Bachelor of Performing Arts (Comedy)

The Bachelor of Performing Arts (Comedy) at Collarts is a three-year degree for people who want to make a living being funny. It sits in the performing arts, but the focus is comedy as a craft: writing it, performing it, and getting it in front of an audience. You study stand-up, sketch, character work, improvisation and writing for stage and screen, and you build a body of material you own.

How the degree is structured

Australian bachelor degrees are normally three years of full-time study, and that is what this one is. Collarts runs its courses on a trimester calendar, so you take units of study across the year rather than the two-semester pattern some universities use. Each unit carries credit points, and you need to pass the required number to graduate. Early units cover performance fundamentals, writing and the history and styles of comedy. Later units let you specialise, and the final year includes a capstone project where you develop and perform a substantial piece of work, often a solo show or a produced sketch or screen project.

What you actually do

Expect to be on your feet and at the keyboard. You write constantly, test material in front of classmates and real audiences, and get feedback from working comedians and industry professionals. Assessment is mostly practical: performances, scripts, recordings and reflective work rather than exams. Melbourne has a dense comedy scene, from the Comedy Festival to small rooms above pubs, and the course is set up so you can get into it while you study. Work-integrated learning, industry placements and public performance opportunities are part of how a degree like this operates, and you should check the official course page for the current details of what is offered.

Who it suits

This suits school leavers and mature-age students who already perform, write or make things, and who want structured training rather than a business or communications degree. It also suits people moving across from acting, writing or media who want to focus on comedy. You do not need to be established, but you do need to be willing to write badly, perform often and take notes. International applicants need to meet English requirements, and the Student visa has its own English threshold set by the Department of Home Affairs. While studying, a student visa lets you work up to 48 hours per fortnight during term.

After graduation

Comedy is a freelance field, so the degree is built to help you generate your own work as well as audition for other people's. Australian graduates of performing arts degrees often combine performance with writing, producing, teaching or corporate work. If you are an international graduate, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may let you stay and work in Australia after you finish, depending on the rules in place at the time. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 104507H. Confirm entry requirements, unit lists and fees on the official Collarts page before you apply.

• Stand-up comedian, performing in clubs, festivals and corporate events
• Comedy writer for television, radio, podcasts and online video
• Sketch and improv performer with live and recorded ensembles
• Screenwriter or script editor working in Australian film and television
• Content creator and social media producer for brands and media companies
• Producer or showrunner of live comedy and festival programming
• Voice actor for animation, advertising and audio production
• Drama or comedy teacher in schools and community arts organisations
• Corporate facilitator using improvisation and comedy for training