Bachelor of Graphic and Digital Design

The Bachelor of Graphic and Digital Design at Collarts is a two-year accelerated degree for people who want to make things, posters, brand identities, packaging, websites, motion graphics, social campaigns, and want to be employable at the end of it. Collarts is a specialist creative institution in Melbourne, so the course sits inside a community of musicians, filmmakers, fashion designers and designers rather than a broad university faculty. You study design the way designers actually work: briefs, studio time, critique, software, deadlines, portfolio.

Australian bachelor degrees normally run three years full time, with an honours year on top if you want to go into research. This one is compressed into two, which means trimesters rather than the usual two semesters and a heavier load per study period. You complete units of study worth credit points, core studio units in typography, layout, image-making and digital production, plus theory units in design history and visual communication, and electives you can use to push toward motion, interaction, illustration or branding. Most Australian bachelor degrees finish with a capstone project; here that typically takes the form of a major self-directed design project and a graduate portfolio, which is the thing employers and clients actually look at.

Work-integrated learning is standard in Australian design degrees because the industry runs on placements and freelance work. Expect industry briefs, live client projects and internship or placement units where you spend time inside a studio, agency or in-house design team. Melbourne has a dense design and advertising sector, and Collarts uses its industry connections to bring practising designers into studios as mentors and guest critics. You will graduate with a portfolio, a showreel if you take motion units, and a working knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud and current web and motion tools.

This degree suits school leavers who already make things and want a fast, practical route into the industry, and career changers who want to retrain without spending three or four years at university. It also suits people who learn by doing rather than by writing essays. If you want a research career or plan to do a PhD, a three-year degree plus honours is the more conventional path. If you want to work in a studio, this is built for that. Entry is through the standard Australian process, check the official Collarts page and the CRICOS register entry (course code 110058M) for current entry requirements, portfolio or interview expectations, unit structure and fees. International applicants need to meet English proficiency requirements; IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common undergraduate standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the institution's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself. International students on a Student visa can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while studying, and graduates may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream.

• Graphic designer, studios, advertising and branding agencies, publishing, government and in-house marketing teams across Australia.
• Digital designer, web and product teams, e-commerce, digital agencies, building interfaces and online campaigns.
• Brand and identity designer, brand consultancies and design studios developing logos, visual systems and brand guidelines.
• Motion graphics designer, film and TV post-production, streaming, advertising, event and screen content producers.
• Packaging designer, FMCG brands, retail, food and beverage, and the agencies that service them.
• Social and content designer, media companies, publishers, not-for-profits and marketing teams producing campaign assets.
• Freelance designer or studio founder, the Australian design sector has a large freelance and small-studio segment, particularly in Melbourne and Sydney.
• Art director (after experience), advertising and creative agencies, leading visual direction on campaigns.
• Production and pre-press roles, print houses, signage, exhibition and event companies.