Graduate Profile for the
Bachelor of Media and Creative Technologies (BMCT)

2010

Preamble

The papers offered by the University of Waikato towards the Bachelor of Media and Creative Technologies have been designed to achieve mastery of content, acquisition of skills and development of attributes. Learning experiences are incorporated into the programme to bring about these desired outcomes, and assessment is designed to ensure that students have the opportunity to demonstrate their achievement.

The University has developed strong relationships and networks with stakeholder communities and businesses to ensure that its programmes and qualifications are relevant and responsive to students' needs and its own vision. The University is responsive to a range of social and economic goals which have been identified as priorities by Government.

The generic capabilities developed by our graduates are of critical importance, as are specialist knowledge and skills. This graduate profile includes an outline of the University's links with other education sector groups, community groups, industry and employers who have an interest in the capabilities of graduates of this qualification, who continue to contribute to programme planning and development, and in many cases provide workplace experience opportunities.

Mastery of Content

• the underlying concepts and principles associated with the intersection of media studies and
• the technologies associated with contemporary creative practices
• the main methods of enquiry appropriate to this field of activity
• the framing and resolution of problems specific to media and creative technologies
• the techniques applicable to research in the media, creative technologies and related practices
• the techniques applicable to applying technology to creative outcomes
• the principles of aesthetic appreciation, judgement and critique

Acquisition of Skills

• ability to develop lines of argument and make sound judgements in accordance with basic theories and concepts in their subject
• ability to apply the methods and techniques that they have learned
• ability to present, evaluate, and interpret qualitative and quantitative data relating to contemporary media and creative practices
• ability to evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, to propose new hypotheses in the light of new technological developments
• ability to effectively communicate information, arguments, and analyses in a variety of mixed-media forms, to specialist and non-specialist audiences
• ability to apply underlying concepts and principles outside the context in which they were first studied, including, where appropriate, the application of those principles in an employment context
• ability to evaluate critically and, as much as possible, advance current scholarship in the discipline
• ability to conceptualise, design and implement a project and to adjust the project in the light of unforeseen problems
• ability to conceive and realise creative works in line with the media chosen and aesthetic criteria identified
• ability to operate equipment at a proficient level to fulfil creative requirements specified
• ability to work effectively in a team where collaboration over a broad range of media and creative practices is brought together through an integrated array of complementary technologies.
• ability to negotiate effectively
• information literacy - ability to locate, evaluate and use information relating to a range of mixed-media platforms and practices

Development of Attributes

• an appreciation of the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge as generated around contemporary media and creative practices
• the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility in the carrying out of tasks within a broader collaborative process
• confidence to make decisions in complex and unpredictable contexts
• the learning capabilities needed to undertake appropriate further education and/or training
• self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems related to new media developments and new creative practices
• confidence to act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks
• an awareness of ethical issues
• an awareness of the need to negotiate the intersection of craft and artistic skill and perspectives in the realisation of creative works
• an awareness of the need for sensitivity to the collective vision, aspiration and purpose of one's community
• an understanding of key issues concerning cultural democracy

Graduate Pathways in Further Education

Students with the standard B/B+ average and above can be expected to have a high level of competence in their subject and a solid grasp of methodological issues appropriate to carrying out research and creative work in the discipline at a graduate and postgraduate level. Specifically they should be eligible, depending on the major(s) elected, to proceed to the full range of higher degrees currently offered in the relevant subjects in the University:

Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Screen and Media Studies
Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Māori Media and Communication,
Graduate Diploma in Creative Practices,
Graduate Diploma in Creative Technologies
Graduate Diploma in Digital Media
Graduate Diploma in Māori Media and Communication
Graduate Diploma in Screen and Media Studies
Graduate Diploma in Teaching
Postgraduate Diploma in Screen and Media Studies
Postgraduate Diploma in Māori Media and Communication
Master of Arts
Master of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy

Community and Workplace Prospects

It is expected that graduates will add extensive collaborative technical experience and creative skills onto the fundamental literacy and critical research skills inherent in the degree. Accordingly, graduates should be in demand from both private and public sector organizations that are increasingly seeking to attain a digitized presence in society. The applications range from positions that involve policy, planning and analysis relative to the creative sector, to public communications and mass media organizations. In a more generic sense, graduates will constitute the kind of engaged and proactive media literates that the contemporary workplace increasingly requires. A sample list of occupations is as follows:

Creative administrator
Communications consultant
Professional performer
Educationalist/teacher
Information Systems administrator
AV producer (from animation to more conventional cinema)
Scriptwriter/speechwriter
Political communications consultant
Sound Designer
Composer/sound track Editor
Digital artist

Networks into Other Sectors

The University and the various departments involved in the degree have developed and are maintaining and strengthening strategic links with the broader community at a number of levels, informed by Hamilton City Countil's strategy documents, including the 'creativity and identity' strategy. The University has also been involved with other media interests/educational institutions in the broader community. In addition, the Academy of Performing Arts on campus provides one of the key venues for showcasing the work of the University and facilitating community involvement in University based projects. The establishment of the Mediarena Centre, a media practice research facility, can also be expected to consolidate and amplify the impact of the on-going activities of graduates and staff involved in the BMCT.