working with Communities will give students in a range of conceptual and practical tools to understand the complex idea of community and skills to work effectively with diverse communities in their professional practice. The focus is on…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit introduces students to Big History, with a special focus on Tasmania. Big History is anevolving interdisciplinary field that investigates human history within the historical time scales ofgeological and biological history. It does so to understand how powerful forces…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
We live in a world of sciences. From the pure physics of string theory to the applied sociology of interventions, from the study of nanoparticles to broadband strategies. Science, in its various forms, plays an important role in how we…
Credit Points: 12.5
Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
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Launceston | Semester 2 |
This unit provides an introduction to the emerging field of ‘forensic studies’. While forensic science usually refers to technical and vocational expertise, forensic studies explores the ‘forensic sciences’ as a social phenomenon. Forensic science has captured the public imagination in…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
In this breadth unit you will investigate how to enhance resilience in the face of an emergency. Breadth units are units that must address ‘wicked problems’. A wicked problem is a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR206 Resilience in the Face of Emergencies
Human Rights are fundamental human rights that are inherent in every individual on the basis of humanity. They are underpinned by concepts of human dignity and the essential equality of all people. This breadth unit takes an inter-disciplinary perspective to…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
In the post-truth world, we need to look at data of all types with fresh eyes, to be able to discern patternsand what they might evidence. Participants learn how interpretations can be biased by existingparadigms, and by cultural context. Diverse…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
This unit draws on popular culture texts from the humanities – such as anime and film – and discusses these in terms of issues related to health science and ethics. The aim is to encourage students to think about what…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR210 Beyond Human - Exploring Science and the Humanities
Tasmania has a growing reputation as a gourmet paradise, with high quality primary products and a growing fermented food and drink industry. In this unit, students will learn about the full production life cycle for fermented food and drink, from…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR211 From bugs to bucks: The business of fermented food and drink
This unit introduces students to the world of social research. It answers questions about how to produce knowledge through empirical research, and discusses the methods used to solve practical problems. The unit covers a wide range of social research methodologies and approaches,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR212 Interdisciplinary Social Research
Advanced Breadth
This unit will provide you with the intellectual resources to reach your own informed judgments about when it would be morally right for your nation to resort to the use of armed force and what legal limits the use of…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR301 War! The Moral and Legal Limits of Political Violence
The fast-paced development of new digital technologies provides powerful resources for addressing today's social and environmental challenges. Combining the perspectives of business entrepreneurship, regional science and information systems, this breadth unit will uncover the potential of digitally connected social entrepreneurship…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
View all details for XBR302 Social Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age
One Ocean examines all aspects of the ocean to emphasise its interconnectedness, physically, biologically, climatically, culturally and economically for humanity. This unit describes the Earth’s ocean as an entity; the roles that it plays in life on Earth and the…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Human Rights are fundamental rights that are inherent in every individual on the basis of humanity. They are underpinned by concepts of human dignity and the essential equality of all people. This unit takes an interdisciplinary perspective to the development,…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Student Electives
Choose two intermediate and/or advanced level units in accordance with the unit level requirement - see the above course structure.
Need help choosing your first year units? Try the Unit Selection Guide.
Entry requirements
Eligibility
As an applicant you will gain automatic entry if you satisfy the University's normal admission requirements, with the addition of at least a passing grade in a practically orientated pre-tertiary Visual Arts or Design subjects or at TAFE certificate IV (or higher, with evidence of some study of Art History or Theory).
If you do not meet these requirements, then it is still possible to apply and gain entry to the BVC. You should submit a folio consisting of no more than ten photographs, drawings, paintings or electronic images of work and a statement outlining your interest in the course including any relevant experience or qualifications.
Course counselling will be offered to all successful applicants prior to the start of semester, to discuss choice of studio and potential careers.
Admission Prerequisites
As an applicant you will gain automatic entry if you satisfy the University's normal admission requirements, with the addition of at least a passing grade in a practically orientated pre-tertiary Visual Arts or Design subjects or at TAFE certificate IV (or higher, with evidence of some study of Art History or Theory).
If you do not meet these requirements, then it is still possible to apply and gain entry to the BVC. You should submit a folio consisting of no more than ten photographs, drawings, paintings or electronic images of work and a statement outlining your interest in the course including any relevant experience or qualifications.
Course counselling will be offered to all successful applicants prior to the start of semester, to discuss choice of studio and potential careers.
Credit transfer
If you are transferring from another university or course, you can apply to be given credit for equivalent studies satisfactorily completed. (Please note that there are guidelines as to how much credit can be granted for previous study, and study must have been within the last ten years.)
If you have completed a related TAFE diploma you can be awarded credit for up to one year or one-third of the degree requirement. (Please note, you will need to provide a portfolio and samples of any written work so that a determination can be made about the way in which this credit will be offered. In some circumstances it may still take three years minimum to complete the degree).
If you have completed a previous degree in the last ten years you will normally be granted credit for 50% or one-sixth of the BVC degree requirements.
In some circumstances more credit may be able to granted towards the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) than the BVC.
Articulation from
It will be possible for students to transfer from the BVC into the BFA degree upon completion of all introductory level units. Equally, students who have successfully undertaken introductory level units in Visual Communication and Electronic Media may transfer from the BFA into the BVC.
Articulation to
Graduates from the Bachelor of Visual Communication, who have successfully completed the prerequisite requirements for further study, will be eligible to apply the Master of Visual Communication (coursework).
Graduates who have completed a BVC with sufficient merit will also be eligible to apply for entry to the Bachelor of Visual Communications with Honours degree.
Detailed Admissions Information
Detailed admissions information and advice for all undergraduate courses, including comprehensive, course-level student profiles, is available from UTAS Admissions.
Fees & scholarships
Domestic students
Domestic students enrolled in a full fee paying place are charged the Student Services and Amenities Fee but this fee is incorporated in the fees you pay for each unit you enrol in. Full fee paying domestic students do not have to make any additional SSAF payments.
Detailed tuition fee information for domestic students is available at the Domestic Student Fees website, including additional information in relation to a compulsory Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
International students
2021 Total Course Fee (international students): $0 AUD*.
Course cost based on a rate of $29,000 AUD per standard, full-time year of study (100 credit points).
* Please note that this is an indicative fee only.
Scholarships
For information on general scholarships available at the University of Tasmania, please visit the scholarships website.
How can we help?
Do you have any questions about choosing a course or applying? Get in touch.
- Domestic
- 1300 363 864
- International
- +61 3 6226 6200
- Course.Info@utas.edu.au
- Online
- Online enquiries