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Explore your study options in Creative Industries

Master of Creative Practice

Are you passionate about creativity, art practice or cultural expression? Do you enjoy designing solutions to complex problems, or imagining new ways of experiencing and living in the world? Would you like to influence society by changing opinions and values to make a positive difference? Could your portfolio benefit from completing an advanced creative research project? Advance your career through a Masters programme designed for creative professionals.

Level
9
Credits
180 (1.5 EFTS)
Campus
Mt Albert
Start dates
February or July
Duration
Full-time for 18 months or part-time for three years

Programme overview

The Masters of Creative Practice enables graphic designers, contemporary artists, photographers, product designers, animators, game designers, performing artists, UX designers, directors, actors, dancers, filmmakers, costume and technical artists, producers, and digital creatives to learn independently and collaboratively in studio and classroom environments. This programme supports and challenges you to question ideas, explore new professional practices and develop research and creative practice capabilities at an advanced level in your chosen discipline. 

This 180 credit programme will allow you to immerse yourself in a dynamic community of diverse creative practices including dance, theatre, film, digital media, animation, raranga (Maori weaving), visual art, craft, costume design, graphic design, product design, experience design, game design and service design. Work on exciting and innovative projects in our creative studios and learn from industry-leading arts and design staff. 

A typical first-semester experience provides you with foundation knowledge such as locating your creative practice within a wider body of knowledge, considering indigenous research methodologies, reading and thinking critically, experimenting with, and critiquing, approaches to collaborative and creative industry practice and applying artistic and design research methods.

Negotiated studies courses give you the option of undertaking industry placements with leading creative organizations and agencies in Auckland, while supervised studios provide possibilities for developing and enhancing your creative practice. 

The second and third semesters of study consist of the capstone project, which involves conceiving, proposing and carrying out a creative research project to completion (90 or 120 credits), during which time you will be supervised and mentored by academic staff and/or industry professionals. An example of this final project might be a performance, exhibition, design prototype or publication.

2025 Scholarships will be open soon 

Find out more

Highlights

  • Dynamic studio environments that facilitate independent and collaborative working practices;
  • Build your own Masters degree as a stair-cased qualification;
  • Create a body of new work, build a portfolio, advance your practice and refresh or reorient your career;
  • Learn about and apply Kaupapa Maori and Pacific approaches to creative practice;
  • Gain industry experience through negotiated placements or work on live projects;
  • Work in an evolving multi-disciplinary environment with exposure to a wide range of approaches, practices, and theories;
  • Improve your communication skills through studio critiques and written activities;
  • Learn from supervisors that include notable educators and creative practitioners;
  • Get feedback on your developing work from specialists in your field;
  • Develop highly specialised creative research and critical thinking skills through a significant project.

Screenwriting

Develop your craft in writing for screen at post-graduate level in a practice-led environment mentored by industry specialists. Working across Certificate, Diploma or Masters Level this course offers intensive and collaborative workshop opportunities combined with individualized flexible modes of delivery towards the realization of a significant screenwriting project. Screenwriting graduates develop strong industry connections throughout their study, taking up opportunities to write for TV and activate links with the screen community.

MCP (3 semesters) – Advance screenwriting and pitching skills, workshop and complete an industry-standard script (feature length screenplay or web series).

 

Meet our Postgraduate Supervisors

  • Dr. Cris de Groot, Senior Lecturer (Product Design, Industrial Design, Business Focussed Design, Creativity, Creative Entrepreneurship)
  • Richard Fahey, Senior Lecturer (Painting, Visual Art, Ceramics, NZ Craft, Curating, Visual Art Education)
  • Gina Ferguson, Senior Lecturer (Sculpture, Craft, Installation Art, Public Art)
  • Dr. Bobby Hung, Senior Lecturer (Street Art, Graffiti, Public Art, Visual Art, Visual Culture, Education)
  • Allan McDonald, Lecturer (Photography)
  • Emma Smith, Senior Lecturer (Painting, Visual Art, Contemporary Art)
  • Dr. Leon Tan, Associate Professor (Public Art, Participatory Art, Visual Art, Visual Culture, Participatory Design, Interdisciplinary Practice)
  • Jonty Valentine, Lecturer (Graphic Design, Publication Design, Contemporary Art)
  • Dan Wagner, Senior Lecturer (Screen Art, Screen Education, Cinematography)
  • Paul Woodruffe, Senior Lecturer (Visual Art, Public Art, Design for Social Innovation)
  • Dr. Becca Wood,  Senior Lecturer (Choreography, Somatic Practice, Spatial Practice, Site-Based Performance, Interdisciplinary Practice, Digital Culture)
  • Dr. Vanessa Byrnes, Associate Professor (Theatre, Performance, Directing, Acting, Theory, Producing)
  • Peeti Lamwilai, Lecturer (Graphic Design, Digital Design, Motion Graphics)

Assessment of Prior Learning 

If you lack an undergraduate degree but have relevant work experience or tertiary experience, you may qualify for a Bachelor's degree and entry into postgraduate studies through our APL process. Contact Dr. Becca Wood (rwood@unitec.ac.nz) to explore this pathway. Click here to find out more.

Upcoming Events

In School of Creative Industries we have a wide range of shows and events, discover more from: 

What's On 

Admission requirements

What you will need to study this programme. 


Domestic students

Academic requirements

You must have completed at least one of the following:

  • A recognised Bachelor’s degree in the same or similar discipline, with merit achievement deemed to be an average grade of B- or higher in all Level 7 courses; or
  • A professional qualifications in a relevant discipline, recognized as being equivalent to merit achievement in a bachelor degree.
And meet one of the English entry requirements;

Don’t meet these Academic requirements?

For more information, download the programme regulations (PDF 322 KB)


International students

Academic requirements 

You must have completed at least one of the following:

  • A recognised Bachelor’s degree in the same or similar discipline, with merit achievement deemed to be an average grade of B- or higher in all Level 7 courses; or
  • A professional qualifications in a relevant discipline, recognized as being equivalent to merit achievement in a bachelor degree.

And English entry requirements;

​If English is not your first language, you will also need at least one of the following qualifications:

Don’t meet these Academic requirements?

For more information, download the programme regulations (PDF 322 KB)

Courses and timetables

For more details on the courses, please click on the course names below. Please note that our systems are updating with new course timetable information for 2025; please check back again soon.

Courses Credits Aim
Comparative Critical Reading (ICIB8071) 15 credits (0.125 EFTS) To analyse critical and theoretical dimensions, key principles and approaches for a specialist area of creative arts practice through the comparative critical reading of selected texts (written word, oral presentations, creative works and researched essays, etc.). This course is designed to challenge existing ideas about creative practice by surveying the landscape of contemporary theory and to enable the positioning of those ideas into the students personal frame of practice.
Research in the Creative Industries (ICIB8072) 15 credits (0.125 EFTS) To provide both a documentation and record of understanding of research methodological practice for collaborative creative arts practice, which incorporates a demonstrated understanding of the theories and methodologies of key practitioners/theorists associated with a specialist study area. This course is designed to enable students with a methodological foundation with which to design, implement, and analyse research projects in a variety of contexts.
Courses Credits Aim
Research Project (Extended) (ICIB9003) 120.0 credits (1 EFTS) To allow the student to design, carry out, and report on a significant research investigation that is problem-oriented and applied in nature in the form of a thesis, dissertation, substantial research paper or scholarly creative work. Participants will conduct creative practice based research within a specialist area that extends elements of earlier work on the programme according to his/her own predilections and particular skills.
Courses Credits Aim
Creative Practice Project (ICIB8005) 30 credits (0.25 EFTS) To critically analyse creative practice as both a process and an outcome. This course allows participants to devise and conduct a small creative practice based research project that demonstrates intellectual independence and analytical rigour within a framework of information and principles related to contemporary creative industry practice. This course is designed to enable participants to explore their creativity in a practice based learning environment.
Creative Practice Project (Extended) (ICIB8007) 60 credits (0.5 EFTS) To critically analyse creative practice as both a process and an outcome. This course allows participants to devise and conduct an extended creative practice based research project that demonstrates intellectual independence and analytical rigour within a framework of information and principles related to contemporary creative industry practice. This course is designed to enable participants to explore their creativity in a practice based learning environment.
Negotiated Study (ICIB8906) 15 credits (0.125 EFTS) To enable a student to pursue an individualised course of study of particular interest, and which is empathetic with the aims of the programme and will contribute to the graduate profile. The course content may comprise of an agreed selection of the Workshops, Seminars and Masterclasses offered as part of the Specialist Electives for this programme, or may contain other negotiated outcomes.
Negotiated Study (Extended) (ICIB8907) 30 credits (0.25 EFTS) To enable a learner to pursue an extended individualised course of study of particular interest, and which is empathetic with the aims of the programme and will contribute to the graduate profile. The course content may generally comprise of an agreed selection of the Workshops, Seminars and Masterclasses offered as part of the Specialist Electives for this programme, or may contain other negotiated outcomes