School of Communication Arts

• Welcome
• Courses
• Facilities
• Locations

Welcome to the School of Communication Arts

The School of Communication Arts is part of the College of Arts at the University of Western Sydney.

Our School is a dynamic hub where ideas, culture, communications and technology converge. Our students have unique flexibility and scope to combine theoretical and practical studies across a wide range of related disciplines, such as graphic design, journalism, photography, media production, performance, music recording and performance, animation, advertising and web design.

The School has approximately 1500 students, and we strive to produce graduates who don't just reproduce knowledge, but contribute positively to their workplace or community role, whether in digital media or music therapy.

Our highly-qualified technical staff work alongside academic staff in workshop and studio settings to provide students with comprehensive, hands-on learning.

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Courses

The School offers undergraduate study and postgraduate study, including research programs, in a variety of disciplines:

• convergent media
• communication
• design (visual communication)
• contemporary arts
• music
• creative music therapy
  

Innovative subjects focus on contemporary debates, perspectives, methods and technologies. Wherever possible, courses include practical training, often through involvement in community and industry-based projects. A full list of courses offered by the College of Arts is available on the College courses page.

Facilities

Our students enjoy the best facilities and technology on offer. Our facilities are purpose-built for the needs of music, communications, media and design students.

• Portable field work:   P2 HD cameras with 17" Macbook Pro laptops running Final Cut Pro
• Outside Broadcast Van: Diesel Power generated OB Van with 3 JVC HD cameras, switcher, and audio desk.
• Studio: Accommodates 2 different filming areas, one with a blue/green screen cyclorama. Sony 16:9 cameras and Audio and Vision mixing desks.
• Streaming Server: for Podcasting, Vodcasting and streaming live footage.
• XSAN storage: For studio Playout and Record and Postproduction
• Post production facilities: Edit suites with Mac Pros, 32" screens. And fibre connectivity to the XSAN Server
• Large Screening room with Screen projection with 5:1 surround sound and large rear screen HDTV
• Green room with meeting space and screening facilities

Computer Labs
Our computer facilities include:

• Apple computer labs, configured for full range of digital design and production including Adobe Creative Suite 3, Final Cut Pro and After Effects. These labs also have PC computers for cross-platform production
• a complete range of scanning facilities (including 35mm neg to 4"x 5" film scanners, flat bed scanners, film recorders)
• digital colour printing

Design Studio
A fully-equipped professional design studio for industry projects.

Journalism, Radio and TV Studios

• video editing and sound suites
• radio lab
• analogue and digital equipment for video and sound recording

Photography
Our photographic facilities include:

• black and white darkrooms with 35mm to large format enlarging capacity
• a large colour darkroom with enlarging booths for all film formats and 20" wide AGFA-RA4 colour processor
• studio spaces over 200 square metres
• a 7-metre wide cyclorama
• an extensive range of industry-standard studio flash equipment
• a large variety of medium and large format camera equipment for loan to students
• a large range of digital still cameras.

Music

The Music facilities include two professional multitrack recording studios with the latest digital audio technologies, including ProTools, Waves plug-ins, quality condenser microphones and high-end outboard audio processing. The studios are connected to a variety of purpose-built, acoustically-designed spaces, allowing for large scale isolated recording.

Three audio post-production studios are equipped with 5.1 surround monitoring, allowing for the mixing of audiovisual material in Dolby Digital and surround formats for cinema and DVD applications. Supplementing the studios is a multi-station Apple computer lab with the latest audio recording, editing, sequencing and synthesiser applications.

The Golden Stave Music Therapy Centre, located on the UWS campus, is part of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia.

Community Television 

TVS, a community television station, is located at UWS.

Industry Recognition

Graduates of the Bachelor of Communication program with a major in Advertising are eligible to apply for membership of the International Advertising Association (IAA).

Graduates of the Bachelor of Communication program with a major in Public Relations are eligible to apply  for membership of the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA).

Graduates of the Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) are eligible to apply for membership of the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) and the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA).

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Locations

The School offers programs on Penrith campus (Kingswood and Werrington South).

History

The School was established in September 2005.

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