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Study art & creative design online with Curtin University through Open Universities Australia. Explore all degrees, subjects and short courses now.

If you aspire to become a professional artist and want to contribute to the artistic, aesthetic and social needs of our society, the Fine Art major may suit you. The Fine Art major draws upon the diverse and complex traditions of Fine Art and calls for a high degree of self-discipline, a capacity for self-criticism and dedication to the demanding profession of being an artist. This degree aims to produce highly accomplished and knowledgeable graduates able to contribute to the artistic, aesthetic and social needs of contemporary society.
Students may choose to study the following combinations of two single majors to obtain the double major award:
<ul><li>Fine Art and Visual Culture</li><li>Digital Design and Fine Art</li><li>Fine Art and Digital and Social Media</li><li>Fine Art and Professional Writing &amp; Publishing</li></ul>
Please refer to the respective degree pages for more details.

Contribute to society’s artistic and aesthetic needs. Major in Fine Art for a demanding, but rewarding, profession as a fine artist. This art degree calls for a high level of creativity, self-discipline, dedication and a capacity for self-criticism.

Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art)

The Undergraduate Certificate in Fine Art is designed for people who are interested in pursuing a career in Fine Arts. The Undergraduate Certificate may enable entry into the Fine Art (OUMU-FNART) Major offered by Curtin through Open Universities Australia or the equivalent internal course.

Your introduction to fine art studies at university level. You can use this course to discover the methods, mediums, and media you connect with. Paint the first strokes on your professional career in today’s art industry or work towards further study.

Undergraduate Certificate in Fine Art

The Undergraduate Certificate in Art History is designed for people who are interested in pursuing a career in Art History. The Undergraduate Certificate may give students entry (and credit for the four units completed) for the Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) among others at Curtin.

Gain a head start in fine arts studies with this introduction to art history’s key ideas and events. You’ll explore Australian art, modernism, and issues in contemporary art. Build your appreciation of art and design and work towards a fine arts degree.

Undergraduate Certificate in Art History

The Game and Animation Design major allows students to specialise in the engaging area of visual narrative communication through the means of animation design and development, as well as game design and development. This programme will provide the opportunity to learn theory and fundamentals relevant to visual narrative construction, through the mediums of 2D animation, 3D animation, VFX production, Game design and development and virtual and immersive world design.

Be drawn in by a field which combines project management, technical expertise and creative storytelling. Work in an exciting fast-evolving industry, perhaps as an animator, 3D artist, motion graphics designer, visual effects artist or educator. 

Bachelor of Arts (Animation and Game Design)

This degree was previously known as Bachelor of Arts (Internet Communications).
The Bachelor of Arts (Digital and Social Media) provides you with an opportunity to learn in detail about the human dimensions of the Internet: how people network, collaborate, and share information through Internet communications, media and design. You will develop advanced skills in creating, maintaining and managing online communications for personal and commercial interactions, as well as gaining knowledge of the social and cultural contexts within which those interactions occur.
The approach is interdisciplinary: you develop skills in website design, public communication, social network management, collaboration and web media production. At the same time you will understand the political, economic and social changes associated with the Internet.
By combining this degree with recommended electives in media, design, business, information technology, marketing, and other disciplines, you will create the right degree program for you to become an astute, engaged professional communicator via the Internet.
Students may choose to study the following combinations of two single majors to obtain the double major award:
<ul><li>Digital and Social Media and Visual Culture</li><li>Digital and Social Media and Professional Writing &amp; Publishing</li><li>Digital Design and Digital and Social Media</li><li>Fine Art and Digital and Social Media</li></ul>
Please refer to the respective degree pages for more details.

Study digital publishing, virtual collaboration and social networks alongside networked technologies, regulation and the economics of the internet. Take electives in media, design, IT and marketing to secure skills that are coveted by every industry.

Bachelor of Arts (Digital and Social Media)

This degree offers a choice of two single majors: BA (Fine Art) or BA (Visual Culture). Students may choose to study both single majors to obtain the BA (Fine Art) (Visual Culture).
If you would like to explore the full breadth of art practice including theory and history, combining the two majors into a BA (Fine Art) (Visual Culture) is highly recommended. The combination of these majors will offer you broad experience in visual arts , theory and practice. 
If you aspire to become a professional artist and want to contribute to the artistic, aesthetic and social needs of our society, the Fine Art major may suit you. The Fine Art major draws upon the diverse and complex traditions of Fine Art and calls for a high degree of self-discipline, a capacity for self-criticism and dedication to the demanding profession of being an artist. 
In the Visual Culture major students explore the history and theories of art and learn to critically evaluate how art informs our world. Students have the opportunity to extend and apply research methods through theoretical and/or practical investigations in contemporary art.

Artistic professions shape society’s aesthetic and social needs. Aspiring artists can choose Fine Art or Visual Culture (art history, theory and critical evaluation) for work in curation, policy development, public relations and tourism.

Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) (Visual Culture)

This degree was previously known as Bachelor of Arts (Digital Design).
The Digital Experience and Interaction Design major allows you to experience the exciting, creative fields within digital design and interactive media.
This major provides you with a comprehensive theory and practice-based education in digital design, focusing on key principles and techniques in website design, user interaction / experience design (UI/UX) and app design. You will use digital technologies to develop forward-thinking and innovative design solutions to real-world problems. The major has a strong industry and design research focus, and you will work on real-world projects, facilitated by experienced staff and industry specialists. There is emphasis on concept generation, creative problem-solving, aesthetics and advanced technical skills in digital technologies using the latest digital production software. Students may choose to study the following combinations of two single majors to obtain the double major award:
<ul><li>Digital Experience and Interaction Design and Fine Art</li><li>Digital Experience and Interaction Design and Digital and Social Media</li><li>Digital Experience and Interaction Design and Professional Writing &amp; Publishing</li><li>Digital Experience and Interaction Design and Visual Culture</li></ul>
Please refer to the respective degree pages for more details.

Design products and applications using current and emerging technologies in web design, 3D animation, illustration and rendering. Find work in the interactive, mobile, game, user experience (UX) and experiential design fields.

Bachelor of Arts (Digital Experience and Interaction Design)

This degree offers a choice of studying two single majors together and introduces students to the complementary fields of fine art and professional writing &amp; publishing. The Fine Art degree draws upon the diverse and complex traditions of Fine Art and calls for a high degree of self-discipline, a capacity for self-criticism and dedication to the demanding profession of being an artist. This major aims to produce highly accomplished and knowledgeable graduates able to contribute to the artistic, aesthetic and social needs of contemporary society. The Professional Writing and Publishing major prepares students for writing careers in the private, public and creative sectors through the study and practice of a range of different writing forms, including feature articles, speeches, reports, discussion papers, travel writing, history, humour, writing for the internet, promotional writing, creative non-fiction and media releases.

Draw on your complementary skill set when you engage with both fine art and professional writing. Create a career that calls on your cultural engagement, learn how to effectively communicate with an audience, and satisfy your creative passions.

Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) (Professional Writing and Publishing)

This degree was previously known as Bachelor of Arts (Digital Design and Professional Writing and Publishing).
This degree offers a choice of studying two single majors together and introduces students to the complementary fields of digital design and professional writing &amp; publishing. This degree enables students to understand web-based design, 2-D and 3-D animation design, digital photography, digital illustration and rendering, interactive and experience design, simulations and modelling, and electronic game design along with preparing students for writing careers in the private, public and creative sectors through the study and practice of a range of different writing forms, including feature articles, speeches, reports, discussion papers, travel writing, history, humour, writing for the internet, promotional writing, creative non-fiction and media releases.

Double down on your options when you combine digital design with the ability to adapt your writing for a variety of platforms. Become a one stop shop for digital content creation, able to work individually or collaboratively to engage audiences. 

Bachelor of Arts (Digital Experience and Interaction Design) (Professional Writing and Publishing)

In the Visual Culture major students explore the history and theories of art and learn to critically evaluate how art informs our world. Students have the opportunity to extend and apply research methods through theoretical and / or practical investigations in Contemporary art practice.
Students may choose to study the following combinations of two single majors to obtain the double major award:
<ul><li>Fine Art and Visual Culture</li><li>Digital Design and Visual Culture</li><li>Digital and Social Media and Visual Culture</li><li>Professional Writing &amp; Publishing and Visual Culture</li></ul>
Please refer to the respective degree pages for more details.

Explore how culture is expressed in visual images. Understand how art informs our world, through the history and theories of art. Work in sectors where initiative, creativity and critical thinking are valued—curation, policy development, and tourism.

Bachelor of Arts (Visual Culture)

Issues in Contemporary Art

Publishing Studio

This subject was previously known as VAR11 Visual Arts Research: Introduction to Drawing.
In this subject you will explore drawing through investigation of the elements and principles of the visual language of drawing. You are encouraged to develop the formal, conceptual, experimental and expressive use of this language. Through set projects you will examine the effectiveness of various visual solutions by testing possibilities and experimenting with a range of appropriate media.
Please Note:  If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Draw a solid base for your fine arts study with fundamental skills in drawing. Create artwork enlivened by your use of tone, body, and line and mark marking. Play with visual forms and techniques. Convey your artistic intent through the visual language of drawing.

Drawing

This subject was previously known as VIS18 Historical Issues in Art and Design.
This subject provides students with an introduction to some of the key ideas and events in the history of art and design. It is intended as a basic introduction to the history of ideas and the effects such ideas have had on the recent evolution of art and design. While this unit has a Euro-centric bias, ideas from other cultural histories are introduced. Students are taught the visual literacy and analysis needed to be able to understand historical and contemporary art and design.
Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Travel back through centuries of art history. Traverse European and Eastern countries as you learn what inspired and influenced artistic movements. Identify hallmarks of artworks created under the banner of modernism, romanticism and expressionism.

Introduction to History of Art and Design

This subject was previously known as Painting: Methods and Material.
This subject is designed to engage you in the ideas of contemporary art through practical application of technical skills and conceptual development. In this subject you will be encouraged to align conceptual development with the acquisition of traditional and contemporary skills across a range of visual art methods. You will undertake several set art projects utilising traditional and contemporary skills and concepts from a wide range of fine art media.
You must supply your own art materials and have access to a digital camera and/or scanner for documenting your artwork for assessment.
Please Note:  If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Create imaginative art pieces using a mix of traditional and modern skill sets. Pick apart the relationships, tone and associations of different colours. Get your hands dirty exploring paint as a substance. Develop concepts and analyse your own work.

Fine Art Studio Methods

This subject was previously known as VIS25 Australian Aboriginal Art.
In this subject you will explore the richness, complexity and diversity of Aboriginal art in Australia. Learn about the importance of art in Aboriginal culture, the impact of British colonisation and the strategies that Aboriginal artists use to maintain cultural knowledge, fight for political rights, and bear witness to the ongoing survival and resilience of Aboriginal Australians.
Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Witness the impact history, aesthetics and politics has had on Indigenous Australian art practice. Visit the pre-colonial era. Examine artistic representations of The Dreaming. See how Indigenous Australians have wielded art to create commentary.

Australian Aboriginal Art

Learn about the relationship between art and fashion in historical and contemporary contexts. Influences on art and their reflection in fashion are considered both chronologically as well as thematically. Explore links between the development of industrialised societies, their customs, desires and the development of consumerism.
Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Strut through the decades of the 20th century while examining the collision of art and fashion. Walk the catwalks of 1920’s Paris. Witness the birth of ‘cool’ fashion in the sixties. Analyse how fashion intersects with consumerism and visual culture.

Art and Fashion

This subject introduces students to the principles of spatial and temporal design with a focus on the fundamentals of animation. Through a series of technical and conceptual activities, students will have the opportunity to experiment with animation techniques and discern its role as a medium for communication.
Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Learn techniques behind your favourite animations. Become a puppeteer to the moving image as you craft an animated sequence – learning how storyboarding, planning and resourcing comes into play. Build skills to communicate a story.

Animation and Motion Graphics Design

This subject was previously known as Digital Design Process. ﻿This subject introduces students to Digital Design production processes. By leveraging case studies and investigative approaches, students will be exposed to the essential phases of informed observation, analysis, conceptualisation, production and concept iteration within the context of Digital Experience &amp; Interaction Design.Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Step inside the digital design production process and get to know the key principles and technologies. Review case studies to find out how experts approach design problems. Pitch your ideas and refine them until they’re ready to be brought to life.

Digital Design 1

This subject was previously known as Universal Design Principles.This subject emphasises the importance of considering end users when developing a design experience. Students will be introduced to a set of design principles that are common to all disciplines of user experience design. By analysing case studies through this framework of these design principles, students will have an opportunity to hone their awareness of user-centred design and consider how individual elements may be shaped to improve the users’ experience. Students will synthesise these design principles by developing a user-centred solution to a UX design problem.Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Dig deeper into the key tenets of design theory and practice. Zero in on how good design aids the user’s experience. Unpack the universal elements that make a design more appealing. Engage with modern software and design a digital media work.

UX Design 1

This subject was previously known as VAR100 Art and Design Fundamentals.
This subject introduces students to the fundamentals common to art and design practices. The aim of the subject is to increase awareness of possibilities and to equip students with conceptual tools that can be used for generating, developing and refining art and design ideas. As well the subject develops analytical skills for trouble-shooting when an art or design work is not developing as intended.
Please Note:  If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Shape your relationship with art and design principles. Explore colour dimensions and textures. Find creative solutions to problems as they come up. Get to know the practical and conceptual tools you’ll rely on in a career in arts and design.

Art and Design Fundamentals

This subject was previously known as Sculpture: Methods and Materials.
This subject will introduce you to visual art specialisations through a number of thematically based projects. In this subject you will be encouraged to explore ideas through material exploration and inquiry. You will be exposed to a variety of disciplines to develop your understanding of contemporary art practice.
You must supply your own art materials and have access to a digital camera and/or scanner for documenting your artwork for assessment.
Please Note:  If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Set up and complete multiple visual art projects. Take inspiration from themes and disciplines. Back up your practice with independent research. Wield a range of art materials as you experiment with colour, context and artistic fundamentals.

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