Program Requirements

The Bachelor of Visual Arts requires completion of 144 units, of which:

A maximum of 60 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses

The 144 units must include:

6 units from completion of ARTV2819 Vision and Perception

12 units from completion of introductory courses from the following list:

ARTV1020 Figure & Life
ARTV1021 Image and Object
ARTV1033 Hold Everything: Studio Foundation
DESA1021 Precise Drawing and Model Making
DESN1001 Making Online: Context & Presence
DESN1002 Visual Communication: Design and Production
COMP1720 Art and Interaction in New Media

6 units from completion of an introductory art and design history course from the following list:

ARTH1006 Art and Design Histories: Form and Space 
ARTH1007 Art and Design Histories: Making and Meaning

18 units from completion of art history and theory courses from the following list:

ARTH2043 Modernism and Postmodernism in Art and Design: 1850-2000 
ARTH2044 Art and Its Context: Materials, Techniques, Display 
ARTH2045 Curatorship Theory and Practice 
ARTH2050 Photography and Art 
ARTH2052 Art of the Modern Print 
ARTH2056 Art and Architecture of Southeast Asia: Tradition and Transformation 
ARTH2059 Art and Architecture of Asia: Histories and Traditions 
ARTH2061 Postmodern Sublime 
ARTH2080 Art and Visual Culture of the Long Eighteenth Century, 1660-1815 
ARTH2081 Art of the European Courts, 1500-1815 
ARTH2082 Art, War and Conflict 
ARTH2093 Post-Colonial Discourses in Australian Art 
ARTH2097 Victorian and Edwardian Art: Australia and Europe 1837-1914 
ARTH2098 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art 
ARTH2104 Asian Art In-Country 
ARTH2160 Cartographies: Art Exploration and Knowledge
ARTH2161 Contemporary Australian Art 
ARTH2162 Cyberculture 
ARTH2163 Memory
ARTH2164 Theories of the Object
ARTH2165 Theories of the Image
ARTH2166 Individual Research Unit
ARTH2167 Issues in Contemporary Craft and Design
ARTH2168 Renaissance and Baroque Art 
ARTH2169 Introducing Asian Modernisms
ARTH2170 Contemporary Asian Art 
ARTH2171 Australian Art: The Modern Period 
ARTH2172 Costume, Fashion and Visual Culture

6 units from completion of an engagement course from the following list:

ARTV2027 Professional Practices
ARTV2038 Workshop Atelier
ARTV2909 Textiles: Maker to Market
ARTV2921 Environment Studio 1
ARTV3601 Photomedia: Documentary Project
DESA2017 Multiples and Production: The Unique Offering

48 units from the completion of one of the following workshop majors:

Animation and Video
Ceramics
Furniture
Glass
Gold and Silversmithing
Painting
Photomedia
Printmedia and Drawing
Sculpture
Textiles
 

48 units from completion of elective courses offered by ANU

Unless otherwise stated, a course used to satisfy the requirements of one list may not be double counted towards satisfying the requirements of another list.

Honours

For information about honours in visual arts, please see Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours)

Elective Study

Once you have met the program requirements of your degree, you may have enough electives to complete an additional elective major, minor or specialisation.

Study Options

Admission Requirements

Admission to all programs is on a competitive basis. Admission to undergraduate degrees is based on meeting the ATAR requirement or an equivalent rank derived from the following qualifications:

• An Australian year 12 qualification or international equivalent; OR
• A completed Associate Diploma, Associate Degree, AQF Diploma, Diploma, AQF Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate or international equivalent; OR
• At least one standard full-time year (1.0 FTE) in a single program of degree level study at an Australian higher education institution or international equivalent; OR
• An approved tertiary preparation course unless subsequent study is undertaken.

Click HERE for further information about domestic admission.

More information about ATAR requirements for individual programs can be found HERE.

The National Register of higher education providers is an authoritative source of information that will help you confirm your institution of choice is registered to deliver higher education in Australia.

The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) website is HERE. Based on surveys done by thousands of students across Australia you can find out about universities that interest you, doing side-by-side comparisons.

The table below is a guide to the entry level required for domestic applicants. Exact entry level will be set at time of offer.

Domestic applicant entry requirements

Queensland Band equivalents are a guide only - selection is made on an ATAR equivalent that is not available to students.

International applicant entry requirements

International applicants may view further information on admissions requirements at Entry Requirements for International Undergraduate Applicants

The University reserves the right to alter or discontinue its programs as required.

Prerequisites

Entry into the Bachelor of Visual Arts is based on ACT or NSW HSC equivalent and interview and portfolio. Australian and New Zealand applicants apply through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) and international applicants lodge an application directly with ANU. Once an application has been lodged, applicants are required to register for an interview and upload a portfolio on the ANU School of Art & Design website at: soa.anu.edu.au/how-apply/undergraduate-applications.

Adjustment Factors

ANU offers rank adjustments for a number of adjustment factors, including for high achievement in nationally strategic senior secondary subjects and for recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies. Rank adjustments are applied to Bachelor degree applicants with an ATAR at or above 70. Points are awarded in accordance with the approved schedules, and no more than 15 points (maximum 5 subject/performance-based adjustments, maximum 10 equity-based adjustments and maximum 5 Elite Athlete adjustments) will be awarded. Subject and performance-based adjustments do not apply to programs with a minimum selection rank of 98 or higher. Visit the ANU Adjustment Factors website for further information.

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Employment Opportunities

Graduates may find work as independent artists, in arts organisations, as an art teacher, in galleries or museums and in many other related fields.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of a Bachelor of Visual Arts, graduates will be able to:

1. Apply technical skills and specialist knowledge to realise works, artefacts and forms of creative expression.
2. Demonstrate skills and knowledge of the practices, languages, forms, materials, technologies and techniques in the visual arts.
3. Recognise and reflect on social, cultural and ethical issues, and apply historical and theoretical perspectives to practice in the visual arts.
4. Develop and evaluate ideas, concepts and processes by thinking creatively, critically and reflectively.
5. Interpret, communicate and present ideas, problems and arguments in modes suited to a range of audiences
6. Work independently and collaboratively in response to project demands.