Master of Design

Entry criteria

Domestic Entry Requirements

To be eligible for entry into the Master of Design, applicants must have graduated with a Bachelor’s degree, or a similar qualification in art or design, having achieved a minimum B‐ grade average over their highest level 120 credits of their qualifying degree, or be able to demonstrate equivalent skills and knowledge.

Applicants may be asked to provide a portfolio of original, developmental and finished work.

Selection criteria:

Applicants are selected in order of receipt of their completed enrolment application with all entry requirements have been met. Each candidate will be required to submit a professional portfolio and a research proposal.

Portfolio

The portfolio of work needs to demonstrate graduate level engagement with design activity. Portfolios can take a number of different formats and each will be considered on a case-by-case basis. They can be submitted either in hard copy or digital format and could contain any combination of the following:

• Time-based design
• Print-based design
• Photography
• Visual arts and illustration
• Original film or video
• Web design and/or development
• Game design and/or other interactive media

Research Proposal

• Statement of your research question and your objectives
• Other key questions and sub-questions you want to address in the research
• The research methodology you will use and your reasons for using these particular methods
• How your research is important and what gaps you hope to fill within current knowledge
• Identification of current developments in your chosen research topic
• A realistic time plan for carrying out all your research
• A short list of references to key articles and texts included in the application

International Entry Requirements

In addition to the Domestic Entry Requirements, the following applies to international student applicants.

English language proficiency

International student applicants whose first language is not English must have an IELTS Academic score of 6.5 with no band score lower than 6 (or equivalent including TOEFL). IELTS scores used must be taken from a single IELTS Test Report Form (i.e. combining scores from more than one test is not permissible).

Under 20 years of age

In addition to this, international applicants under 20 years of age must have NCEA equivalency.