Students will develop their own musical voice and learn skills for a career on stage, behind the curtain, or in the production suite.
Music and performing arts students work alongside each other to learn technical, theoretical and professional skills while developing their expertise in their chosen endorsements. Through additional elective modules and large-scale projects, students have the opportunity to specialise in their chosen field as they move through the degree.
This degree has two pathways:
Along with technical, theoretical, and professional skills, students will explore audio production, composition/songwriting and performance, and develop expertise in one or more of these areas through elective choices and specialisation within the core modules.
Capture and shape sound in innovative ways. Audio production students will learn:
Technically engage with a wide range of music and multimedia contexts and develop a heightened sense of listening. Students will develop an understanding of the technologies and innovations of how sound is captured, manipulated, and reproduced.
Perform music in live and studio environments. Performance students will learn:
Students will develop a rich understanding of musical interpretation and enhance their practical, creative, and critical skills to become a professional musician in a variety of performance settings. Students will have opportunities to learn from professional teachers to develop technical and artistic skills on their chosen instrument/voice.
Expertly craft the elements of music. Composition and songwriting students will learn:
Gaining the expertise to create music as a standalone art form alongside video/film, theatre, games, and other emergent technologies, students will develop control of the technology needed to craft the elements of music for a range of musical genres.
Along with technical, theoretical, and professional competencies, students will develop further skills to be creative theatre practitioners.
Performing arts students will work on arena musicals to intimate plays, dance shows to cabaret, and explore:
Students learn in real theatre environments from some of New Zealand’s leading directors, choreographers, actors, musical directors, and writers. Additionally, students will perform regularly within the Wintec music and performing arts scene and are encouraged to audition for and participate in community, regional, and national productions while studying.
In the first year of the Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts, students will take three core modules:
To complement these modules, students will add two electives of their choice so they can broaden their creative toolkit—these electives include introductory papers on songwriting, performance, sound fundamentals, storytelling, moving image, design, photography, and more.
These courses will give students a secure grounding in their discipline's 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.
Table A: Craft and core modules
| Module Code | Module title | Pre-requisites | Co-requisites | Credits | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAPA510 | Music and Performing Arts 510 | 30 | 5
| ||
| MAPA520 | Music and Performing Arts 520 | MAPA510 | 30 | 5 | |
| MAPA610 | Music and Performing Arts 610 | MAPA520 | 30 | 6 | |
| MAPA620 | Music and Performing Arts 620 | MAPA610 | 30 | 6 | |
| MAPA710 | Music and Performing Arts 710 | MAPA620 | 30 | 7 | |
| MAPA720 | Music and Performing Arts 720 | MAPA710 | |||
| CRIT501 | Critical Methods 1 | 15 | 5 | ||
| CRIT601 | Critical Methods 2 | CRIT501 | 15 | 6 | |
| PROF501 | Professional Practice 1 | 15 | 5 | ||
| PROF601 | Professional Practice 2 | PROF501 | 15 | 6 | |
| PROF702 | Professional Practice 3 | PROF601 | 15 | 7 |
Table B: Project modules
| Module code | Module title | Pre-requisites | Co-requisites | Credits | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRTV701 | Research Methods | CRIT601 | 15 | 7 | |
| CRTV702 | Freelance Project | COMM610 & 620 or DSGN610 & 620 or CART610 & 620 or MAPA610 | 15 | 7 | |
| CRTV703 | Capstone Project | COMM710 or DSGN710 or MAPA710 or CART710 | 15 | 7 | |
| CRTV704 | Art Education - Matauranga Toi | COMM610 & 620 or DSGN610 & 620 or CART610 & 620 or MAPA610 | 15 | 7 | |
| CRTV705 | Creative Work Industry Learning | PROF702 or equivalent | 15 | 7 | |
| DFNZ701 | Design Factory Industry Project | 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 | 30 | 7 | |
| MAPA706 | Music and Performing Arts Freelance Project | MAPA610 and MAPA620 or equivalent | 15 | 7 | |
| MAPA707 | Music and Performing Arts Capstone Project | MAPA710 or equivalent | 15 | 7 |
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.
Table C: Elective modules
| Module code | Module title | Pre-requisites | Co-requisites | Credits | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSGN502 | CMS Web Publishing | 15 | 5 | ||
| DSGN503 | Graphic Design Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| CRTV501 | Creative Special Topic 1 | 15 | 5 | ||
| CRTV502 | Creative Special Topic 2 | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA502 | Sound Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA503 | Lighting Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA504 | Songwriting | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA604 | Songwriting 2 | MAPA504 | 15 | 6 | |
| MAPA505 | Intro to Ensemble Performance | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA506 | Repertoire Studies 1 | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA507 | Performance Studies 1 | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA511 | Music and Performing Arts Special Topic 1 | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA512 | Music and Performing Arts Special Topic 2 | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA611 | Music and Performing Arts Special Topic 3 | 60 credits level 5 | 15 | 6 | |
| MAPA612 | Music and Performing Arts Special Topic 4 | 60 credits level 5 | 15 | 6 | |
| CRTV601 | Creative Special Topic 3 | 60 credits level 5 | 15 | 6 | |
| CRTV602 | Creative Special Topic 4 | 60 credits level 5 | 15 | 6 | |
| COMM502 | Storytelling, Myth and Ritual | 15 | 5 | ||
| PRNT501 | Screen Printing | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA504 | Screen Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| SCRN503 | Screen Technology One | 15 | 5 | ||
| JOUR505 | Media Law and Context | 15 | 5 | ||
| BMA0G210 | Illustration, Concept Media | DSGN510 or CART510 or DSGN503 or equivalent knowledge or skills | 15 | 6 | |
| DSGN602 | Motion Graphics | DSGN510 or DSGN503 or equivalent knowledge or skills | 15 | 6 | |
| DSGN603 | Type Design | DSGN510 or DSGN503 or equivalent knowledge or skills | 15 | 6 | |
| PHOT501 | Photography Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| PHOT502 | Photography Tech One | PHOT501 or equivalent knowledge or skills | 15 | 5 | |
| PHOT503 | Darkroom Photography | 15 | 5 | ||
| CART502 | Drawing Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| CART503 | Painting Fundamentals | 15 | 5 | ||
| MAPA606 | Repertoire Studies 2 | MAPA506 or equivalent proficiency | 15 | 5 | |
| MAPA607 | Performance Studies 1 | MAPA507 or equivalent proficiency | 15 | 5 | |
| CART602 | Eco Creative Practice | 60 credits level 5 including either CRIT501 or PROF501 | 15 | 6 | |
| DFNZ601 | Design Thinking Launchpad | 60 credits at level 6 or equivalent | 15 | 6 | |
| COMM602 | Feature Writing | 15 | 6 | ||
| DSGN604 | Surface Design | DSGN503 or equivalent | 15 | 6 |
Or other modules and packages of learning as agreed to by the designated media arts staff.
Graduates will be qualified to work in a range of theatre, music, media, and creative 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 Music and Performing Arts are positioned to pathway into postgraduate programmes at Wintec such as the Bachelor of Media Arts with Honours.
Look through our graduate publications to see the work students create. In these, you will find short bios and images of student projects from across the media arts disciplines over the years.
General academic admission
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; 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.
c) In addition, for admission into the BMusPA Composition and Audio Production endorsements, candidates will:
i. Have gained grade three music theory, or sit a music theory test as determined by the School, and
ii. submit a portfolio of work as specified below, and
iii. If shortlisted, may be required to participate in an interview and/or audition
d) For admission into the BMusPA Performance endorsement, candidates will:
i. Have gained grade 6 Practical Trinity College London, Royal School of Music London, Rock School London, or
ii. Attend an audition to demonstrate equivalent skills and abilities in instrumental performance.
e) In addition, for admission into the BMusPA theatre endorsement, candidates will:
i. submit a portfolio of work, and
ii. If shortlisted, may be required to participate in an interview and/or audition
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
Selection will be determined on the basis of the candidate’s application and academic performance. 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.
To check what you need to gain direct entry to a course, review the entry criteria available on each programme page. These assist you in understanding what qualifications or experience are typically required to gain entry. You can contact our team at info@wintec.ac.nz or 0800 2 Wintec at any time for further guidance.
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.
Semester 1 2026
Date: Monday 9th February 2026
Time: 10am
Venue: Atrium, City Campus
Semester 2 2026
Date: Monday 13th July 2026
Time: 1pm
Venue: Gallagher Hub, Events room 1, City Campus
Returning students
Please check your timetable for your first class details.
The Wintec Prospectus (otherwise known as a course guide) outlines everything you need to know about Wintec. It contains information about the Wintec campuses, student life, and the programmes that are on offer.
Access your copy of the Wintec Prospectus
The Wintec Prospectus (course guide) is available by downloading the file - click on the document below to access the file. Alternatively, to request a copy via email or the post, please complete the form below.
If you have not received NCEA credits in arts or visual design, do not meet the entry criteria, or are applying as a mature student, you may need to submit a portfolio/audition. You will be advised of this when you apply.
A 300-word personal statement: State why you wish to be accepted onto the music and performing arts programme. You could talk about the following: career goals and aspirations, musical experience, industry professionals/mentors, music and performing arts genres that interest you, chosen instrument or area of musical/performing arts strength (eg composition, production, instrumental performance, singing, acting, dancing). In addition, please include your CV.
Music portfolio: If you want to study music, include an audition USB or internet link with approximately five minutes of music that demonstrates your abilities in any/all of performance, composition, and production. This can include both cover songs and originals. Please note what your contributions are to the music (e.g. songwriter, performer). If presenting a performance, the work can be a simple home recording. Alternatively, you may audition at the interview; please state this clearly on your application.
Performing arts audition: If you want to study theatre performing arts, please prepare a song of your choosing (preferably from a musical theatre context) and a short monologue (minimum 1 minute) from any drama genre. You may also present a dance piece in any style. The audition process will ideally occur in person; however, video performances can be attached to your application where this is not possible.
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