Students studying the Bachelor of Communication at Wintec will learn to communicate effectively with flair. Working individually and in teams, they will hone their storytelling and analytical skills gaining industry-relevant skills and knowledge through hands-on, client-focused projects.
Introduced to both creative media and digital marketing, students develop their expertise in their chosen endorsement through project roles and elective choices, with the opportunity to further specialise in their third year.
Students choose from two endorsement options to specialise in their third year:
Additionally, students undertaking this degree are also able to gain the New Zealand Diploma of Journalism concurrently if they choose to enrol in this option. Please note, specific paper options will be advised if this choice is taken.
Along with core communication skills, writing, multimedia storytelling, and basic digital marketing, students will develop further skills to be creative content producers. Students will learn:
Students will generate dynamic, creative media solutions. They will produce a range of engaging content for delivery across a variety of platforms, that respond to a brief, and appeal to their intended audiences.
In addition to core communication skills, writing, multimedia storytelling, and basic creative media production, students will develop further skills to operate strategically in the marketing environment. Students will learn:
Students will generate campaign strategies for brands, along with the creative content for marketing, advertising, and storytelling. They will work with clients, leveraging digital channels such as search engines, social media, email, and websites to connect
with audiences. They will understand how their target market works through analysis and be able to deliver relevant solutions.
Project-based learning is at the heart of what students will do. Each term students will do a bunch of structured learning with their tutors and in the last four weeks of the term they will get to apply their learning to a project, we call this time ‘project zones’. The project zones also provide opportunities for students to collaborate with students across the creative disciplines of Media Arts: Music and Performing Arts, Design (Visual Communication), Design (Fashion) and Contemporary Art.
Students will be with us Monday to Thursday, spending the majority of their time in a creative agency environment, alongside their peers. This time is structured so students can find their rōpū (group) and build a creative network, replicating the environment graduates will work in post-study while also allowing the time and space to explore and experiment. Students will have 24-hour access to our studios and workshops, so they can work whenever inspiration hits.
Students will have a backstage pass to our events, industry talks, gallery exhibitions, festival week, and performances. These events enhance our teaching programme and provide conversations to provoke, challenge, and inspire; fuelling your progress, and connecting students with experts that will help launch a creative career.
By the time students reach their third year of study, they will be able to take their developing specialised skills, springboard off our connections, and be ready to move into a robust internship programme that takes up the last half of the final year with us. The internships set students up with real on-the-job experiences as they prepare for life beyond study.
In the first year of the Bachelor of Communication, students will take three core modules:
To complement, students will add two electives of their choice so they can broaden their creative toolkit, from a range of options including the fundamentals in graphic design, sound, or photography.
These courses will give students a secure grounding in the
technical, theoretical, and professional skills, while also exposing them to broader ideas about the arts and the cultural world around them.
Note: No value in the pre/co-requisite columns means there are no pre/co-requisites for that module.
Craft and Core Modules:
| Module Code | Module Title | Level | Credits | Pre-Requisites | Co-Requisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COMM510 | Communications 510 | 5 | 30 | ||
| COMM520 | Communications 520 | 5 | 30 | | |
| COMM610 | Communications 610 | 6 | 30 | ||
| COMM620 | Communications 620 | 6 | 30 | ||
| COMM710 | Communications 710 | 7 | 30 | ||
| CRIT501 | Critical Methods 1 | 5 | 15 | ||
| CRIT601 | Critical Methods 2 | 6 | 15 | CRIT501 | |
| PROF501 | Professional Practice 1 | 5 | 15 | ||
| PROF601 | Professional Practice 2 | 6 | 15 | PROF501 | |
| PROF701 | Professional Practice 3 | 7 | 30 | PROF601 |
Project Modules:
| Module Code | Module Title | Level | Credits | Pre-Requisites | Co-Requisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRTV701 | Research Methods | 7 | 15 | CRIT601 | |
| CRTV702 | Freelance Project | 7 | 15 | COMM610 & 620 or DSGN610 & 620 or CART610 & 620 or MAPA610 | |
| CRTV703 | Capstone Project | 7 | 15 | COMM710 or DSGN710 or CART710 or MAPA710 | |
| CRTV704 | Matauranga Toi - Art Education | 7 | 15 | COMM610 & 620 or DSGN610 & 620 or CART610 & 620 or MAPA701 & 620 | |
| DFNZ701 | Design Factory Industry Project | 7 | 30 | 75 credits at level 6 or pre-requisites may be waived at the discretion of the relevant Head of School/Centre Director or designated authority |
The 30 credit module DFNZ701: Design Factory 1 can be offered as an option within any Wintec degree programme, wherever the degree programme structures allows such an option. Admission into the Design Factory module is on negotiation with the Centre Director or delegated authority and selection into the module is in line with the Design Factory process.
Elective Modules:
| Module Code | Module Title | Level | Credits | Pre-Requisites | Co-Requisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSGN502 | CMS Web Publishing | 5 | 15 | ||
| DSGN503 | Graphic Design Fundamentals | 5 | 15 | ||
| CRTV501 | Creative Special Topic 1 | 5 | 15 | ||
| CRTV502 | Creative Special Topic 2 | 5 | 15 | ||
| CRTV601 | Creative Special Topic 3 | 6 | 15 | 60 credits Level 5 | |
| CRTV602 | Creative Special Topic 4 | 6 | 15 | 60 credits Level 5 | |
| BMAXX100 | Moving Image: An Introduction | 5 | 15 | ||
| BMALX142 | Storytelling, Myth and Ritual | 5 | 15 | ||
| BMALX110B | History and Theory in Visual and Design | 5 | 15 | ||
| BMALX179 | Interpreting Visual Culture | 5 | 15 | ||
| PRNT501 | Screen Printing | 5 | 15 | ||
| MAPA502 | Sound Fundamentals | 5 | 15 | ||
| MAPA503 | Lighting Fundamentals | 5 | 15 | ||
| MAPA504 | Songwriting | 5 | 15 | ||
| MAPA604 | Songwriting 2 | 6 | 15 | MAPA504 | |
| MAPA505 | Intro to Ensemble Performance | 5 | 15 | ||
| BMAVX212 | Textile Design | 5 | 15 | DSGN510 or DSGM503 or equivalent knowledge or skills | |
| SCRN502 | Screen Fundamentals | 5 | 15 | ||
| SCRN503 | Screen Technology One | 5 | 15 | SCRN502 | |
| JOUR505 | Media Law and Context | 5 | 15 | ||
| BMA0G210 | Illustration, Concept Media | 6 | 15 | DSGN510 or CART510 or DSGN503 or equivalent knowledge or skills | |
| DSGN602 | Motion Graphics | 6 | 15 | DSGN510 or DSGM503 or equivalent knowledge or skills | |
| DSGN603 | Type Design | 6 | 15 | DSGN510 or DSGM503 or equivalent knowledge or skills | |
| PHOT501 | Photography Fundamentals | 5 | 15 | ||
| PHOT502 | Photography Tech One | 5 | 15 | PHOT501 or equivalent knowledge or skills | |
| PHOT503 | Darkroom Photography | 5 | 15 | ||
| CART502 | Drawing Fundamentals | 5 | 15 | ||
| CART503 | Painting Fundamentals | 5 | 15 | ||
| CART602 | Eco Creative Practice | 6 | 15 | 60 credits level 5 including either CRIT501 or PROF501 | |
| DFNZ601 | Design Thinking Launchpad | 6 | 15 | 60 credits at level 5 or equivalent | |
| COMM602 | Feature Writing | 6 | 15 |
Or other modules and packages of learning as agreed to by the designated Media Arts staff.
In their third year of study, students can apply to study the 30 credit Design Factory NZ module. This experience teaches a range of problem-solving methodologies, which students will apply to a real-world challenge provided by an industry partner. Students
will work in a multi-disciplinary team alongside students from engineering, business, IT, sport and exercise science, media arts, and more.
Joining Design Factory NZ will provide students with the opportunity
to learn and work in new ways, prototype solutions to complex problems, and develop their soft skills of creativity, empathy and communication - all in high-demand for the workplace of the future.
Read more about Design Factory NZ.
Graduates of this programme will be qualified to work in a range of communication, media and creative related roles. Graduates will have developed transferable skills and professional attributes that will position them for many other jobs. They will have the skills to work collaboratively and creatively within the increasingly complex and dynamic creative industries.
Graduates of the Bachelor of Communication are positioned to pathway into postgraduate programmes at Wintec such as the Bachelor of Media Arts with Honours then Master of Arts.
a) Candidates are required to have:
i. NCEA Level 3 comprised of 60 credits at NCEA Level 3 or above and 20 credits at NCEA Level 2 or above, including:
(1) 14 credits each at NCEA Level 3 in three approved subjects, including a Language
Rich subject; and
(2) Literacy (10 credits at NCEA Level 2 or above made up of 5 credits each in reading and writing); and
(3) Numeracy (10 credits at NCEA Level 1 or above); or
ii. A relevant level 4 qualification; or
iii. Equivalent.
b) In exceptional cases, candidates with 60 credits at NCEA Level 2 across four subjects including 12 credits in a Language Rich subject, or equivalent, will be considered.
UE 2020
Applicants who achieved University Entrance through NCEA in 2020 will be assessed under separate NZQA entry requirements that take into account the impacts of COVID-19. Candidates are required to have:
Special admission
Domestic applicants aged 20 years or above who have not met the General Admission or entry requirements for a programme but whose skills, education or work experience indicate that they have a reasonable chance of success may be eligible for Special Admission. Special admission will be granted at the discretion of the relevant Head of School/Centre Director or designated nominee. Such applicants may be required to successfully complete a foundation, bridging or tertiary introductory programme as a condition of entry into higher-level programmes.
Provisional entry
Domestic applicants aged under 20 years who have not met the general academic admission and entry criteria for a programme but who can demonstrate a reasonable chance of success through other educational attainment and/or work or life experience may be eligible for provisional entry at the discretion of the relevant Head of School/Centre Director or designated nominee. Provisional entry places restrictions on re-enrolment to be lifted if the applicant’s performance is deemed satisfactory by the relevant Head of School/Centre Director or designated nominee.
Selection criteria
a) Where there are more applicants than the number of places available, selection will be determined on the basis of the candidate’s application and submitted portfolio work.
b) An interview and written language test may also be required as part of the selection process.
English language requirements
a) Candidates who have English as a second language are required to have an International English Language Test System (IELTS) score of 6.0 with no individual band score lower than 5.5; or,
b) Equivalent.
Please check the entry criteria for each programme to see which course is the best level for you to begin with. The entry criteria information can be found on each of the programme pages here online. You can also contact us directly to discuss the appropriate level for you at info@wintec.ac.nz.
Are you ready for your first day of class? Check out your start date and where you need to be. You can also find useful information about studying at Wintec on our welcome page.
Year 1 students beginning February 2021
Date: Monday 15 February 2021
Time: 10am-4pm
Venue: The Atrium, City Campus
Year 1 students beginning July 2021
Date: Monday 19 July 2021
Time: 10am-4pm
Venue: Events room 1, City Campus
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