Institute of Technology or Polytechnic

Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT)
Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) logo

New Zealand Diploma in Arts and Design (Level 5)

This course is available

On-Campus

Level of Study

Diploma

Visit provider website

Summary

This hands-on Level 5 diploma covers foundation skills in Image Making, Photography, Design (Object and Graphic) and Art Theory.

This one year programme can be taken as a stand alone qualification to give you broad, fundamental skills in arts and design. It is also the first year of the Bachelor of Arts and Media - so you can pathway easily into further study.

Through this programme you will gain the skills and knowledge for entry-level positions in production and/or design roles within arts and design industries such as designers, technicians, machinists, or salespeople.

What will I learn?

Upon successful completion of this programme you will be able to:

  • Apply professional practices to manage projects/briefs within defined guidelines, and select potential education and employment pathways in arts, craft and/or design
  • Critique your own work and the work of others, communicate in a range of situations, and present own resolved work in simulated contexts
  • Use research to support the development of ideas and to inform your own work within conventions and contexts in arts, craft and/or design
  • Use investigative tools with creative processes, methods and technologies to develop responses to a brief and solve problems
  • Manage projects/briefs under broad guidance, apply standard work practices, and describe potential education and employment pathways in arts, craft and/or design

Courses Offered

All courses in this programme are compulsory, so you are sure to gain a good broad understanding of arts and design. You will also get a taste of each of the areas you can specialise in if you go on to further study at NMIT. You will complete a Lab and a Project course for each of the following disciplines:

  • Lens-based Media
  • Graphic Design
  • Object Design
  • Image Making
  • Critical Studies
  • Communication

Entry criteria

Academic requirements

University Entrance: NCEA Level 3 (60 credits at Level 3 and 20 credits at Level 2 or higher) which must include:

  • 14 credits at Level 3 in each of three approved* subjects including at least one from the following subject list:

Painting (Visual Art); Design (Visual Art); Photography (Visual Art); Sculpture (Visual Art); Printmaking (Visual Art); Graphics (Technology); Design (Technology); Textiles (Technology); Media Studies; Drama; Materials Technology; Digital Technology; English; History; Social Sciences or Art History

as well as

  • Literacy* - 10 credits at Level 2 or above, made up of 5 credits in reading, 5 credits in writing

and

  • Numeracy* - 10 credits at Level 1 or above (specified achievement standards, or unit standards 26623, 26626, 26627)

OR

A qualification on the NZQF at Level 4 or above in a related discipline

OR

A qualification or examination recognised as being equivalent to the achievement of NCEA Level 3 (e.g. International Baccalaureate, Cambridge Examination)

* NZQA approved subjects: see http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/awards/university-entrance/.

Alternative requirements

Applicants (including those over 20 years of age) who are unable to evidence that they meet Academic Requirements, but who can demonstrate acquired skills for tertiary study gained through study, work and/or life experience, maybe approved for alternative entry by the Curriculum Manager (or delegate).

English language requirements

If English is not the applicant’s first language, applicants will need to provide a result from a test or qualification on the acceptable alternatives English Proficiency Outcomes Table:

  • IELTS 6.0 Academic (no lower than 5.5 in each band),

Note: Applicants who do not have evidence of English language skills and are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, may contact NMIT for an assessment

Applicants who have achieved NCEA Level 3 University Entrance requirements are not required to provide evidence of English language skills

IELTS scores used must be taken from a single IELTS Test Report Form and are valid for two years from the date of the test.

Other requirements Portfolio

All applicants to provide evidence of creative work. (see 'Creative Work')

Online study

Applicants wishing to complete their study online must have the following to be able to complete the practical aspects of the program:

  • Access to a suitable workspace
  • Access to materials suitable for meeting assessment requirements

Please contact us about online study options as not all courses in this programme are available online.

Additional requirements

Please see the Supporting documents section for more information and form templates.

Creative Work

What does Creative Work look like?

As part of your application to study the Bachelor of Arts and Media at NMIT, you are asked to show us that you can take something down the creative process, from concept to presentation.

We are open to anything creative:

  • Sketches, paintings, video clips, multimedia, photography, life drawings or murals
  • Sketchbooks or workbooks showing the development of ideas
  • Arts or design works, including both process works and finished works
  • Photographs or slides or recordings relevant to the programme
  • Photographic or digital records of any of the above

We are looking for an art applicant’s ability to develop the following:

  • Technical skills in arts and/or design
  • Design processes and/or concept development

This article about providing creative work can also help.

Additional Course Costs

Our Creative Industries programmes require you to bring your own device/laptop (BYOD) with Adobe Creative Cloud  installed in order to complete your studies.

BYOD specifications for Creative Industries programmes

The following BYOD specifications are required for:

  • Bachelor of Arts and Media
  • NZ Diploma in Arts and Design (Level 5)
  • NZ Diploma in Arts and Design (Level 6)

The minimum specifications required are:

  • Processor - Intel or AMD Multi-Core Processor
  • Operating System - Microsoft Windows 10 (64 bit) versions 1903 and later. Note: Win version 1607 is not supported.
  • RAM - 16 GB minimum (32 GB recommended)
  • GPU - 2GB of GPU VRAM. (4GB or more recommended) Adobe strongly recommends updating to NVIDIA driver 451.77 or later when using After Effects. Drivers prior to this have a known issue which can lead to a crash.
  • Hard disk space - 15GB of available hard-disk ...

Share this course

Share this course

Disclaimer

The listings provided on the Study with New Zealand website ( Study with New Zealand(external link that opens in a new tab) ) are for information and promotional purposes only. ENZ does not endorse any of the education providers listed. The information, content and material provided in the listings is the sole responsibility of each education provider. This search is powered by StudySpy(external link that opens in a new tab).

Please note that degrees and qualifications earned via remote or distance learning are excluded from the overseas credential evaluation and recognition services provided by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE). For more information, please contact CSCSE directly: +86-10-62677800 (phone) or visit their website(external link that opens in a new tab).

You can learn more about international recognition of New Zealand qualifications on the NZQA website.