Bachelor of Contemporary Art
Degree Level Undergraduate
Year 2024
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You're considered an Australian student if you are any of the following:
- Australian or New Zealand Citizen
- Australian Permanent Resident (including Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders)
Program Code
DBCX
SATAC Code
424801 (Internal)
424811 (Packaged)
Study as
Full-time
or part-time
Entry Scores
2024 Guaranteed Entry
Year 12 (ATAR-based): 65.00
Year 12 (Grades-based): B,B,C
TAFE/RTO: DIP
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2023 Cut-Offs
Year 12 (ATAR-based):
- Internal: 65.00
TAFE/RTO: Cert IV
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Entry requirements
Admission criteria
The admission criteria have been grouped to assist you to easily find the information most relevant to your circumstances. However, you may fit into more than one and the university will consider applicants against each of the relevant criteria.
Certain conditions apply. For more information refer to Appendix 4 of the University's Selection and Entry policy.
Applicants are required to meet one of the following criteria with a competitive result, and demonstrate that they fulfil any prerequisite requirements and essential requirements for admission:
Recent secondary education
Meet any prerequisite requirements with a minimum grade of C- or equivalent
AND- Qualify for the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), and achieved a competitive Selection Rank (ATAR), or
- Complete secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE, or
- Complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum score of 24 points
Applicants who have not achieved the Selection Rank required for automatic selection may be selected for any remaining places based on the grades of their year 12 subjects.
OR
Higher education study- Complete or partly complete a recognised higher education program at a recognised higher education institution, or
- Complete at least four Open Universities Australia (OUA) courses at undergraduate level or above
OR
Vocational Education and Training (VET)- Complete an award from a registered training organisation at Certificate IV or above
OR
Work and life experience- Qualify for Special Entry, or
- Complete a 12-month UniSA Foundation Studies program or equivalent, or
- Hold completed secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE obtained more than 2 years in the past
Essential requirements for admission
Prerequisites
NoneAssumed Knowledge
None
Degree overview
Contemporary since 1861. With its origins in the South Australian School of Art, the Bachelor of Contemporary Art is the product of a long history of innovative programs dedicated to the education and training of emerging artists, designers, and arts workers. UniSA is the only SA university ranked for art and design1 and is ranked #1 in South Australia for facilities in Creative Arts2.
As a student in the Bachelor of Contemporary Art, you will:
- Be taught by practicing artists, world-class researchers3 and art educators
- Learn in purpose-built studios and workshops with state-of-the-art facilities
- Have direct access to the SASA Gallery, MOD. and Samstag Museum of Art
- Work alongside visiting artists as part of our Artist in Residence program
- Study in Adelaide's dynamic City West cultural precinct, home of JamFactory, Adelaide Contemporary Experimental (ACE), Nexus Arts and MercuryCX, and just a short tram ride away from the Art Gallery of South Australia and the South Australian Museum.
UniSA is an unstoppable university for unstoppable people. As one of the World’s Top Young Universities4, we’ll ensure you get the experience your future profession demands so it’ll feel like you’re studying one minute and in a career the next.
You also have the option of applying for the Bachelor of Contemporary Art/Master of Teaching (Secondary) packaged option for a pathway straight into secondary teaching.
12022 QS Subject Rankings
2ComparED (QILT) Student Experience Survey 2019-20 – Learning Resources Indicator (Undergraduate). SA public universities.
3Results in Studies in Creative Arts and Writing - 2018 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA).
4UNSTOPPABLE® is a Kellogg Company trade mark used under licence. Ranked #52, 2023 THE Young University Rankings.
Snapshot
Contemporary artists use a wide variety of mediums and art forms to bring their ideas to life. As a student of the Bachelor of Contemporary Art, you can develop skills in your chosen studio areas while continuing to explore. Hands-on teaching and learning is a focus of the degree but this is accompanied by studies in art history and theory, and courses in how to grow your career and make connections in the local art scene and beyond.
Throughout your degree, you can select from a range of studio areas including:
- Ceramics
- Drawing
- Glass
- Jewellery
- Painting
- Photography
- Sculpture
- Textiles
- Printmaking
- New media
- Experimental media
A separate one-year Bachelor of Creative Arts (Honours) program is available to students who complete this degree with a credit or higher Grade Point Average (GPA). Other selection criteria may apply.
If you want qualifications as an art teacher, you can apply for the combined Bachelor of Contemporary Art/Master of Teaching (Secondary) degree - it's a pathway straight into a career as a secondary school art teacher. If this interests you, please read How Do I Become a Teacher before selecting your courses.
If you would like to apply directly into the Bachelor of Contemporary Art/Master of Teaching (Secondary) package option, please apply via SATAC using 424811.
What you'll learn
Bring your creative ideas to life in dedicated studios and workshops, build a portfolio, and learn how to present your work in galleries and public spaces. Throughout your studies you will acquire the advanced technical, creative and critical thinking skills necessary for successful contemporary art practice.
In your first year you will be introduced to all studio areas and inducted into the safe use of workshops, materials, and equipment. Alongside this you will take courses in drawing, creative thinking, experimental media, and art history and theory. From your second year you can start to focus on your areas of particular interest or keep exploring via a wide range of electives. In your final year, you will work towards the completion of major artworks for presentation in the annual end-of-year graduate exhibition.
You will also have the opportunity to go on a study tour, take up a residency with an industry partner, or embark on a semester of study abroad, all as part of your Contemporary Art degree.
You can gain an extra qualification and broaden your career prospects by completing a Diploma in Languages.
Study hours
For each course you study, you will need to allocate time for various classes such as lectures, tutorials, workshops, seminars and practicals. Plus you will need additional hours to study in your own time to complete assignments, readings and projects, as well as to contribute to online discussion forums (independent study). So as a general rule, if you are studying full-time you would need to allocate 12–26 hours of study when at university and 14–28 hours of independent study per week.
Assessment
The degree’s emphasis on intensive, hands-on studio practice is enhanced by courses in art history, research and critical thinking, all designed to help you generate and develop ideas and ask new questions. Assessment types vary but include:
- studio projects and artworks
- visual journals
- essays
- video presentations
Global opportunities
Enrich your studies and your life – make overseas study part of your qualification. You may have the option to undertake an exchange, short-term program or study tour overseas while you study. We have links with universities worldwide, as well as a range of travel grants available to make going overseas much more accessible.
You can choose short-term or semester-long study from a range of universities and countries depending on your area of study and cultural interests.
Take a look at the global opportunities available.
Why Bachelor of Contemporary Art
UniSA's Bachelor of Contemporary Art is South Australia’s most comprehensive undergraduate contemporary art qualification, with the most extensive range of studio areas, all located at the vibrant City West campus in the heart of Adelaide city’s art, culture and entertainment hub.
With access to dedicated studios, workshops, and gallery spaces, including the SASA Gallery, MOD. and Samstag Museum of Art, you will learn first-hand how to turn your creative ideas into reality.
Studio-based courses are supported by face-to-face tutorials and seminars, while a selection of online courses offer flexibility to allow you to fit study in with other work and life commitments.
Study Contemporary Art at UniSA
Hear from UniSA graduate and artist Lucy Zola about her experience studying Contemporary Art at UniSA and how it has helped her reach her career goals.
Yusuf won the annual Helpmann Academy British School at Rome Residency, valued at $25,000.
The British School at Rome Residency (BSR) was an opportunity to reflect on what I had been doing and how I might take that forward on returning to Australia. My interest lay initially in Islamic geometric tile patterns such as the Cosmatesque tiles in Rome and other parts of Southern Italy. The live-in studio space at the BSR ensured that my creative practice was at the forefront of my thoughts.
After my Honours, I was awarded a scholarship for postgraduate research at UniSA and have started my PhD. The time to step away and reflect on my research interests, motivation and the intended outcomes has been invaluable.
Image credits: Mashrabiya by Yusuf Ali Hayat
Yusuf Ali Hayat
Bachelor of Visual Arts *now Bachelor of Contemporary Art
Your career
Bachelor of Contemporary Art graduates are not only creative problem solvers, but they also ask new questions. They are motivated, independent, resourceful, and able to apply their learning in a wide range of professional contexts, including museums and galleries, councils, theatres, festivals and community organisations.
The job prospects for contemporary artists in Australia are strong1 and the practical, creative, and analytical skills developed in the Bachelor of Contemporary Art are immediately transferable to other areas of the arts and cultural industries, and beyond. Careers for graduates of the Bachelor of Contemporary Art include:
- artist
- ceramicist or glass artist
- jewellery designer and maker
- graphic designer
- arts administrator
- art director
- set designer
- gallery director, curator and exhibition designer
- studio manager
- community arts worker and workshop facilitator
- art therapist
- art teacher*
*To qualify as a secondary school art teacher, you can apply for the combined Bachelor of Contemporary Art/Master of Teaching (Secondary) degree - it's a pathway straight into a secondary teaching career. If this interests you, please read How Do I Become a Teacher before selecting your courses.
1Australian Government, National Skills Commission, Job Outlook 2020
To apply:
- go to the top of this page and make note of the relevant SATAC code*, then click Apply
- you will be redirected through to the SATAC website to continue your application
* There are two SATAC codes – one for the Bachelor of Contemporary Art, and one for Contemporary Art packaged with the Master of Teaching. You can apply to study the Bachelor of Contemporary Art on its own and decide later to add the Master of Teaching to your qualifications. However, if you already know you want to be an art teacher, you can apply for the packaged degree from the start.
Alternative Pathways
Australian
There are other pathways you can follow to study this degree, including:
- UniSA College Diploma in Creative Studies (Art and Design)
- UniSA College Undergraduate Certificate in University Studies (Creative Studies)
- SAIBT Diploma of Arts
International
There are other pathways you can follow to study this degree, including:
see the full list of entry pathways that may apply
Deferment
This degree is available for deferment. This option is made available by responding to your offer during the application process via the SATAC website. Applicants who receive an offer into a midyear degree are eligible to defer for six months.
Scholarships
Every year, over 2,500 UniSA students are supported in their studies through scholarships and grants worth millions of dollars. Check out the scholarships below. One of them may be perfect for you. Visit our scholarships page for more.
UniSA Excellence Scholarships
$5,000 scholarship for South Australian students with an ATAR of 99 who enrol to study a UniSA undergraduate degree.
UniSA Outstanding Achievement Scholarship
Up to $10,000 per annum (full time) for South Australian students who obtain an ATAR of 99.95 or IB equivalent and enrol to study at UniSA.
Study on Demand with Australia's University of Enterprise
UniSA Online – 100% online degrees designed specifically for online learning.
Your study experience and support
Our campuses are home to fantastic facilities including modern lecture theatres, libraries, workshops and laboratories, as well as spaces that simulate real work environments. But you’ll also discover that your journey at UniSA is about social experiences, healthy living and getting involved. You’ll find student sports and fitness facilities, community clinics, tech zones and chill-out spaces. There are campus sport activities to keep you active, and if you are keen to explore the social side of university life, there are movies, cooking demonstrations, parties and loads more.
Adelaide also has a variety of accommodation options to suit different requirements and budgets. Options include dedicated student accommodation and private rentals. See our long-term accommodation pages, or explore our student accommodation by Scape on Bank Street in Adelaide’s lively cultural precinct, an ideal location for students. It is within easy reach of UniSA’s city and metropolitan campuses, Rundle Mall shopping, the Central Market, Chinatown, and the West End’s vibrant nightlife. It is also across the road from the Adelaide train station, and on bus and tram routes.
Student services
Our student services provide you with all the support you need at university. We want you to succeed, and if you need help, we're here to assist. You can access a full range of support services, including:
- academic counselling
- personal counselling
- social support services, including family support and nearby childcare
- common rooms
- prayer rooms
- security officers
- career services and mentoring
- Wirringka Student Services, offering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students a supportive place to study
- as well as services offered through our student association, USASA.
When you become a UniSA student, you can also contact Campus Central for help with anything related to your degree. They will help you with your enrolment, ID cards, fees, timetables and more.
24/7 digital environment
Our learnonline facilities include a personal learning environment with virtual classrooms, lecture recordings, emails, learning support, administration, library access and results. The environment is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you can tailor your learning to your life. We are continually investing in innovative digital technologies for a high-quality student learning experience.
Your study spaces
UniSA’s City West campus is located at the heart of Adelaide’s vibrant art, culture and entertainment precinct. As a Contemporary Art student, you will have extended access to:
- dedicated studio spaces and workshops in painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, glass, jewellery, printmaking, photography, textiles, and new media
- the University library’s extensive online collection of art, craft and design resources
- on-campus galleries including the SASA Gallery, MOD. and Samstag Museum of Art.
Your program director
Stephen Atkinson is Program Director of the Bachelor of Contemporary Art at UniSA Creative, lecturer in art theory and history, and studio instructor in printmaking. He also facilitates projects on sound art and the creative possibilities of everyday life and materials. As an educator, Stephen is committed to the wider personal and social benefits of art education, and the creative and critical thinking outcomes of learning through making.
"While the Bachelor of Contemporary Art is focused on fostering curiosity and teaching how to make and conceptualise artworks, these processes also open up other ways of thinking that are transferable across all areas of life and work. Most tertiary programs assist students to develop problem solving skills, but art education emphasises the importance of asking new questions to conceive the world differently and reimagine our place in it."
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How do I apply?
There are a number of ways to apply to study UniSA's undergraduate and postgraduate coursework degrees.
Applications for admission into the University of South Australia’s undergraduate and most postgraduate degrees are made via the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC). Visit satac.edu.au and follow the links.
For the MBA degrees please apply through the UniSA MBA Application Portal. Applications for a small number of degrees are submitted direct to UniSA through our Apply Online portal. It will be noted on the degree page if you need to apply via Apply Online.
Postgraduate study by research
For information on applying to do postgraduate study by research, including Master of Research, PhDs or Doctorates, please visit unisa.edu.au/resdegrees. -
Is there a closing date for applications?
Undergraduate
Yes. The deadline to apply to study a degree at UniSA for semester one (commencing late February) and be given equal consideration is in early December. While you may be able to apply after this date, you are not guaranteed to be considered equally with other applicants and your application may not be assessed in time for the main round of offers (mid January). Some degrees will not make any offers after the main offer round. Please click here find all of the key dates for applications here.Postgraduate
Most postgraduate degrees do not have a closing date for applications. However, there are exceptions, so it is best to check – either on the SATAC website, Apply Online or the degree homepage. Postgraduate offers are normally ‘rolling’, meaning they may be sent out at any time up until the program starts. This also means that applications may close at any time without warning, if the quota is filled earlier. For this reason, postgraduate applications should be submitted without delay. For more information, please contact our Future Student Enquiries team on (08) 8302 2376 or via the online enquiry form. -
What credit can I receive for previous studies?
Credit transfer or advanced standing
You may be eligible to receive a credit transfer or advanced standing for your chosen UniSA degree based on your previous studies, if they are in a related area at an equivalent or higher level. Receiving a credit transfer will reduce the number of courses you undertake within the degree, and may also reduce the overall duration of your degree.
Recognised prior learning
If you have related industry experience, you may also be eligible to receive recognised prior learning for this experience. Receiving recognised prior learning will normally reduce the number of courses you undertake within the degree, and can reduce the duration of the degree.
How do I get credit?
Credit transfer and recognition of prior learning is assessed on a case-by-case basis by the Program Director who will discuss your prior learning and experience with you to ascertain what credit you may be eligible for.
Many of our credit transfer arrangements are listed on our online Credit Assessor.
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Can I speak to someone regarding my study options?
UniSA welcomes the opportunity to speak with you regarding your study options. Our staff are able to talk to you about degree information, career outcomes and pathways, entry requirements, applications, and student life, so that you are able to make the best study decision for your future.
Click here to book a 1:1 appointment with one of our enquiries team.
If you are interested in studying an MBA please contact admissions@unisa.edu.au and our Future Student Enquiries team will contact you regarding your enquiry.
Alternatively, you can complete a MyCareerMatch career profile. MyCareerMatch is an online career profiling tool that you can use free-of-charge through UniSA. MyCareerMatch specialises in career profiles and provides you with a personalised career report outlining information about your personality style and a list of career options, which are complementary to your natural strengths and talents.
We have many events throughout the year where you can speak with a lecturer or tutor about your degrees of interest. You can find out what is happening at UniSA by visiting our events page or by signing up to our mailing list, so you're the first to know about careers events, information sessions, degree requirements, scholarships and more!
There are also many career counsellors external to the University that you can discuss your career options with. If you are unsure where to start your search, you can contact the Government's Work Ready team (formally Skills for All). Visit skills.sa.gov.au or call 1800 506 266.
You may also find Job Outlook a helpful resource in your decision-making.
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Where can I get further information?
It can be difficult to decide what degree you would like to do and where. You might find information from government organisations will help to weigh up your degree and provider options.
Find a course or a provider
TEQSA is a regulatory body for higher education providers. Use the TEQSA national register of higher education providers to search for a course or a provider. Compare courses and providers for undergraduates and postgraduates using the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) online comparison tool.
More information on university admission
Visit the SATAC website to find out important news, events and information on applying to university in South Australia. Visit Study with Us to find out everything you need to know about studying at UniSA, admissions and the application process.
Questions about your application
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your application you should contact the Future Students Enquiries team in the first instance.
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