MDes Application Guide

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Master of Design application guide – School of Art & DesignUpdated November 2015 1

Master of DesignInformation for Applicants

www.autartdesign.ac.nz

Thank you for your interest in the Master of Design programme (Code: AK1248).

Intake: There is only one intake in the year in Semester One: MarchVenue: City CampusApplications due: on or before 1 December of the preceding year. Late applications are accepted ifplaces are available.

The Master of Design (MDes) is a one-year taught programme with associated research, aimed atdeveloping innovative and strategic leadership for the design and business environment. Students

are exposed to a range of design research and innovation methods and practices. The focus is onimproving and extending creativity and understanding about the design of products, environments,services and brands within market contexts. This involves user-centered design of products andservices and exploring how design thinking and the power of design can deliver new forms of value,experience and competitive advantage for business, and environmental sustainability.

Spanning a range of core and elective subjects, the Master of Design allows students to focus onapplied research and design practices within a chosen area of their own expertise. The programmeconsists of 3 x 30-point core papers, and 2 x 15-point elective papers. The curriculum is designed tonurture a new breed of strategic design thinkers and innovators.

The qualification may be taken as a full-time or part-time work-based study. Work-based study atMaster’s level recognises creative work, knowledge an d skills acquired through professional art anddesign practice as criteria for admission into the programme. This allows industry practitioners tofulfil their educational potential while simultaneously pursuing a career.

Entry criteriaApplicants must have one of the following

A four year bachelor's degree in a relevant field with a B grade average or higher in papers atLevel 7 or equivalent

A bachelor's degree with honours in a relevant field

the Postgraduate Diploma in Art & Design A bachelor's degree and : a professional qualification in a relevant discipline, recognised by the University as being

equivalent to one year of advanced study, or evidence of at least three years professional experience in the design industry, subject to

approval by the Dean (or representative).

English Language RequirementsAll applicants for admission to Art & Design postgraduate programmes are expected to have anappropriate level of proficiency in English. The English Language requirement is an IELTS (Academic)

result of no less than 6.5 overall , with no band less than 6.0, or recognised equivalent.

Applicants for whom English or Māor i is not their first language should provide one of the following

http://www.autartdesign.ac.nz/http://www.autartdesign.ac.nz/


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An International English Language Testing System (IELTS) results card (Academic), gainedwithin the last two years

Evidence of a comparable pass in an equivalent language test gained within the last twoyears or other recognised English proficiency equivalency

Programme structureStudents enrolled in MDes must achieve 120 points by successfully completing the following papers:

Code Title Points PrerequisitesPart A: CORE PAPERS. A student must complete 90 points from:119200 Design Research Methods and Contexts 30119201 Design Innovation, Technology and

Entrepreneurship30

119202 Design Project 30 119200, 119201Part B: ELECTIVE PAPERS. A student must complete 30 points from:119203 Special Topic 15

119204 Design Systems and Business 15119205 Merchandising and Branding Strategy 15119206 Strategic Innovation 15119207 Reading Paper 15119208 Sustainability Design 15OR any AUT Master of Business paper. Enrolment in elective papers must be approved by theMaster of Design Programme Leader.

FeesDomestic fees

The 2016 tuition fee for the MDes programme is $8,050.00 (GST incl) for a full time enrolment of 120points. There is also a compulsory Student Services Fee and a Building Levy, totalling $573.90 (GSTincl).

International feeshttp://www.aut.ac.nz/study-at-aut/fees-scholarships-and-finance/fees/postgraduate-fees/postgraduate-international-fees

ScholarshipsInformation and application requirements can be found online at: http://www.aut.ac.nz/study-at-

aut/fees-scholarships-and-finance/scholarshipsSearch AUT’s Scholarships database using level = postgraduate and Study area = Art and Design

Application processDomestic applicants: (NZ citizens or with resident status): apply online https://register.aut.ac.nz/ You will be given a student ID number which you should include with all the documents you submitin support of your application (see below).

International Applicants: Applicants from the countries/regions listed below may apply onlinehttps://register.aut.ac.nz/

USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, Europe

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Applicants from countries/regions not listed can apply directly using the International StudentApplication form (download it here ) or apply through an AUT registered agent . For more informationabout the application process: http://www.aut.ac.nz/study-at-aut/apply-to-aut/applying-to-aut

Documents to support your application

All applicants must provide each of the following documents to support their application

Certified copies of the academic transcript/results and completion certificates of yourqualifications.For information about how to obtain certified documents, see this page:http://www.aut.ac.nz/study-at-aut/apply-to-aut/domestic-students-how-to-apply/completing-the-application/supporting-documents#certify

Current CV outlining, in detail, any previous work experience relevant to your application forpostgraduate study.

Portfolio of work – a selection of 10 to 12 images of recent work supporting your proposal.Please supply these on CD/DVD or as a PDF or PowerPoint file or a website link. Please include anindex for these images and a brief commentary about the context within which the work wasproduced. Domestic applicants may upload their portfolio to Arion – see below for moredetails.

Project Proposal Please base the proposal around a topic which you want to explore or investigate at anadvanced level. Your proposal for research may be either practice-based, or based aroundtheoretical/written research, or both. Within one or two A4 pages , please outline and discuss:

What you want to do (the nature of the project) Where this interest comes from and what it relates to - e.g. previous work leading up to

this; your own background in art/design leading to current interests; work by otherartists/designers which might be relevant to or inform your study; other contexts which arerelated (e.g. areas of theory or practice).

What sort of media, methods, and processes you would use. The field or discipline(s) most closely related to your project or topic (e.g. product design,

business, branding, etc). If more than one please write ‘Inter -disciplinary’ and indicate thetwo nearest related disciplines.

Where to send your documentsIn person: AUT Student Centre at the following locations

City Campus: WA atrium, level 2 (ground floor entry) North Shore Campus: AG building South Campus: MB building

Post: University Admissions Office, AUT University, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142

Courier: University Admissions Office, AUT University, WA Building, Level 2, 55 WellesleyStreet East, Auckland 1010

Alternatively, all of the above documents may be emailed to [email protected] exceptfor the certified copies of academic transcripts/results and completion certificates which must bemailed, couriered or delivered in person.

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Outcome of applicationWe will contact you after AUT Admissions receives your complete application. In most cases theSchool invites applicants for an interview (in person or by phone). The purpose of the interview is todiscuss your interests in more depth, to clarify any matters related to your application, and to checkthat you are enrolling in the postgraduate programme most suitable for your purposes.

Contact Information

School of Art & Design Postgraduate Enquiries:Phone (09) 921 9663email: [email protected]

Postal address:School of Art & Design, AUT University, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142, New Zealand

Courier address:AUT University, School of Art and Design, 27 St Paul Street, Auckland 1010, New Zealand

Uploading your portfolio to Arion (Domestic applicants only)

During the online application process, you will see a page entitled Upload Documents (Optional) .

At this point you may upload a portfolio: click Choose File and browse to select your file, thenclick Upload Files .

You are strongly encouraged to submit your portfolio along with your application to AUT. If,however, your portfolio is not ready to be submitted at this stage, then you can upload yourportfolio through your Arion account at a later date. Please see the instructions below: How tosubmit your portfolio after applying to AUT .

You will be unable to re-submit or update your portfolio once it has been received by AUT.

Portfolio format

Approximately 10-12 A4 pages of images/photos of your work merged into one PDF file.

The portfolio filename should include your full name and programme for which you are applying,for example: MaryJaneDoe-MDes-portfolio.pdf

If you are applying in the areas of Digital Design or Graphic Design, you may wish to send us amovie file as your portfolio. Please DO NOT upload movie or audio files with your application orto your Arion account. Instead, we recommend you upload your movie or audio file to YouTube,and place a link to this in your CV.

If for any reason you have a problem uploading your portfolio (ie due to file size limitations)please email the PDF portfolio to [email protected] The file size MUST NOT EXCEED 30MB. Any files exceeding 30MB will be sent back to you by

Admissions and/or not uploaded to your application. Applications that do not include a portfoliowill not be assessed.

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How to submit your portfolio after applying to AUT

• If you are not ready to submit your portfolio with your application to AUT, then you can uploadyour portfolio through your Arion account at a later date. Portfolio format must be as outlinedabove.

•

Log in to your Arion account using the username and password sent to you by AUThttps://arion.aut.ac.nz/ArionMain/Default.aspx • Click Academic Details > Student Documents .

• Click Add Document .

• Click Browse , select your portfolio file (filename should include your full name and programme)then click Upload .

• You will be unable to re-submit or update your portfolio once it has been received by AUT.

For more information or assistance with uploading a portfolio

Please contact the AUT Student Centre: phone (09) 921 9779.Online Help: www.aut.ac.nz/studentinfo
https://arion.aut.ac.nz/ArionMain/Default.aspxhttps://arion.aut.ac.nz/ArionMain/Default.aspxhttp://www.aut.ac.nz/studentinfohttp://www.aut.ac.nz/studentinfohttp://www.aut.ac.nz/studentinfohttp://www.aut.ac.nz/studentinfohttps://arion.aut.ac.nz/ArionMain/Default.aspx

MDes Application Guide

Documents

Transcript of MDes Application Guide