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Explore your study options in Creative Industries

Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Practice

Are you passionate about creativity and cultural expression? Develop advanced academic, practical and creative skills through an exhibition, publication or industry project and access multi-disciplinary creative studios supervised by industry leading educators, artists and designers. The Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Practice offers a highly flexible studio or industry based programme based at Unitec’s Creative Industries cultural hub.

Level
8
Credits
120 (1.0 EFTS)
Campus
Mt Albert
Start dates
February or July
Duration
Full-time for one year or part-time for two years

Programme overview

The Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Practice enables artists, designers, photographers, animators, educators, performers, directors, producers and other creative thinkers to advance their professional careers within Unitec’s Creative Industries cultural hub. 

In the first semester, a combination of taught, negotiated or studio courses allow you to tailor the learning experience to your specialist creative research interests, whether these fall into traditional (graphic design, industrial design, photography, animation, visual arts, performance) or hybrid domains (service design, experience design, design for social innovation, performance or production design, transmedia, interdisciplinary practice). 

Your second semester involves conceptualising, proposing and implementing advanced creative research. You will be supervised and mentored by academic staff and/or industry professionals. Creative projects may take place on campus or be integrated into a relevant workplace. 

Highlights

  • Create a body of new work, improve your job opportunities, and refresh or re-orient your profession.
  • Develop critical self-reflection, creative thinking and research skills by taking your practice to an advanced level.
  • Work in an evolving multi-disciplinary environment where you will get exposure to a wide range of approaches, practices, and theories. 
  • Improve your communication and project proposal skills through studio critiques and written components. 
  • Learn from supervisors that include notable artists, designers, and educators. 
  • Enhance your creative portfolio with a significant advanced research 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 individualised flexible modes of delivery towards the realisation 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.

PGDCP (2 semesters) - Develop screenwriting and pitching skills and complete an industry standard script (short screenplay for submission).

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)

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 of B- or higher in all Level 7 courses; or
  • A professional qualification in a relevant discipline, recognised as being equivalent to merit achievement in a Bachelor’s degree
And meet one of the English entry requirements;

Non-Academic requirements

  • A significant portfolio of professional work sufficient to enable critical reflection on your prior practice

Don’t meet these Academic requirements?

For more information, download the programme regulations (PDF 306 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 of B- or higher in all Level 7 courses; or
  • A professional qualification in a relevant discipline, recognised as being equivalent to merit achievement in a Bachelor’s 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 306 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
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.
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.
Courses Credits Aim
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.
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