Master of Design

at Massey University - Wellington Campus New Zealand

With a Massey Diploma in Arts, you can study what you enjoy and explore subject areas that spark your interest.

You can complete the Diploma in Arts with or without an endorsement in a subject area. Completing the diploma without endorsement lets you sample different subjects and build a qualification that reflects your own particular interests.

If you want to take an endorsement, you can choose from 25 subjects from the Bachelor of Arts degree and specialise in the one that sparks your passion.

Massey’s Diploma in Arts is extremely flexible and you can include courses from many disciplines, including some from outside the humanities and social sciences.

Embed yourself in a rich dialogue about your creative practice in Massey’s transdisciplinary Master of Fine Arts (Design) qualification, for artists and designers. The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) has a strong collective philosophy. By bringing together students from design and fine arts, the MFA fosters intense conversations and exploration.

For designers and artists
Choose whether you want to graduate with an MFA in design, in fine arts or without endorsement if you believe your work cannot be framed in terms of either discipline.
We have had students join the qualification whose undergraduate training is in fashion design, photography, textile design, industrial design, graphic design, fine arts and even music.

The Diploma in Business Studies is a flexible program that can be completed in one year full-time.

Your study of public relations delivers knowledge and skills that are in increasing demand – public relations is one of the fastest-growing specialist areas of communication.

The Massey Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations) will build the skills you need for a successful career in public relations. You will develop your interpersonal and inter-group communication abilities. You’ll also learn strategic thinking, planning, writing, research and information processing skills.

You’ll learn how to help organisations to communicate in persuasive and ethical ways with their staff, customers, regulators, communities, investors, and society. Public relations practitioners:

• Organise events
• Write and edit media releases
• Write and edit online and print newsletters and publications
• Manage risk and crisis communications
• Develop strategic public relations plans, and
• Build relationships through digital media.

It’s a flexible program of study with lots of choices. You’ll be introduced to the basics of art and design:

• Creative thinking
• Visual communication
• Specialist skills
• Critical awareness.
• No portfolio is required, just passion.

The Diploma in Visual Arts is made up of eight courses from the first year of our Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Design programs.
You’ll study with art and design degree students in a range of studio and lecture-based courses. These exciting courses cover everything from critical and contextual studies to social media, painting, and digital fabrication.

The Diploma in Communication is designed to introduce you to a selection of disciplines in the communication field. It provides you with employment pathways in the fields, among others, of:

•     Public relations
•     Communication management
•     Arts administration
•     Event management
•     Relationship management
•     Journalism
•     Web content management
•     Social media advising
•     Brand management
•     Advertising
•     Marketing/communications executive
•     Media planning/buying.

Specialise in Media Technology for your Bachelor of Screen Arts with Honours at Massey
Creativity in new technology development can provide innovative and profitable opportunities for software and hardware solutions across a wide range of industries. In this major, you will be at the forefront of creating and developing new technology with exciting concepts and ideas across a range of platforms and applications.

You will gain and apply practical skills in software and hardware production with a view to developing innovative products for the screen and creative technology sector. You will gain an understanding of prototyping and testing systems and how to develop ideas through to producing final projects such as:

• online distribution
• lighting systems
• game controllers
• performance capture and virtual production
• production workflow solutions
• custom audio systems
• interactive and kinetic set design
• media exhibition.

Study musicianship and performance in the popular genre of your choice — whether you’re a singer, DJ, or in a band, Music Practice will give you the skills and confidence to take risks and make it in the music industry.

In the Music Practice major, you’ll learn songwriting, composition, musicianship, and performance from some of New Zealand’s top musicians and professionals. The Bachelor of Commercial Music has strong connections with the music industry in New Zealand and around the globe, guaranteeing you an immersive, real-world-focused music education.

You’ll develop your writing and performing craft in your instrument or interface of choice—that could be an instrument, your voice, or your computer.  Learn to produce and compose music with industry-standard software and hardware, in some of the best facilities in the Southern Hemisphere.

Specialise in Visual Effects for your Bachelor of Screen Arts with Honours at Massey
The Visual Effects major teaches you the skills to develop an exciting professional portfolio of work that you can carry into your visual effects career.

Design and control visual destruction, explosions, fluids – you name it – using both procedural and keyframed motion, and fully integrate your visual effects into live-action footage from concept to postproduction.

Gain skills that will help you create fantastic characters and scenes using traditional techniques and advanced technology. Study character design, 3D modelling, texturing and rigging, storyboarding, compositing, particle generation and dynamics. You’ll work with motion capture, virtual production, and a green screen stage.

Massey's Diploma in Communication will introduce you to a selection of disciplines in the communication field.

A Diploma in Communication can open up employment pathways in the many fields including:

• Public relations
• Communication management
• Arts administration
• Event management
• Relationship management
• Journalism
• Web content management
• Social media advising
• Brand management
• Advertising
• Marketing/communications executive
• Media planning/buying.