Your Guide to Design and Fine Arts (2663 KB) - Massey University

YOUR GUIDE TO 

DESIGN AND FINE ARTS 

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, 

FASHION DESIGN, FINE ARTS, 

PHOTOGRAPHY, SPATIAL DESIGN, 

TEXTILE DESIGN, 

VISUAL COMMUNICATION 

DESIGN 

CLASS OF 2013

CONTENTS 

COVER PHOTO: TE ARA HIHIKO: CREATIVE ARTS 

BUILDING A world first, this building combines 

Massey’s creative vision with innovative 

architectural design and advanced seismic 

engineering, and offers a multifaceted art and 

design facility that will sustain and inspire Kiwi 

creativity for generations to come. 

Project partners: Massey University, Athfield 

Architects, Dunning Thornton and Arrow 

International. 

2 COLLEGE OF CREATIVE ARTS (CoCA) 

AND ITS QUALIFICATIONS 

4 SELECTION PROCESS 

7 DEGREES 

8 BACHELOR OF DESIGN (HONOURS) 

13 Fashion Design 

14 Industrial Design 

17 Photography 

19 Spatial Design 

21 Textile Design 

23 Visual Communication Design 

24 BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS (HONOURS) 

28 OTHER COURSES 

UPDATED APRIL 2013 

Please note: The information contained in 

this publication is indicative of the offerings 

available in 2014 and subsequent years. This 

information is correct at the time of going to press, 

but may be subject to change. While all reasonable 

efforts will be made to ensure listed programmes are 

offered and regulations are up to date, the University 

reserves the right to change the content or method 

of presentation, or to withdraw any qualification or 

part thereof, or impose limitations on enrolments 

should circumstances require this. 

28 DIPLOMA IN PHOTOGRAPHY 

29 GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN DESIGN 

30 CERTIFICATE IN ART AND DESIGN STUDIES 

31 CONTACTING MASSEY FOR MORE INFORMATION 

YOUR GUIDE TO DESIGN AND FINE ARTS 

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MASSEY UNIVERSITY 

COLLEGE OF 

CREATIVE ARTS 

TOI RAUWHARANGI 

‘MAI TE PO, KI TE AO MARAMA’ 

– FROM NOVICE TO EXPERT 

Massey’s College of Creative Arts (CoCA) in Wellington is 

where many of New Zealand’s best designers and artists 

begin their careers. It’s a place where you can mix with 

top students from all over the country, and beyond, who 

are similarly obsessed with art and design. It’s a place 

where creativity has no limits and you’re valued for the 

independent development and expression of your ideas. It’s 

where you’re inspired by artists, designers and academics 

of national and international distinction, who believe 

passionately in fostering local talent. All based in the 

thriving cultural hub of Wellington, the creative capital of 

New Zealand. 

The reputation of Massey’s creative arts programmes 

is well maintained by our students, who win national 

and international awards even while studying. They are 

well represented in the student section of the Designers 

Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards, the 

Dyson Product and Electrolux Design awards, and at the 

annual World of Wearable Arts showcase. CoCA is also 

the highest-ranking art and design school in Australia- 

New Zealand according to the Red Dot Design Awards 

in Germany. Examples of student work can be found at 

creative.massey.ac.nz 

All CoCA qualifications provide a high-level professional 

education that equips you with the skills to make a 

difference in the world. At CoCA we believe there are 

five attributes that will ensure you are successful in the 

industries of the 21st century. In fact we are so inspired by 

these we have had them embedded in the walls of Te Ara 

Hihiko, our brand new creative arts building: 

{ Creativity – Toi 

Virtuosity – Mohio 

Understanding – Matauranga 

Autonomy – Mana 

Connectedness – Whanaungatanga. 

The College is comprised of the School of Design and School 

of Art, both tracing their history back to 1886. 


SCHOOL OF DESIGN 

The School of Design offered the first design degrees in 

New Zealand in the early 1990s. The school continues 

to receive international recognition for the quality of 

its graduates across an extensive range of design 

specialisations and has alumni engaged at the highest level 

in creative industries around the world. 

Qualifications offered include a Bachelor of Design with 

Honours, a Bachelor of Design, a Graduate Diploma 

in Design, a Certificate in Art and Design Studies, a 

Postgraduate Diploma in Design, Master of Design, Master 

of Fine Arts (in design), Master of Philosophy and the 

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). 

SCHOOL OF ART 

The School of Art is made up of photographers, artists, 

researchers and curators who are held in high esteem 

across the world. Unlike any other art school in New 

Zealand, it is also a centre for teaching and research 

excellence in the field of visual and material culture, which 

explores the uses and meanings of images, objects and 

spaces shaping everyday life. 

Qualifications offered include a Bachelor of Fine Arts 

with Honours, a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Postgraduate 

Diploma in Fine Arts, a Postgraduate Diploma and an MA 

in Visual and Material Culture, Master of Fine Arts, Master 

of Philosophy and a Doctor of Philosophy (Photography 

students enrol in a Bachelor of Design with Honours).

SUBJECTS AVAILABLE 

CoCA offers New Zealand’s most comprehensive range 

of subjects within the fields of design and fine arts, with 

a worldwide reputation for excellence in research-led 

creative practice. There are opportunities to progress from 

undergraduate study to postgraduate study in fine arts, 

design, and visual and material culture. 

Subject areas include: industrial design; spatial design; 

textile design; fashion design; photography; visual 

communication design (including advertising, digital media, 

illustration and graphic design); Toi Atea: Māori art and 

design; visual and material culture, critical and contextual 

studies and fine arts (including contemporary art practices; 

drawing; painting; photography; and sculpture). 

This guide covers undergraduate qualifications. 

For information on postgraduate study at CoCA, see: 


ART AND DESIGN 

CAREERS 

Art and design graduates can be found in today’s 

workplace as product designers, graphic designers, 

advertising executives, visual effects artists, curators, 

stylists, textile designers, interior designers, copywriters, 

arts administrators, communication specialists, art directors, 

animation and interactive media designers, professional artists, 

events coordinators, web designers, concept artists, videographers, 

photographers, fashion designers, transport designers, multi-media 

artists, filmmakers, directors, illustrators, furniture designers, teachers, 

researchers, writers, historians, critics and art gallery owners, just 

to mention a few! Outside the creative industries designers and 

artists are also valued as inventors and explorers across 

a broad spectrum of industries from engineering and 

building, to policy analysis and human resource 

management. Many art and design graduates 

are entrepreneurial and run their 

own businesses. 

What facilities will I have access to? 

At Massey you’ll have access to first rate facilities and 

equipment. The College has numerous dedicated computer 

laboratories and workshops equipped with high-quality 

industry-standard machinery and equipment. These include 

laser and water-jet cutters, a state of the art green-screen 

room, a fully equipped digital audio lab, and a multipurpose 

performance and gallery space – for use by students and 

industry partners. It is also home to Australasia’s first MITaligned 

Fab Lab (digital fabrication facility). 

Why are the Massey degrees four years? 

Massey’s CoCA degrees are professional degrees 

providing extended knowledge and skills (in much the same 

way as engineering and law are professional degrees). 

Your fourth year will include an option to complete an 

honours degree that may lead on to a research masters 

degree. Graduates with the four-year Massey degree are 

highly regarded by employers for their superior knowledge, 

skills, problem solving, and creative abilities. 

Can I do any of my study overseas? 

Yes. You can apply for Massey’s student exchange 

programme, which enables you to go to a partner university 

for a period of study (usually one semester) in the second 

or third year of your degree. 

FAQS 

What can a design or fine art degree lead to? 

In today’s world it is highly likely that you’ll have multiple 

careers rather than just one job, and many of the jobs you 

will be employed in over your lifetime don’t even exist yet! 

Currently employers are looking for workers who offer 

the best skills for success: versatility, critical thinking and 

creativity are highly sought-after talents. 

When do I have to decide my major area of study? 

When you apply you’re invited to identify your area of 

interest. As Part I is an exploratory year, during Semester 

Two you will be asked to apply for entry into your chosen 

major. Should the number of applicants be more than the 

number of places available in the major, students will be 

offered places according to their achievement in Part I. 


3

4 

ENTRY TO UNIVERSITY ART AND DESIGN 

PROGRAMMES 

There are three aspects to enrolment for CoCA students: 

Admission to the University, selection for programmes, 

and enrolment for the papers. 

All CoCA students must be aged 16 years on the date 

their programme begins. Before enrolment in College 

programmes can be confirmed, applicants must meet the 

standard criteria for entry to university (please refer to the 

Massey website at enrol.massey.ac.nz for details). Once 

you have been accepted into the programme you will be 

able to enrol in papers of your choice. 

SELECTION FOR ART AND DESIGN 

PROGRAMMES 

Selection for entry into art and design programmes is 

based on the submission of a portfolio of art or design work 

to the College, which is assessed alongside your overall 

academic ability. 

{ Applications for the 2014 academic year will be 

accepted from July 1 – October 1, 2013. These must 

include the completed selected entry form and the 

application fees 

NB If you are applying to study design you must also 

send your portfolio with your forms 

Selection for Fine Arts also includes an interview. 

These are held in Wellington but can be undertaken 

by phone or Skype if required. Applicants will be 

notified of a time and location 

NB If you are applying to study fine arts you must 

bring your portfolio to your interview. 

Selection takes time, with careful consideration given to 

each application. The results of your application will be 

returned as soon as possible after receiving and assessing 

your portfolio, with latest results announced in mid 

December. 

Applications received after October 1 may be accepted 

(subject to availability) but potential applicants are strongly 

urged to contact the College by the due date. Unforeseen 

late applications may be wait-listed and decisions 

regarding entry may not be made until late January 2014. 


ART AND DESIGN PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS 

Art and Design portfolios should be submitted in an A4 

art folder, they must include 12 -24 A4 pages (high quality 

colour reproductions) of recent art or design work. As 

an option you can provide your portfolio on a USB stick. 

Movies can be included but must be in QuickTime format. 

We DO NOT accept DVDs, CDs or links to websites. 

DESIGN PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS 

Your portfolio should show clearly and persuasively your 

potential to successfully study design and will be assessed 

alongside your overall academic ability. Three-dimensional 

work should be documented photographically – originals 

should not be submitted. We DO NOT accept CDs, DVDs or 

links to websites. 

College assessors are looking for evidence of the 

following: 

{ An ability to generate, explore and develop ideas 

The ability to transform ideas into a finished work 

A degree of sophistication and sensitivity in handling 

and investigating media, materials, techniques and 

technologies 

Your potential to successfully study design. 

Your portfolio must include: 

12-24 A4 pages (high quality colour reproductions) of 

recent design work, such as drawings, designs, paintings, 

photographs, documentation of fashion projects or 

design prototypes or sculpture. You can also include 

developmental work, such as reproductions of workbook 

pages, developmental drawings or images, digital or 

conventional photographic contact sheets, and screen 

captures in the case of digital work. These should be 

annotated with short explanations of the ideas behind the 

work and how the ideas were translated into their final 

form. 

Photographs and/or colour prints of work submitted for 

NCEA are acceptable. 

FINE ARTS PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS 

Assessors look for indications of your potential and the 

degree of exploration and conceptualisation of ideas, 

your capacity to think in divergent and innovative ways, 

and evidence of the evolution of ideas through preliminary 

plans, working sketches, journals, visual records and 

documentation.

It is valuable to include work that has been self-initiated 

as an indication that you are determined to pursue art 

interests in a range of circumstances. 

Your interview is also an opportunity to ask questions about 

the programme. 

College assessors are looking for evidence of the 

following: 

{ Originality, versatility, enterprise, inventiveness, and a 

commitment to creative fine art activity 

Artistic achievement and a level of investigation with 

particular media 

A degree of sophistication and sensitivity in handling 

media and evidence of industry 

Sustained practice and familiarity with visual media. 

Your portfolio must include: 

12-24 A4 pages (high quality colour reproductions) of your 

recent artwork, including at least four workbook pages. 

It can include photographs, reproductions of drawings, 

paintings and documentation of performance, sculptural 

or installation works that you think are visually informative 

about you and your art. 

Digital work can be supplied on a USB stick. The selection 

process does not consider items such as art history 

assignments or testimonials. 

APPLICATION PROCESS SUMMARY 

1. Complete the selected entry programme application 

by downloading it from the Massey website at 

enrol.massey.ac.nz> download enrolment 

forms>selected entry forms or request a printed form 

by phoning 0800 MASSEY. 

2. Design applicants: Submit your application form to 

the College Office in Wellington with your portfolio 

and application fee by October 1, 2013. 

Fine Arts applicants: Submit your application to the 

College Office in Wellington with your application 

fee by October 1, 2013. Attend an interview by 

arrangement, bringing your portfolio with you. 

For 2014 application fees please go to: fees.massey. 

ac.nz>Non-tuition fees> Administration fees. 

3. Portfolios will be acknowledged on receipt. While the 

College has a well-established tracking process for 

all portfolios received, it does not accept liability for 

loss of, or damage to, portfolios. Portfolios and their 

contents must be clearly labeled – please be sure to 

label every separate piece with your name. 

4. Application results will be mailed out in the first half 

of December 2013. 

5. For those awaiting Year 13 NCEA results, provisional 

acceptance is subject to gaining admission to the 

University and cannot be confirmed until results 

are known. Applicants who are not successful in 

obtaining admission to university will be contacted in 

January about alternative programmes. 

DESIGN & FINE ARTS APPLICATIONS 

POSTAL ADDRESS 

College of Creative Arts 

Massey University 

Private Box 756 

Wellington 6140 

COURIER OR DELIVERY ADDRESS 

Student Central 

Massey University Wellington Campus 

Entrance A, Wallace Street, Wellington 

ENROLMENT ENQUIRIES 

College of Creative Arts 


Phone: 0800 MASSEY 

Text: 5222 

E-mail: creative@massey.ac.nz 

Website: creative.massey.ac.nz 

KEEP IN TOUCH 

Facebook: facebook.com/cocamassey 

Twitter: @cocamassey 

ALANA MAYS, ILLUSTRATION 


5

REBEKAH CHONG AND ZARA MANN, DIGITAL MEDIA

DEGREES AT 

THE COLLEGE OF 

CREATIVE ARTS 

GRADUATING WITH A DESIGN OR 

FINE ART DEGREE FROM MASSEY 

WILL PUT YOU AMONGST SOME 

OF NEW ZEALAND’S MOST 

SUCCESSFUL DESIGNERS, 

AND SET YOU ON A PATH 

TO A VARIETY OF CREATIVE 

INDUSTRIES. 

You’ll mix with other passionate, art and design-obsessed students. 

You’ll be encouraged to be creative with your non-conformist ideas, 

and valued for independent development and expression. You’ll be 

taught by artists, designers and other creative practitioners in touch 

with the wider art and design worlds, both in New Zealand and 

abroad. 


7

ISH DONEY, PHOTOGRAPHY 

BACHELOR OF DESIGN (HONOURS) 

BDes (Hons) / BDes 

8 


DURATION 

4 YEARS FULL-TIME 

AVAILABLE 

WELLINGTON (FASHION, FASHION 

DESIGN AND BUSINESS, INDUSTRIAL 

DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY, SPATIAL 

DESIGN, TEXTILE DESIGN, AND VISUAL 

COMMUNICATION DESIGN) 

THIS DEGREE INTRODUCES YOU TO A VARIETY OF DESIGN 

DISCIPLINES BEFORE FOCUSING ON ONE AREA THAT WILL BE 

YOUR MAJOR SUBJECT. 

Graduates with a design degree from Massey enter creative 

industries with a well rounded skill-set, ready to take part in 

the development of new products, communications and ideas 

that will shape and define the lives of future generations. 

Massey Wellington’s School of Design established New 

Zealand’s first design degree programme almost 20 years ago, 

and has an extensive pedigree as a leading design school. It 

offers the widest range of coordinated majors in New Zealand 

and with the adjacent School of Art, offers the opportunity for 

students to include fine arts elective papers in their design 

degree.

DEGREES 

QUALIFICATION OVERVIEW 

To be a successful designer requires a good knowledge of 

the world. There is no set education background required 

but you’ll find yourself well prepared for degree study if you 

include art, design or technology subjects, English, classical 

studies, history, economics, sciences, or mathematics in 

your high school study. 

The Bachelor of Design (Honours) and Bachelor of Design 

are future-focused degrees that prepare you for a diverse 

range of creative careers. You can major in fashion design, 

fashion and business, industrial design, photography, spatial 

design, textile design or visual communication design. 

With a solid and prestigious history the design degree is 

taught in an innovative manner, reflecting the latest research 

in design education and the reality of 21st century creative 

industries. Designers are increasingly expected to move 

seamlessly across disciplines, and intelligently apply both 

specialist and transferable knowledge and skills to a host of 

new issues. Although the future career ‘landscape’ is hard 

to predict, it is clear that qualifications that foster flexibility, 

collaboration and trans-disciplinary approaches will have 

the edge. 

Most of your classes will be in a studio, where you’ll 

be immersed in hands-on doing and making, as well as 

discussion and debate. Critical thinking and practical skills 

go hand-in-hand throughout all our art and design courses. 

Most papers are internally assessed through projects that 

include design work, and the associated research and 

development. Some papers also require attendance at 

lectures, tutorials and seminars where assessments can 

include essays, tests and reports. 

Examples of student work from each major is available at 


CAREER OPPORTUNITIES 

As a Bachelor of Design graduate you will 

have a solid grounding in creative problem 

solving, a strong research ethos, an ability to think 

analytically, and above all, design expertise. You will also 

have an approach to design that helps you pursue design 

careers and make cross-disciplinary connections with art, 

culture and technology in your daily work as a designer. 

You will be well equipped for professional design practice 

and a range of industry, business and marketing-related 

activities. You will also be able to continue with postgraduate 

study and research in New Zealand or internationally 

(see individual majors for more career information). 

PLANNING YOUR DEGREE 

All design degree students in the college initially enrol in a 

Bachelor of Design with Honours. 

Towards the end of Year Three, you and your academic 

advisers decide whether you will continue with the Bachelor 

of Design (Honours) or complete a Bachelor of Design, 

which is less research-focused. 

The degree is made up of separate courses called ‘papers’, 

the size of which is defined by the credit value. In the first 

year you’ll take eight 15-credit papers, making a total of 120 

BDes (Hons) and BDes Structure 

either 

or 

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 BDes(Hons) Year 4 BDes 

Semester 

1 

Semester 

2 

Semester 

1 

Semester 

2 

Semester 

1 

Semester 

2 

Semester 

1 

Semester 

2 

Semester 

1 

Semester 

2 

Studio I 

Studio I 

Studio I 

Studio I 

Design 

Studio IIA 

(major) 


Studio IIB 

(major) 


Studio IIIA 

(major) 


Studio IIIB 

(major) 

Research 

& 

Development 

Research 

Project 

Elective 

Elective 

Studio 

Project 

Critical & 

Contextual 

Studies 

Critical & 

Contextual 

Studies 

Critical & 

Contextual 

Studies 

Critical & 

Contextual 

Studies* 

Critical & 

Contextual 

Studies 

Critical & 

Contextual 

Studies** 

Elective 

(400-level) 

Elective 

Elective Elective Elective Elective Elective Elective 

Elective 

(400-level) 

External 

focus *** 

Elective 

External 

focus *** 

* or Creative Industries ** or Creative Enterprise *** Creative Futures or Exhibition or 

Creative Exposition 


9

credits. You should aim for 60 credits per semester and make 

sure you include papers that are prerequisites for the next 

level of papers you wish to study. To complete your degree 

you will need a total of 480 credits, which corresponds to 

four years of full-time study. 

In Years Two to Four you will choose to focus on a particular 

field of design which will then become your major. Each 

major is made up of a specific group of core papers. 

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE 

Year One of the programme helps you to make the transition 

to tertiary education. Through work in our design studios 

you will be introduced to general art and design knowledge 

and skills. Here you will develop core competencies and 

practices. You’ll explore a range of design specialisations, 

gain an understanding of the breadth of design and make an 

informed decision about your future pathway. You also start 

to explore historical and cultural aspects of art and design. 

In Years Two and Three, you develop and consolidate 

your specialisation-specific knowledge and skills. This 

will be supplemented by electives appropriate to your 

selected pathway. You’ll produce innovative and creative 

responses to studio project briefs and generate ideas with 

increasing independence as your study progresses. You will 

increasingly work on ‘live briefs’ – real world work for real 

clients – which fit with the structured learning objectives of 

the curriculum. You will develop a deeper understanding of 

the historic, social and cultural context of art and design, 

and have the option to take papers about the business 

aspects of art and design. 

In Year Four, you either complete your Bachelor of Design 

with Honours, or a Bachelor of Design. 

In the Bachelor of Design with Honours, the focus in the final 

year is on further extending expertise, and on research and 

its application to design in your area of specialisation. All 120 

credits of study are at 400-level. You’ll undertake an approved 

supervised design research project, which includes 

creative practice. Through this research project, you must 

demonstrate innovation and creativity, critical analysis 

and reasoning, selectivity, intellectual independence, and 

sophisticated communication and presentation skills in 

media appropriate to your specialisation. 

In the less research-focused pathway of the Bachelor of 

Design you select further elective papers and undertake a 

major studio project applying technologies, media, materials 

and techniques in the context of your specialisation. 

In the final semester of your final year, all students are 

required to take an External Focus paper. This is the 

sharp end of your four years of preparation for a creative 

career, and we encourage you to construct an active 

strategy for promoting yourself and your work persuasively 

in your chosen path, be it entrepreneurial and industry 

environments, exhibition or writing/creative research. 

CORE STUDIO PAPERS 

The structure of core studio papers is one of the most 

innovative and forward-thinking aspects of studying design 

at Massey. 

In your first year, you choose four Studio I papers from nine 

on offer, covering design and art. Each paper is taught as a 

six-week block. 

Studio I papers are required for particular majors (see later 

in this guide for details on each major). By the end of the 

year you will have sampled several different approaches to 

design challenges and be able to make an informed choice 

about your major. Even if you are very clear on your major 

from the start, this curriculum emulates what’s happening in 

the creative industries, with increasing levels of teamwork 

and collaboration across disciplines. 

Each Studio I paper fosters creative and analytical thinking 

skills, idea generation and visualisation common to art and 

design practice. It also focuses on specific techniques, skills 

and processes as follows: 

Studio I paper 

Art Lab 

Art Place 

Dress 

Lens 

Material 

Object 

Screen 

Space 

Type 

Focus on 

Art-making across different media. 

Art-making in relation to site and context. 

Creatively dressing bodies and fashioning 

garments. 

Photographic image-making. 

Investigation of materials, form, surface, 

image and pattern for the design and 

making of textiles. 

3D form-giving, resourceful making and 

user experience. 

Digital screen areas such as video, web, 

animation, interaction and emerging 

technologies. 

Definition and investigation of physical, 

temporal and digital spatial environments 

and their inhabitation. 

Print-oriented communication 

environments. 

After Year One, about half your course work is undertaken 

through core studio papers. In these courses all design 

students in your year group share an overarching project 

brief. You learn common things (knowledge, skills, 

technology and tools) that are essential for every designer 

regardless of specialty. Different majors address the brief 

according to their particular field, with an emphasis on 

integrated project-based learning, concentrated in the 

studio. For example, if you all had a brief about issues of 

identity, a fashion student may design a garment that plays 

with gender identity, a visual communication design student 

10 

YOUR GUIDE TO DESIGN AND FINE ARTS

DEGREES 

might create a corporate brand identity, and a spatial design 

student could explore the design of a retail environment. 

During the project and at completion, you meet with students 

from across the majors to share your work and see how 

they have worked with the same issue. As a rule of thumb, 

you’ll find yourself spending about one-third of your time in 

core papers learning shared skills and two-thirds of the time 

learning specialist skills. 

This future-focused approach is internationally respected, 

and prepares you well for a long and varied career in a 

global market. Young designers trained at Massey learn to 

see how their field fits within the broader design context; 

offer and receive feedback from a wide range of specialists; 

understand how different designers can work together 

to address an issue and collaborate with others in multidisciplinary 

teams. 

For more details on the specifics you learn in each major, 

please see the relevant section of this guide: 

Page 

Fashion Design 13 

Fashion Design and Business 13 

Industrial Design 14 

Photography 17 

Spatial Design 19 

Textile Design 21 

Visual Communication Design 23 

CRITICAL AND CONTEXTUAL STUDIES 

All design degree students, regardless of their major, take 

papers in critical and contextual studies. This trains you 

in critical analysis of art, design and visual and material 

culture. It helps you develop expertise in writing essays and 

reports. 

ELECTIVES 

Throughout your degree, you’ll choose elective papers. 

Each elective is 15 credits. This is where you get to really 

customise your qualification to support your particular 

interests or potential career focus. 

Examples of introductory (100-level) electives offered in the 

College of Creative Arts are: 

{ Coding for Creative Practice 

Video and Sound 

Digital Fabrication 

Apparel Pattern Development 

Apparel Construction 

Photography as an Agent of Change 

Social Media Culture 

Printmaking. 

At higher levels, the college also offers a wide range of 

electives. And at all levels, you can take electives from 

other colleges at Massey, such as business, humanities or 

music, provided you meet their requirements. You can even 

structure your electives to develop a ‘minor’ (a coherent 

collection of papers in another discipline, though fewer and 

less advanced than your major). For example, you might 

complete a BDes majoring in industrial design with a minor 

in marketing. 

There are no required electives for any major, but electives 

at 200-level and above sometimes have prerequisites (papers 

you have to do first) because they build on previous work. 

Academic Advising in September each year is a great time 

to discuss your choices in detail, or contact the college 

office at any time. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION 


Text: 5222 

E-mail: creative@massey.ac.nz 

Website: creative.massey.ac.nz 

BUSINESS PAPERS 

In Years Two and Three, you have the option of doing papers 

in art and design business, which develop your knowledge 

of creative business leadership, industry and professional 

practice. You can integrate further business papers by taking 

electives from the College of Business, and we offer New 

Zealand’s only joint major in Fashion Design and Business. 

All design students must also complete a compulsory 

External Focus component in Year Four, in preparation for 

their chosen career pathway. 


11

12 


STEVE HALL, FASHION DESIGN

DEGREES 

FASHION DESIGN; FASHION DESIGN & BUSINESS 


DURATION 


AVAILABLE 

WELLINGTON 

THIS LONG-STANDING NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY-RECOGNISED 

DEGREE HAS BEEN THE LAUNCHING PAD FOR SCORES OF SUCCESSFUL FASHION 

DESIGNERS NOW OWNING OR WORKING IN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR FASHION 

BUSINESSES. 

A fashion design major prepares students for a broad range of opportunities and roles in the 

creation and sale of apparel both locally and internationally. You can choose either a fashion 

design major or New Zealand’s only joint Fashion Design and Business major. 

OVERVIEW 

The objective of the fashion design major is to produce 

innovative designers with a broad-based design education 

and an interactive approach to apparel design, manufacturing 

technology, local and global fashion markets. Our students 

also have the ability to respond sensitively to socio-cultural 

and environmental issues. 

Your degree-level study of fashion design will include creative 

design of apparel, skills in producing patterns and prototypes, 

knowledge of textile materials, market and trend analysis, 

and the development of an ability to position fashion products 

in the marketplace. You’ll have opportunities to enter fashion 

design competitions and even for internship placement in 

industry. 

The Fashion Design and Business joint major provides a 

creative design education aligned with forward-thinking 

business strategy for a progressive global market - ideal 

for those who aspire to be involved at the business end of 

fashion design. Any business major can be combined with 

the core fashion design papers although the most likely are 

communication, entrepreneurship and small business, or 

marketing. 

STRUCTURE OF THE MAJORS 

The fashion design major lets fashion students have some 

flexibility in pursuing fashion alongside other design areas or 

as a joint degree with a business major. It is unique in New 

Zealand in providing routes for fashion students to incorporate 

other design disciplines up to at least 300-level. Fashion 

design papers, as electives, are also open to students in other 

design majors. 

Year One of the programme consists of design studio papers, 

which must include Studio I - Dress, critical and contextual 

studies, and two elective papers (see pages 9-11). 

Year Two focuses on fashion design and supporting technical 

subjects. You’ll get a grounding in fashion design, history, 

materials, pattern development and garment production. 


These majors develop both academic 

understanding and the innovative and 

practical skills required for careers in fashion 

design and broader design businesses. Graduates go on 

to develop their own labels, while others work in design, 

production, marketing, merchandising and more. The 

qualification can be used as entry to fashion design and 

brand development in diverse areas from high fashion to 

sports, corporate and other specialised clothing, in costume 

for stage and film, and in production planning and quality 

assurance roles amongst others. Graduates may also 

continue on to postgraduate study. 

In Year Three, you’ll learn further fashion-specific knowledge 

and skills, and integrate all aspects in an extensive fashion 

product design project. 

If you are doing the joint fashion and business major, you 

should select papers from the business majors offered in the 

Bachelor of Business Studies. 

The opportunity for an internship in a fashion-related 

business in Part Three or Part Four can provide you with 

experience of a vocational area prior to completion of your 

degree. 

In the fourth year of the programme you will develop and 

undertake a research-based major project (BDes Honours 

students) that may result in a collection, or you may choose 

to do a studio project (BDes students) that may result in a 

mini-collection. The degree is completed with papers from 

those offered in business or specialist design and theoretical 

studies. 


13

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN 


DURATION 


AVAILABLE 

WELLINGTON 

THIS DEGREE INCORPORATES INNOVATIVE THINKING, PRACTICAL DESIGN AND 

NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PRODUCTS, EQUIPMENT AND 

FURNITURE TO MEET THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS 

OF CONTEMPORARY AND FUTURE SOCIETIES. 

The industrial design major is noted for the number of students who have won prestigious national 

and international design competitions. Graduates are working in consumer product companies such 

as Fisher & Paykel, Nike and Apple, and creative industries like Weta Workshop. 

OVERVIEW 

Industrial design is a great choice if you enjoy being creative 

and making three-dimensional objects. The programme 

focuses on designing desirable, innovative products 

that humanise new and existing technologies as well as 

enhancing our lives. Industrial designers are interested in 

the design of products, the experiences of people who use 

these products and the systems in which these products 

play a part. Through the programme you will research and 

design a diverse range of items from tools to kitchenware, 

jewellery to sporting goods, furniture to agricultural 

equipment. Your learning is mostly studio-based, and you will 

use both traditional and digital processes to explore design 

ideas. Through drawings and models you’ll refine these ideas 

into desirable, responsible products. 

This programme helps you learn how to conduct yourself 

as a design professional, and how the effective use of good 

design is an essential element in business success. 

The second year of the programme introduces specialist 

material and studio work including model making, 

history, materials and processes, ergonomics and visual 

communication (including drawing and rendering). 

In the third year of the programme you’ll undertake advanced 

studio design projects. You’ll study theory and criticism, 

materials and processes, and visual communication. 

In the fourth year of the programme you’ll develop 

and undertake individual research assignments, study 

professional practice and complete a design research (BDes 

Hons students) or studio project (BDes students). We also 

encourage our students to enter a national or international 

design competition. 

Throughout your degree, you will work with students 

from other majors in core studio papers, and critical and 

contextual studies, and have a wide choice of electives open 

to all design students. 

The objective of the programme is to produce internationally 

competitive, innovative product designers who will 

contribute to the shape of the future. Our focus is on helping 

our graduates become professionals who explore new ways 

of designing and integrating the needs of society, culture and 

the environment. 

STRUCTURE OF THE MAJOR 

Throughout the programme you will develop a rich 

understanding of design for desirability, usability and 

experience. Your skill in translating those attributes into 

products, furniture and systems will improve in leaps and 

bounds. 


which must include Studio I - Object, critical and contextual 


RAQUE KUNZ, INDUSTRIAL DESIGN 

14 


DEGREES 


Our graduates are well prepared for professional design career 

opportunities in a variety of fields including product design 

consultancies, design teams in manufacturing industries, 

architectural practices, social services departments, and 

industrial policy development in private and public corporations. 

Graduates typically start their careers employed as design 

assistants or junior designers and progress through to senior or 

management positions in private practices, or in manufacturing 

and construction industries. Some have become directors of 

successful export-focused manufacturing businesses, or design 

consultants here and internationally. Many of our students 

continue on to postgraduate studies, further developing their 

design abilities, knowledge, and research interests and skills. 

MATT MCKINLEY 

MDes 2009 

I graduated from Massey in 2008 and having come 

away with some success (Student category Gold at 

the Best awards, Dyson award NZ finalist) I decided 

to make the leap into doing my masters the following 

year. Pursuing masters study was a big decision for 

me as the prospect of being poor and sleepless for a 

further year was uninspiring! 

Ultimately the deal was made more appealing to me 

by the prospect of a dual sponsorship deal with the 

University’s Affect Research Centre and Gallagher 

Group, the Hamilton-based technology company, which 

allowed me to achieve the higher qualification while 

also gaining some valuable industry experience. 

Masters study, like the bachelor degree, was a damn 

tough time but it turned out to be one of the better 

decisions I’ve ever made. I graduated with Distinction, 

and subsequently secured employment with Gallagher 

as the company’s sole in-house Industrial Designer 

where I have had the opportunity to develop my 

Masters project further, and even get my name listed 

on a couple of international patents! 

I’ve been employed at Gallagher for four years now and 

during that time I’ve been lucky enough to perform field 

research with a variety of end users throughout the 

world, develop a wide range of innovative and exciting 

new products, and see the products I’ve helped to 

create enhance people’s lives out in the real world. 

MATT MCKINLEY, AWARD-WINNING GALLAGHER MULTI STRAND GATE 


15

DEGREES 

PHOTOGRAPHY 


DURATION 


AVAILABLE 

WELLINGTON 

PHOTOGRAPHY IS A DYNAMIC DISCIPLINE WITH MULTIPLE CAREER OPTIONS. 

GRADUATES PERFORM AT THE TOP OF THEIR FIELDS IN COMMERCIAL, FASHION, 

PORTRAITURE AND DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY. 

At Massey, photography is taught by some of New Zealand’s leading photographic practitioners with 

significant research profiles. Our facilities include professional studios, state-of-the-art digital suites 

and printers with technical support in addition to alternative and historical wet-based photographic 

processes. 

OVERVIEW 

With a major in photography you will have a broad-based 

platform of photographic theory and practice from which 

you can respond ethically, conceptually and creatively to 

personal and client communication needs. 

We encourage thematic approaches to photography 

throughout the degree. This means you may find yourself 

working in a range of photographic genres including, 

but not limited to, traditional genres of documentary 

photography, fine art photography, portraiture, still-life, 

fashion and architecture, but also evolving and experimental 

photographic methodologies, such as film/photography 

cross-overs and installation-based photographic practices. 



which must include Studio I - Lens, critical and contextual 


During Years Two to Four, you’ll explore different approaches 

to photography and be encouraged to pursue and articulate 

concepts that express your ideas. 

Themes include: 

{ ‘The Society of the Spectacle’: Media and Consumer 

Imagery 

Place and Site 

Presentation and installation for photographers. 


Your photography major will help you develop skills to 

apply in diverse fields. Wherever visual documentation 

and communication are needed, there are roles for 

photographers. Our graduates are employed in a number of 

areas such as advertising, the photographic arts, writing on 

photography, photographic conservation, the film industry, 

research facilities, working specifically in fashion, corporate 

promotion, illustration, photographing products from food 

to buildings, and on publications such as newspapers 

and magazines. Graduates are also employed to apply the 

documentation aspects of photography in such disciplines 

as medicine, science, forensic science, archaeology and 

anthropology. 

Each year, your understanding of photographs will be 

extended and augmented by your studies in history and 

criticism. These studies will contribute to your understanding 

of contemporary and historical practice and critical thinking 

in relation to photographic work. 





In Year Four BDes (Hons) students will pursue research topics 

in photography where significant emphasis is placed on 

research skills and procedures as well as the development 

and completion of an individual research project. BDes 

students will pursue studio-based projects. 


17 

CHRISTINA PERSEN, PHOTOGRAPHY

DEGREES 

SPATIAL DESIGN 


DURATION 


AVAILABLE 

WELLINGTON 

SPATIAL DESIGN FOCUSES ON THE CREATION AND MANIPULATION OF PLACES 

AND SPACES WITHIN WHICH PEOPLE PLAY OUT THEIR DAILY LIVES, DESIRES AND 

SOCIAL ENCOUNTERS. 

Spatial design is a complex field integrating space, lighting and technology with human habitation. 

This degree requires an awareness of our visual culture and the world around us, as it combines 

pragmatic requirements with poetic ideas. 

OVERVIEW 

Spatial design deals with a broad range of spaces and events 

encountered in daily life. From a commercial building interior 

to the interior of a home, public building or mode of transport, 

from an exhibition stand, theatre set or piece of furniture, 

spatial design can improve the standard and quality of our 

lives, and enrich our culture and national identity, while also 

contributing strongly to business success. 

The spatial design major lets you integrate spatial design 

studies with a range of other design, technical, and social 

disciplines in the School of Design and the wider University, to 

create an individual course of study. 

You’ll be able to structure your electives with a view to working 

in fields such as exhibition, theatre, film, video, new electronic 

media and virtual environments. 

Our students have participated in international symposia 

on spatial and performance design, working alongside 

professional designers and artists in locations such as Rome 

and Prague. 



which must include Studio I - Space, critical and contextual 


The second year introduces specialist subject material in 

spatial design studio, history, materials and making, human 

factors and visual communication (including drawing, digital 

rendering and model making). 


The Spatial Design major can be used as an entrance to 

professional design practice. It is also an appropriate tertiary 

degree to go on to a variety of career opportunities in fields 

like performance design, exhibition design, digital spatial 

design and game design. 

Graduates begin their careers as design assistants and 

can progress through to senior or management positions in 

private practices, or in service and construction industries. 

Our graduates have worked with performance designers 

and costume designers as well as at Weta Workshop. 

Some have become directors of successful interior design 

businesses, or design consultants working in diverse areas 

such as retail, entertainment and the visual arts around the 

world. 

In the fourth year of the programme you’ll develop and 

undertake an individual research assignment, and complete 

a major design project. 





In the third year of the programme, you will undertake 

advanced studio design projects, and study theory and 

criticism, professional practice, fabrication systems, 

technology and visual communication. 


19 

RITA SCHOOLEY, SPATIAL DESIGN

DEGREES 

TEXTILE DESIGN 


DURATION 


AVAILABLE 

WELLINGTON 

MASSEY’S TEXTILE DESIGN PROGRAMME REPRESENTS THE BREADTH AND 

DEPTH OF TEXTILES IN THE 21ST CENTURY BY EMBRACING THE LIMITLESS 

POSSIBILITIES IN NEW CONCEPTUAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES. 

As a textile design student you’ll develop skills in colour, texture, pattern and surface applications 

along with a rich mix of studio processes in print, dye, weave, knit and mixed-media. You’ll graduate 

with career possibilities in fashion and interior industries as well as art and design galleries. 

OVERVIEW 

The textile design programme is very flexible and offers a 

range of studio opportunities including screen and digital 

fabric printing, sustainable colouration, mixed media, digital 

knit, weave and web design. We’ll provide you with an 

intellectual and creative environment that encourages critical 

debate to help focus and contextualise your work. We’ll 

train you to create opportunities, identify new concepts, and 

participate in the global industry. 


Our graduates have pursued careers a vast array of 

disciplines. These include designing wall coverings, 

furnishings and apparel fabrics, art and design for films and 

theatre, secondary and tertiary education, consulting for 

colour and lifestyle trend predictions, as well as styling in the 

marketing and merchandising industry sectors. 

Design development across disciplines is encouraged, 

drawing on well-established links with creative, commercial, 

cultural and heritage organisations. Our students and 

graduates achieve outstanding success in New Zealand and 

international competitions such as the World of Wearable 

Arts, and the International Society of Dyers and Colourists 

Awards. 



which must include Studio I - Material, critical and contextual 


Year Two introduces textile design process and specific skills 

and techniques. 

In Year Three, we are supported by several industries 

providing opportunities to orientate designs for specific 

applications. We also offer an internship elective. 

The fourth year programme encourages you to undertake an 

individual research project, alongside business studies. 

Throughout your degree, you will work with students from 

other majors in core studio papers, and critical and contextual 

studies, and have a wide choice of electives open to all design 

students. 

LARA JONES, TEXTILE DESIGN 


21 

CHLOE MEHRTENS, TEXTILE DESIGN

DEGREES 

VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN 


DURATION 


AVAILABLE 

WELLINGTON 

AS A VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN STUDENT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE A 

BALANCE OF HIGH QUALITY PRACTICE AND RESEARCH PROVIDING LIFE-LONG 

LEARNING SKILLS AND A MULTIPLICITY OF CAREER OPPORTUNITIES. 

Visual communication design not only includes graphic design, advertising, illustration, and digital 

media, but also other innovative combinations initiated by staff and students to explore any and all 

aspects of visual communication required by today’s and tomorrow’s societies. 

OVERVIEW 

Visual communication design is focused on the 

communication of ideas through different visual media, 

embracing digital technology as well as traditional media. 

Students develop core skills in visual language, research, 

synthesis, creative ideation and evaluation. You learn about 

market factors (client, audience, competitive positioning, trend 

analysis), contextual themes (identity, representation, power), 

social responsibility, professional practice (entrepreneurship, 

employment, self-employment, collaboration, presentation) 

and the impacts of emergent technologies. You also develop 

specialist skills within and across the spectrum of visual 

communication design practice, including but not constrained 

to the fields of digital media, graphic design, illustration and 

advertising. 


Graduates with Massey visual communication design 

degrees work in a wide range of professions in New 

Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, the US and Europe. They 

work for design firms and consultancies, advertising 

agencies, computer and web design firms, film studios, 

postproduction companies, as publication designers, 

freelance illustrators and designers, as well as setting up 

their own successful companies. 



which must include either Studio I – Screen or Studio I – Type, 

critical and contextual studies, and two elective papers (see 

pages 9-11). 

In the second year you get to grips with the principles of 

visual communication design and a range of specific skills, 

processes and technologies. 

In the third year you can further develop your skills in such 

areas as graphic design, typography, advertising, computer 

animation, interactivity, digital video design, and web design. 

The fourth year of the programme extends your knowledge 

and creativity and integrates individual subjects in a research 

or studio project. 

Throughout your degree, you will work with students from 

other majors in core studio papers, and critical and contextual 

studies, and have a wide choice of electives open to all design 

students. 

CLARE CATO, VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN 

SARAH CANTILLON AND JESSICA TAYLOR, 

VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN 


23

MICK HUBERTUS, FINE ARTS 

BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS (HONOURS) 

BFA (Hons) / BFA 

24 


DURATION 


AVAILABLE 

WELLINGTON 

THE BFA OFFERS A BROAD BASE OF THEORY, SKILLS AND 

CREATIVE PRACTICE THROUGH INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIOS 

AND FOCUSED WORKSHOPS. STUDENTS DEVELOP EXPERTISE 

WITH FINE ARTS MEDIA THAT CAN BE APPLIED IN A VARIETY 

OF CONTEXTS THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREERS. 

Massey Wellington is home to the most innovative university art 

school in New Zealand. Students become inventive, critical, 

self-aware and self-reliant artists, who can work in careers 

wherever creative problem-solving is valued. At the School of Art, 

you’ll meet visiting artists, curators and writers, experiment with 

trans-disciplinary approaches through common papers and 

shared projects with the School of Design, and broaden your 

horizons through international study tours.

DEGREES 


The degree programme is centred in a contemporary 

studio environment where you can experience a wide 

range of approaches to making art. Artists at the cutting 

edge of contemporary art research and practice will be 

available to guide you as you develop your own fresh and 

multidisciplinary approach to new work. You’ll also take a 

series of focused and challenging critical studies papers 

that further examine ways to produce, reflect on and critique 

art. 

The School of Art emphasises a contextual, site-responsive 

mode of making art, and does not prioritise any style or 

media. The Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) and the Bachelor 

of Fine Arts equip you to follow your own creative enquiry 

through whatever is the most compelling medium for you. 

In the Bachelor of Fine Arts, you’ll focus on practicebased 

work in your final year. In the Bachelor of Fine Arts 

(Hons) there is a stronger research focus with a research 

requirement with seminar programmes supporting the 

development of independent project work. 

See pages 4-6 for details about selected entry applications. 

PLANNING YOUR DEGREE 

All fine arts degree students initially enrol in a Bachelor of 

Fine Arts with Honours. 

In Year Three, you and your academic advisers decide 

whether you will continue with the Bachelor of Fine Arts 

(Honours) or complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts, which is 

less research-focused. Honours students must successfully 

complete Introduction to Fine Art Research in the second 

half of Year Three. 


The Bachelor of Fine Arts can start you on your 

path as a professional artist. It is also a steppingstone 

for a career in allied fields such as art education, arts 

administration and involvement in a wide array of creative 

industries where problem-solving and collaborative skills 

are increasingly in demand. Graduates with honours may 

also continue on to postgraduate studies in fine arts to 

further develop their knowledge, research interests and 

skills, or move into related fields such as Massey University’s 

Postgraduate Diploma in Visual and Material Culture or 

Museum Studies. 

The degree is made up of separate courses called ‘papers’, 

the size of which is defined by the credit value. In the first 

year you’ll take eight 15-credit papers, making a total of 120 

credits. You should aim for 60 credits per semester and make 

sure you include papers that are prerequisites for the next 

level of papers you wish to study. To complete your degree 

you will need a total of 480 credits, which corresponds to 

four years of full-time study. 

In Year One, you will study with other aspiring artists and 

designers in papers that cover all students in their first year 

at the College of Creative Arts. Everyone selects studio 

papers covering several art and design disciplines. This 

helps you see the potential of different approaches, and sets 

the foundations for collaborative projects. 

BFA(Hons) and BFA Structure 

either 

or 

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 BFA(Hons) Year 4 BFA 

Semester 

1 

Semester 

2 

Semester 

1 

Semester 

2 

Semester 

1 

Semester 

2 

Semester 

1 

Semester 

2 

Semester 

1 

Semester 

2 

Studio I 

Studio I 

Studio I 

Studio I 

Art Studio 

I 

Art Studio 

II 

Art Studio 

III 

Art Studio 

IV 

Art Studio 

Research 

Art Studio 

V 

Art Studio 

Practice 

Art Studio 

V 

Critical & 

Contextual 

Studies 

Critical & 

Contextual 

Studies 

Critical & 

Contextual 

Studies 

Critical & 

Contextual 

Studies* 

Critical & 

Contextual 

Studies 

Critical & 

Contextual 

Studies** 

Research 

Seminar 

15 credits 

Elective 

Elective Elective Elective Elective Elective 

Introduction 

to Fine Arts 

Research; 

or an Elective 

Elective 

(400-level) 

External 

focus *** 

Elective 

External 

focus *** 

* or Creative Industries ** or Creative Enterprise *** Creative Futures or Exhibition or 

Creative Exposition 


25

In later years, you will carve your own niche through your 

response to the core art studio papers and your particular 

choice of electives. 

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE 

Year One introduces fine arts and design students to the 

principles, processes and practices of art and design 

through investigation, conceptual development and 

experimentation. 

In Years Two to Four, fine arts students have their own 

dedicated studio space in the School of Art and become 

increasingly independent in their approach to their studio 

work as they progress through the degree. 

Art studio papers focus on the methods and ideas of 

contemporary art production, through which you will 

develop and refine your own body of work. The studios 

are taught with an interdisciplinary philosophy, and are 

supported by media and technical workshops that facilitate 

each student’s individual development. 

Studio courses are underpinned by innovative critical and 

contextual studies courses, taught across the Schools of 

Art and Design, in which you can develop your knowledge 

of the historical, social and cultural context of art and 

design. 

In Year Four, you either complete your Bachelor of Fine 

Arts with Honours, or a Bachelor of Fine Arts. 

In the Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours, the focus 

in the final year is on further extending expertise, and 

on art studio research. All 120 credits of study are at 

400-level, and must include a fine arts research seminar 

paper addressing critical issues in the production of art 

and culture. You’ll undertake an approved supervised art 

research project, which includes creative practice. 

In the less research-focused pathway of the Bachelor of 

Fine Arts you select further elective papers and undertake 

a major studio project. 

In the final semester of your final year, all students take an 

External Focus paper. You can do this through exhibition, 

creative exposition, or the more entrepreneurial/industryfocused 

‘creative futures’ paper. 

CORE STUDIO PAPERS 

In your first year, you choose four Studio I papers from nine 

on offer, covering art and design. Each paper is taught as a 

six-week block. 

Each Studio I paper fosters creative and analytical thinking 

skills, idea generation and visualisation common to art and 

design practice, but also develops specific techniques, 

skills and processes. To advance in fine arts, you need to 

pass either Studio I – Art Lab or Studio I – Art Place. 

Studio I paper Focus on 

Art Lab 

Art-making across different media. 

Art Place Art-making in relation to site and 

context. 

Dress 

Creatively dressing bodies and 

fashioning garments. 

Lens 

Photographic image-making. 

Material Investigation of materials, form, surface, 

image and pattern for the design and 

making of textiles. 

Object 

3D form-giving, resourceful making and 

user experience. 

Screen 

Digital screen areas such as video, web, 

animation, interaction and emerging 

technologies. 

Space 

Definition and investigation of 

physical, temporal and digital spatial 

environments and their inhabitation. 

Type 

Print-oriented communication 

environments. 

After Year One, about half your course work each year 

will be through your core art studio papers, where you will 

experiment and develop your practice and produce bodies 

of new work. 

CRITICAL AND CONTEXTUAL STUDIES 

Critical and contextual studies will train you in the critical 

analysis of art, design and visual and material culture. It 

helps you develop expertise in writing essays and reports. 

THE ‘BUSINESS’ OF ART 

In Years Two and Three, you have the option of doing 

papers in art and design business, which develop your 

knowledge of creative business leadership, industry and 

professional practice. You can integrate further business 

papers by taking electives from the College of Business. 

All fine arts students must also complete a compulsory 

External Focus component in Year Four, in preparation for 

their chosen career pathway. Here you focus on projecting 

yourself and your art practice externally, whether through 

exhibition or writing about art and culture. 

26 


DEGREES 

ELECTIVES 

Throughout your degree, you’ll choose elective papers. 

Each elective is 15 credits, and you can select those that 

align with your interests and future direction. 

Year One electives offered by the School of Art tend to 

focus on specific media or technical approaches to artmaking, 

such as Introduction to Painting, Introduction to 

Sculpture, Drawing, Drawing the Body, and Māori Art and 

Design Studio: Toi Atea. 

Electives also develop out of the research interests of our 

staff. Projects in these papers change from semester to 

semester and year to year, addressing titles as diverse as 

performance, sculpture and site, self-published fanzines, 

and the unusual ‘Conceptualisms, Conspiracies and 

Counter-histories’. 

In addition, you can take electives from the School of 

Design, and from other colleges at Massey, such as 

business, humanities or music, provided you meet their 

requirements. 

Academic Advising in September each year is a great time 

to discuss your choices in detail, or contact the college 

office at any time. 

BRONWYN 

HOLLOWAY-SMITH 

BFA (Hons) 2006 

Graduating from Massey University School of Fine Arts 

left me with a strong passion for the arts. Seven years 

later and I’m living a happily multifarious life – making 

my own work, supporting the work of others, and using 

art as a platform to critically think, write and talk about 

big future issues. A few highlights so far include: 

{ Working as Project Coordinator for the One Day 

Sculpture public art series. 

Serving for 4 years as a trustee for Enjoy Public 

Art Gallery. Connecting with Artist Run Initiatives 

overseas and subsequently exhibiting in Chicago, 

Tokyo, and Melbourne. 

Cofounding and directing the Creative Freedom 

Foundation: a not-for-profit New Zealand 

artist’s copyright advocacy group. In 2009, I was 

spokesperson for the CFF-led “internet blackout” 

online public protest that gained significant 

media attention in NZ and overseas, paving the 

way for high-profile 2012 SOPA/PIPA blackout 

protests in the USA. 

Making the NZ National Business Review’s 

2009 list of the “25 Most Powerful People In 

Technology”. 

Being selected as one of the first artists to create 

a billboard artwork for Wellington City Council’s 

Ghuznee St Art Billboard series. 

Working with the acclaimed public art 

commissioning group ‘Letting Space’ to realise 

the Pioneer City showroom and website – a major 

installation in downtown Wellington in 2012. 

Being included in The Obstinate Object – a major 

survey of contemporary NZ sculpture at City 

Gallery Wellington. 

Working with AUT’s CoLab research centre to 

develop a video work for Air New Zealand’s 

Inflight Entertainment programme. The work was 

screened on all Air NZ international flights for 

three months in early 2013. 

Winning the biannual New Zealand Open Source 

Arts Award two years running: once in 2010 for 

my project Ghosts In The Form Of Gifts and again 

in 2012 for Whisper Down The Lane. 

Being accepted into Harvard to study a copyright 

course through the online education network 

EdX. 

BRONWYN HOLLOWAY-SMITH, 

PIONEER CITY 2010 


27

DIPLOMA IN PHOTOGRAPHY 

DipPhoto 

DURATION 

2 YEARS OF 

FULL-TIME STUDY 

AVAILABLE 

WELLINGTON 

THE DIPLOMA IN PHOTOGRAPHY SPANS THE MAJOR CONCEPTS AND SKILLS 

ASSOCIATED WITH PROFESSIONAL AND DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY, EXHIBITION 

SKILLS, AND ELECTRONIC IMAGING. 

The DipPhoto is an intensive two-year full time course. 


The Diploma in Photography principally emphasises the 

practical aspects of photography. The first year introduces 

you to the studio, the darkroom and the digital environment, 

while engaging with portraiture, the street, digital montage 

and documentary photography. In the second year you 

will extend your practice and develop in-depth individual 

photography projects in the areas you are most interested in 

pursuing. 

YEAR ONE 

Studio Photography 

Photographic Documentary 

Photographic Communication. 

YEAR TWO 

Photographic Technologies 

Photographic Practices 

Collaborative Photographic Project. 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS 

Entry is based on the standard requirements for entry 

to the University (refer to website for details) and on the 

assessment of a portfolio of work (see page 4 – ‘Design 

Portfolio Requirements’). Applications and portfolios are due 

by October 1, 2013. 

FAB LAB WELLINGTON 

28 


OTHER COURSES 

GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN DESIGN 

GradDipDes 

DURATION 

EQUIVALENT TO 1 YEAR 

OF FULL-TIME 

AVAILABLE 

WELLINGTON 

THIS COURSE PROVIDES FURTHER EDUCATION FOR: 

{ Holders of a degree in another discipline considering a change of career path 

Experienced designers who want to update their skills on a part-time basis 

Holders of design diplomas who want to enrol for a Postgraduate Diploma or Master of Design 

Those who want to enhance their qualifications with a coherent series of papers in a specific 

area of design. 


The Graduate Diploma in Design provides an opportunity 

for students who have already completed a degree to add 

an additional subject area to their learning. It consists of 

120 credits of 200 and 300-level papers from the Bachelor 

of Design schedule of papers. The programme is extremely 

flexible and you can plan a graduate diploma to meet your 

personal aptitudes and aspirations, from one of more than 

ten design subject areas. 

PLANNING YOUR GRADUATE DIPLOMA 

Before you enrol in papers for a graduate diploma you 

should discuss and gain approval for your proposed study 

with an academic staff member. To complete the graduate 

diploma, you’ll need to select papers to the value of 120 

credits from the wide range of papers for the Bachelor of 

Design at 200, 300 or 400-level. At least 75 credits must be 

at 300-level (third year) or above. Students usually select a 

coherent set of papers that enables them to consolidate and 

develop core knowledge and skills beginning with 200-level 

papers. These are often prerequisites for the 300-level 

papers. The best way to take the programme is part-time 

as there may be limitations on the availability of 300-level 

papers in the second semester. 

Some papers have prerequisites, ie other papers that 

need to be completed first. For this reason you may be 

required to complete 100-level papers in addition to the 

papers comprising your graduate diploma. Depending on 

your previous experience or study, and the quality of your 

portfolio, you may be granted an exemption from these 

prerequisite papers on application to the relevant Head of 

Department. 

A graduate diploma endorsed in a particular discipline can 

be achieved by including 75 credits from the major core 

papers. Alternatively the graduate diploma may be studied 

without an endorsement by taking papers across a range of 

design disciplines. 

Completion of your graduate diploma may require study to 

be spread over at least two years because of prerequisite 

requirements, and the semester in which papers are offered. 

Some papers are subject to limitations on enrolments. 

Priority is given to Bachelor of Design students. 

If you are planning to use the graduate diploma as 

preparation for postgraduate study in design you should 

consult design staff before you enrol. 

PAPERS 

Papers are those listed in the Bachelor of Design schedules 

and information is available from the College of Creative Arts 

Office. Please refer to the Massey website for the full list of 

Bachelor of Design papers and prescriptions. 


The Graduate Diploma in Design is open to holders of a 

Bachelor’s degree. Applicants who do not have a degree 

may apply to be admitted with equivalent status on the 

basis of practical, professional or scholarly experience, for 

example, an appropriate diploma plus work experience or 

substantial relevant professional experience. Applicants are 

required to submit a portfolio of work to demonstrate they 

are at the standard necessary to undertake work at 200-level 

(second year) and beyond. Please forward your application 

and portfolio to us by November 15, 2013. 


The Graduate Diploma in Design tends to be used by 

people who want to extend their career options, or who 

want to fulfil personal creative goals. It is not uncommon 

to find those pursing the programme have arts, science, 

marketing or other business degrees. On completion of 

the diploma graduates are extremely well design-informed 

in their chosen subject area and go on to make extended 

contributions to their primary career area, use it to change 

career paths, or pursue personal interests. 


29

CERTIFICATE IN ART AND DESIGN STUDIES 

CertArtDesStud 

DURATION 

EQUIVALENT 

TO 1 YEAR OF 

FULL-TIME STUDY 

AVAILABLE 

WELLINGTON 

THE CERTIFICATE IS FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO STUDY ART OR DESIGN AT UNIVERSITY 

LEVEL WITHOUT UNDERTAKING AN ENTIRE FOUR-YEAR DESIGN OR FINE ARTS DEGREE. 

It is particularly suited to part-time study and may later be surrendered for credit towards design or 

fine arts degree programmes. 


The certificate consists of degree-level papers worth a 

total of 120 credits, which is the equivalent of one year’s 

full-time study. A range of design and fine arts topics are 

offered. 

If you hold a Certificate in Art and Design Studies and you 

go on to enrol for a Massey degree in fine arts or design, 

on surrendering the certificate, you can have papers 

you’ve already passed credited towards your degree. You 

would also need to complete the core papers that are not 

included in the certificate and meet the credit total for 

the degree. Papers passed for the certificate may also 

be credited to other degrees if it is permitted under the 

regulations for those degrees. 


Applicants must meet the university admission 

requirements these can be found on our website at 

enrol.massey.ac.nz. It does not require the submission of 

a portfolio (refer to website for information on admission 

to the University). However, enrolment in papers from the 

Bachelor of Design or Bachelor of Fine Arts that are not on 

the schedule will be subject to submission of a satisfactory 

portfolio of work, approval of the Academic Registrar and 

space being available in any papers for which there are 

enrolment limitations in place. Applications are due by 

October 1, 2013. 

PLANNING YOUR STUDY 

The certificate is comprised of eight 15-credit papers 

chosen from the certificate schedule. Please refer to 

the Massey website for full details of the schedule and 

prescriptions for the papers. It may also include up to 45 

credits of relevant papers from other degrees such as the 

Bachelor of Arts. With Academic Registrar’s approval, 

other papers from the Bachelor of Design or Bachelor of 

Fine Arts in photography, textile design, fashion design, 

industrial design, spatial design and visual communication 

design may be included. 

Some of the papers listed on the schedule have 

prerequisites (papers that need to be passed first), some 

require approval of a portfolio of work and some have 

limits on enrolments. If you are likely to want to complete a 

degree in the future, consider making an application to the 

Bachelor of Design or Fine Arts rather than the certificate 

as this may enable you to complete all the core papers 

for Part One of your chosen degree within your certificate 

programme. 

30 


CONTACTING MASSEY FOR MORE INFORMATION 

MORE INFORMATION 

COLLEGE OF CREATIVE ARTS 


Private Box 756 

Wellington 6140 

DELIVERY ADDRESS 

Student Central 

Massey University Wellington Campus 

Entrance A, Wallace Street, Wellington 

E-mail: 

Website: 

creative@massey.ac.nz 


THE MASSEY UNIVERSITY WEBSITE 

The Massey University website is full of useful information 

covering everything you need to know – from what each 

campus has to offer, their departments and programmes, 

scholarships, events, accommodation and plenty more. 

And don’t forget to bookmark the Massey site – it’s constantly 

being updated with the latest information. 

ENGINE OF THE NEW NEW ZEALAND 

WEBSITE 

ENGINE.AC.NZ 

If you’re unsure what you’d like to study, head to the 

engine.ac.nz website. There are stories of inspiring 

people who have great careers, and have an impact on 

New Zealand and the world. They might just give you the 

inspiration you’ve been looking for! You can find out how to 

follow in their footsteps, what you’d need to study and what 

being at university will actually be like. You’ll find out how 

you can join the ‘Engine of the new New Zealand’ and have 

a real impact on New Zealand, and the world! 

CALL OUR CONTACT CENTRE 

If you’d rather speak to a real person feel free to give our 

friendly contact centre staff a call on 0800 MASSEY. 

Or, if you’d like to actually see a real person drop in to our 

campuses in Albany, Palmerston North or Wellington. 

WE HAVE STUDENT ADVISERS 

We have heaps of people available to answer any 

questions you may have about studying at Massey. 

We understand it is a big decision. To speak to someone, 

or to get someone to visit your school or workplace: 


Text: 5222 

Email: contact@massey.ac.nz 

Dedicated International, Māori and Pasifika student 

advisers are also available. 

MASSEY ‘YOUR GUIDE TO’ BOOKS 

Massey produces a range of ‘Your Guide To’ books grouped 

around particular interest areas. They provide details of 

entry requirements, majors, course structures and career 

outcomes covering all our programmes. 

To obtain copies of ‘Your Guide to’ books: 

Download them at publications.massey.ac.nz 


Text: 5222 

Email: contact@massey.ac.nz 

EVENTS 

Another great way to see for yourself what life and study 

is like at Massey is at one of our open days. You’ll learn 

about Massey’s programmes, career opportunities, 

accommodation options, campus facilities, and get to talk to 

lecturers and current students. 

For more information see masseyopendays.ac.nz 

Massey also has stands at various career and tertiary 

education expos held all over New Zealand (and beyond). 

If you want to know where you’ll see us next, 

call 0800 MASSEY, text 5222, email contact@massey.ac.nz 

or visit events.massey.ac.nz 

FACEBOOK 

We have our own Facebook page which you can join to 

keep up to date with what is happening at Massey before 

you come to study with us. 

To like our page: facebook.com/masseyuniversity 

TWITTER 

You can also follow us on Twitter 

twitter.com/massey_uni 


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