Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Practice

at Ara Institute of Canterbury - City Campus New Zealand

In this vibrant and exciting industry, this specialisation will prepare you in all aspects of event logistics, planning and management. Whether you have career ambitions to run international conferences, sports tournaments or music or arts festivals, our experience tutors will help you develop real-life, hands-on skills. You’ll also get to work on an actual local event to consolidate your learnings.

Flexibility has been built into this degree, allowing you to not only to study part-time, full-time and/or in the evenings, but to choose two specialisations at no extra cost and requiring no additional time.

This programme has been designed to ensure that when you graduate you'll have the knowledge and skills needed for this dynamic industry, and that you can be a flexible, future-focused, creative leader who can adapt to changing circumstances. Your studies will cover: hospitality and tourism trends; marketing strategies for local and international hospitality and tourism contexts; financial management strategies; business analysis for hospitality and tourism; communication; self-management; problem solving; teamwork and planning. In addition, you'll explore New Zealand's heritage and indigenous culture, and gain an understanding of sustainability issues relating to tourism, such as its impact on the environment.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Practice has been designed for musicians, dramatists, performing and visual artists, designers, film makers, writers, directors and other professional creatives who wish to take their first foray into postgraduate study. It will enable you to advance your creative practice and develop knowledge and specialist skills, beyond those gained through your undergraduate degree.

As a student of this programme you'll have the opportunity to use reflection on creative and critical theory to initiate and develop an area of interest into a supervised research project within a domain of practice.

IT industry partners have significant input into the structure and content of this programme to ensure that what is being taught continually meets industry needs. The first year covers a broad range of ICT topics that will provide you with a solid base of knowledge in software engineering (programming), hardware and networking, website development, IT tools and concepts and mathematics skills relevant to IT. In years two and three you'll choose one of three specialist pathways: Information Systems, Networking and Infrastructure or Software Development. During this time you'll develop in-depth knowledge of your chosen area through a range of compulsory and elective courses.

You'll also develop skills in problem solving, critical thinking, analysis, team work, project management, time management, self-reliance and communication skills. There is a strong emphasis on practical skills and work-readiness, so wherever possible, theory is integrated and applied to practical tasks. Many courses include group activities or group projects, as the ability to work as part of a team is strongly valued by employers.

The Bachelor of Sustainability and Outdoor Education is the only outdoor education degree in New Zealand that includes sustainability as a major component. It provides a unique combination of theory and practice to ensure you graduate with a sound understanding of contemporary social and cultural issues, geography and sustainability, and a proven capability in outdoor education. It is a broad degree that allows you to tailor your learning to meet the needs of a variety of career aspirations including teaching, conservation, outdoor instruction and guiding.

During your studies, you’ll engage with the natural landscape to develop an in-depth understanding of sustainability, and what it means to our society now and for the future. You’ll explore flora and fauna and consider social geography with the human influences and impacts on our environment including how decisions on land use are made. You’ll also develop your inter-personal skills and learn effective methods for teaching, guiding and helping other people to engage with and respect our spectacular natural environment.

Essential studies include health and wellness, geography, environmental science, professional practices, leadership and safety. These are mixed with elective theory and practical courses to foster your personal strengths and interests. Elective course options include climate change, adventure therapy, M?ori studies and cultural learning as well as adventure pursuits like rock climbing and ropes courses, white water and sea kayaking, surfing and stand-up paddle boarding.

During the course of this one-year programme you'll acquire the skills to confidently plan and produce a broad range of meat, poultry, fish and larder dishes, employing advanced preparation, cookery and presentation techniques. You'll also learn effective methods for planning and monitoring workflow, strategies for managing staff and operations to meet performance targets, and how to plan, develop and design dishes and menus. To meet Health and Safety requirements, applicants must be physically able to undertake the practical components of the programme in an industry emulated environment.

IT industry partners have significant input into the structure and content of this programme to ensure that what is being taught continually meets industry needs. The first year covers a broad range of ICT topics that will provide you with a solid base of knowledge in software engineering (programming), hardware and networking, website development, IT tools and concepts and mathematics skills relevant to IT.

In years two and three you'll choose one of three specialist pathways: Information Systems, Networking and Infrastructure or Software Development. During this time you'll develop in-depth knowledge of your chosen area through a range of compulsory and elective courses. You'll also develop skills in problem solving, critical thinking, analysis, team work, project management, time management, self-reliance and communication skills. There is a strong emphasis on practical skills and work-readiness, so wherever possible, theory is integrated and applied to practical tasks.

Accounting is much more than bookkeeping. If you wish to move into accounting without becoming a Chartered Accountant, this pathway enables you to specialise in financial accounting, management accounting or taxation, and incorporate five electives from a different discipline to widen your career options. This could include project management, change management or something completely different; the scope and variety is up to you.

Flexibility has been built into this degree, allowing you to not only to study part-time, full-time and/or in the evenings, but to choose two specialisations at no extra cost and requiring no additional time. Alternatively, you can personalise your degree by including up to five elective courses (Level 5 and above, equal to 15 credits each) from any subject area of your choosing.

In our graduate diploma you will learn methods for profiling key information on the internet and consider the value of social media for internal and external communications. Other areas of study include applied computing, advanced business analysis essentials, and the latest techniques for management of information and communication technologies. We also connect you with our industry partners to put this knowledge to use in the real world on a relevant project.

In your first year of study you will develop knowledge in core business strategies including accounting, business communication, commercial law, business heritage, culture and sustainability, marketing, computing, management and applied research.

In your second and third years the focus is on business transformation and change - you will be able to recognise where and when change is required and how to implement plans and monitor the change process. You will study:

• Organisational Behaviour - Investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structures have on staff behaviour.
• Principles of Leadership - Builds personal capabilities with an understanding of effective leadership concepts and principles.
• Project Management - Learn to create and use project plans using MS Project®.
• Business Transformation and Change - Aligns business strategy, culture and management capability with the need for efficient transitions.
• Strategic Management - Explores organisational effectiveness with well-structured strategic goals, plans and actions.