Looking for a way to translate your creativity into a career in art? Want to gain experience in a range of specialty subjects and discover where your artistic talent truly lies? This degree will teach you how to become a creative maker, thinker and active agent in a local, national and global context. A qualification in the Visual Arts will allow you to find employment in a diverse range of professions such as practicing artist, curator, art educator or researcher. A variety of roles within the digital and film industries would also be possible. Gain technical, academic and personal skills which will be transferable to a wide variety of fields including education, design, management and marketing. This qualification provides a perfect bridge into further learning as you select from a range of subjects initially and then move into full specialisation, focusing your talents in your chosen field. Study at New Zealand's most established school of art and benefit from the nationally-unique range of workshop facilities and the excellent studio-based teaching. Flourish under the guidance of highly experienced lecturers who have national and international profiles and represent a diverse range of approaches and understandings. Distance option: Our distance option is perfect for those learners who need more flexibility. This is currently only available to those applicants who wish to specialise in Photography or Painting. You will need to submit a portfolio to demonstrate your experience so your skills can be assessed and rewarded with the appropriate academic credits. With the right level of experience, you will be able to enter directly into the year two, distance option of this qualification. Year two of this qualification is then completed via distance learning with some classes in Central Otago and visits to Dunedin. Regular visits by Dunedin School of Art staff to our Central Otago campus will also occur. Year three - we are also seeking approval to offer the Year 3 Painting and Photography courses in Central from 2019. Further Study Options This programme perfectly prepares you for further learning and you may go on to study for a Postgraduate Diploma in Visual Arts, a Master of Fine Arts or a Master of Visual Arts. Your workload A full-time programme entails five full working days (or the equivalent) for 32 weeks. Studios are open for extended hours for senior students. Programme specific risks You will complete Health and Safety checklists for specific hazards in your courses. During your study, you will use a range of technical equipment and chemical substances. If you have known allergies or reactions to materials, please indicate these in your application. You will study In the first semester, you will gain experience in each of the studio disciplines listed below. This will be supported by visual arts courses in Studio Methodologies, and Art History and Theory that will introduce you to a range of key skills in art-making and research. In the second semester, you will extend your knowledge in two of these studio areas and continue with Art History and Theory. In the second year, you will specialise in a single studio subject, developing your core skills and techniques, experimenting widely and engaging with critical debates as you move towards more independent learning in your chosen area. You will also continue to study Art History and Theory, and Studio Methodologies. In your final year, you will extend your art practice into a sustained body of work for presentation in a public exhibition. The Studio Research and Professional Methodologies courses provide critical, historical and vocational contexts for the development of your studio project in your final year.