About offering
Graphic designers visually communicate across a range of media to persuade, inform and educate audiences online, in print and within a wider environment.
In this major you’ll develop a deeper understanding of graphic design and its distinct specialist applications, including user experience design, design thinking, branding, data visualisation, editorial, information design, interaction design, way-finding, packaging design, service and experiential design.
You’ll learn how to solve complex communication problems through the exploration and application of design theory and practice, whilst developing skills across a range of industry applications.
The Graphic Design major responds to rapid changes in the design and commercial industries, as well as cultural and sociotechnical shifts in retail and media consumption behaviours.
Graphic Design is offered as part of the Bachelor of Design. You can enhance your studies with a secondary major or choose from a range of elective units to support your career goals.
High achieving students may complete an additional honours year enabling them to undertake their own significant research project.
Please refer to the handbook for additional course overview information.
How to apply
This major sits within the Bachelor of Design degree. To apply for this major, you will apply for the Bachelor of Design. In step 3 of the application process, you will be asked to confirm the major you wish to study.
Applying as an undergraduate student is easy. For information tailored to your situation, visit our easy to follow instructions to get your application started.
Ready to apply?
What you'll learn
- apply discipline knowledge to critically review, analyse, consolidate and contribute to evidence-based practice in graphic design
- demonstrate cognitive and technical skills in both a broad understanding and depth in graphic design
- use and discern between a range of graphic design technologies and media platforms in the production of graphic design-based solutions
- demonstrate effective visual, spoken, written and technical communication appropriate to the graphic design discipline and apply effective self-directed learning skills
- demonstrate personal awareness of a graphic design specific practice and sustain an engagement with contemporary practices, technologies and the creative industries
- develop a predictive overview of future trends that will influence graphic design and graphic design practices
- recognise the importance of social, ethical and cultural diversity and consider local and international perspectives in graphic design activities, studio practice and production
- demonstrate how intercultural awareness and understanding impacts on personal and professional skills and on the ability to lead
- work independently and collaboratively on graphic design projects and respond to project demands
Why study Graphic Design Major
- Curtin is the highest ranked University in WA in the field of Art and Design and is in the top 200 in the world.*
- Innovation: There is a strong focus on contemporary design practices and principles.
- Strong practical focus: Our facilities provide students with the necessary resources to produce finished design executions across a range of media.
*Source: QS World Rankings 2018
How this course will make you industry ready
This course offers a distinctive student experience that focuses on leadership, industry, linkages and global citizenship. You will be taught by industry practitioners who are focused on employability, design entrepreneurship and design leadership.
Our attention to social innovation and the role of design in society provides opportunities for study abroad and work-integrated learning.
Our focus on design action (sustainability, community, human-centred) and design ethics ensures our graduates are industry-ready with global perspectives.
Throughout the three-year program, you’ll learn through project-based activities, and be given the opportunity to work together with students from other disciplines, mirroring a real industry environment.
Student profile
View our student profile table to get an indication of the likely peer cohort for new students at Curtin University. This table provides data on students that commenced undergraduate study and passed the census date in the most relevant recent intake period for which data are available. It includes those admitted through all offer rounds and international students studying in Australia.
Professional recognition
Graduates may convert student memberships of national professional design bodies, such as the Design Institute of Australia, into full professional memberships following qualification and professional experience.
Professional memberships available:
- D&AD
- Australian Graphic Design Association
- International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD)
- Perth Advertising and Design Club.
Career information
Careers
- Art director
- Graphic designer
- Advertising executive
- Creative director
- Creative consultant
- Production manager
Industries
- Advertising
- Marketing
- Media and communications
- Publishing
Admission criteria for Australian and New Zealand students
Curtin requires all applicants to demonstrate proficiency in English. Specific English requirements for this course are as outlined in the IELTS table below. Additional information on how you can meet the English requirement can be found on the English proficiency page.
| IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System) | |
|---|---|
| Writing | 6.0 |
| Speaking | 6.0 |
| Reading | 6.0 |
| Listening | 6.0 |
| Overall band score | 6.5 |
What kind of applicant are you?
Applicants with recent secondary education
Completed your secondary education in Australia within the past two years? Learn how you can apply to Curtin.
Applicants with work and life experience
See how to apply if you’ve completed a pathway program, finished secondary education more than two years ago or spent time in the workforce.
Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study
Learn how you can gain entry with a TAFE or other vocational education training (VET) qualification.
Applicants with higher education study
Find out how to apply and what credit you may be eligible for if you have previous higher education study.
Applicants with recent secondary education
Applicants with recent secondary education are those whose admission is primarily based on the completion of Year 12 within the last two years, but also includes those who may have completed their senior secondary studies with a TAFE or other VET provider within the same time frame. This includes applicants whose secondary education was undertaken interstate or overseas.
-
Guaranteed ATAR: 70
This is the ATAR level at which an offer of admission is guaranteed, subject to any other non-ATAR criteria being met. - Essential WACE subjects (prerequisites):
English ATAR, Literature ATAR or English as an Additional Language/Dialect ATAR.
-
STAT entry: Written English, MC Verbal and Quantitative
The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) assesses competencies considered important for success at uni.
These tests are provided by the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) to help mature age candidates apply for certain courses.
Please see our correlation comparability for previous TEE subjects, WACE courses and WACE ATAR courses.
Other admission options
Recipients of the John Curtin Undergraduate Scholarship will receive an early offer to study this course.
Successful StepUp Entry and StepUp Equity Adjustment Admission Pathway (StepUp Bonus) applicants will be eligible to be considered for admission into this course.
Portfolio entry is available for those who can demonstrate equivalence to Curtin’s ATAR entry through the submission of a portfolio that includes evidence of your academic achievements, qualifications and ability. Find out more about portfolio entry.
If you’re an indigenous applicant who hasn’t met Curtin’s minimum admissions criteria, the Centre for Aboriginal Studies offers bridging courses that are tailored to help you gain entry into this course.
Lowest selection rank to which a recent Year 12 student offer was made (including the consideration of any equity or other adjustment factors)
View the lowest selection rank (incorporating ATAR plus any adjustments) of an applicant to which an offer of a place was made in the most relevant recent intake period, this includes any ATAR adjustments.
Selection rank adjustments (previously referred to as ATAR related adjustments)
Details of the types of adjustment factors (bonus points) commonly available to applicants can be found on our StepUp to Curtin webpage.
ATAR and selection rank profile for those offered places wholly or partly on the basis of ATAR in the most recent intake period
View data on the ATAR and selection rank profile of offers made from the most relevant recent intake period.
Applicants with work and life experience
Applicants with work and life experience are those who left secondary education more than two years ago (i.e. who are not classified as recent secondary education applicants) and have not undertaken vocational education training (VET) or higher education study since then.
‘Experience’ includes a combination of factors sufficient to demonstrate readiness for higher education such as mature-age entry, professional experience whether completion of the Special Tertiary Admission Test (STAT) is required or not, community involvement or work experience. Applicants may have undertaken non-formal programs that have helped prepare them for tertiary education or are relevant to the proposed higher education field of study.
-
Guaranteed ATAR: 70
This is the ATAR level at which an offer of admission is guaranteed, subject to any other non-ATAR criteria being met. - Essential WACE subjects (prerequisites):
English ATAR, Literature ATAR or English as an Additional Language/Dialect ATAR.
-
STAT entry: Written English, MC Verbal and Quantitative
The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) assesses competencies considered important for success at uni.
These tests are provided by the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) to help mature age candidates apply for certain courses. Portfolio entry is available for those who can demonstrate equivalence to Curtin’s ATAR entry through the submission of a portfolio that includes evidence of your academic achievements, qualifications and ability. Find out more about portfolio entry.
Please see our correlation comparability for previous TEE subjects, WACE courses and WACE ATAR courses.
Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study
Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study are those whose highest level of study since leaving secondary education is a VET course. This includes study at a public TAFE or other VET provider, whether a qualification was completed or not. Applicants with VET study may have other qualifications such as a Year 10 or Year 12 secondary school certificate.
-
OR
Guaranteed ATAR: 70
This is the ATAR level at which an offer of admission is guaranteed, subject to any other non-ATAR criteria being met. - TAFE:
- AQF Certificate IV - Separate evidence of English language proficiency is required; or
- AQF Diploma; or
- AQF Advanced Diploma.
- Essential WACE subjects (prerequisites):
English ATAR, Literature ATAR or English as an Additional Language/Dialect ATAR.
-
STAT entry: Written English, MC Verbal and Quantitative
The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) assesses competencies considered important for success at uni.
These tests are provided by the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) to help mature age candidates apply for certain courses. Portfolio entry is available for those who can demonstrate equivalence to Curtin’s ATAR entry through the submission of a portfolio that includes evidence of your academic achievements, qualifications and ability. Find out more about portfolio entry.
Please see our correlation comparability for previous TEE subjects, WACE courses and WACE ATAR courses.
Applicants with higher education study
Applicants with higher education are those whose highest level of study since leaving secondary education is a higher education course, such as a university degree. This includes applicants who are currently studying a higher education course at another education provider and want to transfer to Curtin University, or applicants who are currently studying at Curtin but want to switch to a different course. It also includes applicants who have completed past study with university and non-university higher education providers.
- Curtin offers a variety of bridging courses to help you meet the admission criteria for this course. Find out more about our bridging courses.
- Essential WACE subjects (prerequisites):
English ATAR, Literature ATAR or English as an Additional Language/Dialect ATAR.
Please see our correlation comparability for previous TEE subjects, WACE courses and WACE ATAR courses.
Curtin course switcher criteria
Our admission criteria for minimum entry apply to Curtin course switchers. For information on how to meet Curtin's minimum entry requirements, please see our admission criteria web page.
Higher education course switcher criteria
Our admission criteria for minimum entry apply to other higher education course switchers. For information on how to meet Curtin's minimum entry requirements, please see our admission criteria web page.
Other requirements and notes for this course
Applicants are required to choose one of the Bachelor of Design or Bachelor of Arts majors when applying. If you with to study a double major, you elect the second major once you have been accepted into the course.
If you don’t meet the minimum course requirements, you may submit a portfolio and may be required to attend an interview. Find out more about portfolio entry.
It is also recommended you attend a group advisory session if you register this major as one of your preferences. For more information, contact Lara MackIntosh at l.mackintosh@curtin.edu.au.
In addition to the course-specific admission criteria listed above, please read our general admission criteria. Our general admission criteria apply to all courses at Curtin University.
Advanced standing / credit transfer / recognition of prior learning
At Curtin, we understand that everyone’s study journey has been different.
You may have already studied some of the units (subjects) listed in your Curtin course, or you may have work experience that matches the degree requirements.
If this applies to you, you can apply for credit for recognised learning (CRL), which means your previous study is recognised and matched against a similar unit in your intended Curtin course.
A successful CRL application exempts you from having to complete certain units within your course and means you could finish your degree in a shorter amount of time.
CRL is also known as recognition of prior learning, advanced standing and credit transfer.
Use the CRL search to find out how much CRL you qualify for, or contact us at:
Email: crl@curtin.edu.au
Tel: 1300 222 888
At Curtin, we understand that everyone’s study journey has been different.
You may have already studied some of the units (subjects) listed in your Curtin course at another educational institution, or you may have work experience that matches the degree requirements.
A successful CRL application exempts you from having to complete certain units within your course and means you could finish your degree in a shorter amount of time.
CRL is also known as recognition of prior learning, advanced standing and credit transfer.
Use the CRL search to find out how much CRL you qualify for, or contact us at:
Email: ci-enquiries@curtin.edu.au
Tel: 1300 222 888
Next steps
This major/stream is part of a larger course. Please view the for more information, including how to apply.
Where to get further information
- More about studying at Curtin
- Visit the WA Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) website
- Visit the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) website
- Visit the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) website
- Our admission appeals and grievance process
Applicants applying for an undergraduate degree with an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
Find information on how you can apply to study at Curtin with an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma if you are applying for an undergraduate degree.
Applicants with other international qualifications
Find information on what qualifications you can use to apply for a Curtin course.
The offering information on this website applies only to future students. Current students should refer to faculty handbooks for current or past course information. View courses information disclaimer.
- Curtin course code: MJRU-GRPDS
- This offering was last updated on: 15/07/2019