Dean's Welcome

Welcome to the Faculty of Arts and Design. This is an exciting, fun, creative environment in which to learn cutting-edge paradigms, skills and professional practices to launch you on a career path in communication and media, international studies and arts, and design and architecture. 

This is a Faculty about the new arts. We understand that many of the jobs of the twenty-first century haven't yet been created. How do we prepare our graduates for switching roles, organizations, countries, and scales throughout their careers? We teach critical thinking and analysis which equips our graduates with an ability to survive in any environment that requires synthesizing information, evaluating competing claims to truth, and systematically planning strategies for action. 

We also teach creativity. How can we do this? Without reference to history or linear narratives of what has already existed in the world, we inculcate ideas, wonder, and create spaces of possibility in the world of words in our fiction writing seminars, in the global mediums of media and integrated marketing and international citizenship, and in the potential beauty of space, void, and intricacy through design. 

From our foundational year big ideas and big concepts units, to the specialized, resource intensive specializations in later years, and through our professional internships and international exchange opportunities, our students have flexibility and choice in how, where, and when they study. Our Faculty is continually evolving and creating new pathways and spaces for student learning: our new National Media Centre and Student-led Communications Agency are examples of expanding resources that give students hands-on real-life experiences in the industries that they will enter upon graduation. It’s no wonder so many of our students find full time employment before they graduate. Combined with our focus on work-integrated learning, the Faculty of Arts and Design is a high-quality learning environment that prepares our students for exciting professional careers. 

I invite you to explore our website where you will find not only information about our current and new programs of study, but you will meet our current students, learn about their creative output and national achievements, as well as seeing the pride in which we hold the considerable achievements of our alumni. 

Professor Monique Skidmore