The attendance pattern for this course is full time or part time according to candidate choice. Visa requirements commonly restrict international students to full time study only.

Streams are not available in the Bachelor of Visual Arts or the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies.

Candidates in the Bachelor of Visual Arts and the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies and those undertaking honours in the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies will be under the supervision of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Candidates undertaking honours in the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor Advanced Studies will be under the management of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Admission, requirements, award of the honours mark, and award of the grade of honours for an honours component undertaken by a candidate will be under the supervision of the faculty offering and supervising the embedded honours component. The faculty offering and supervising the embedded component will direct the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences on all matters relating to admission, requirements, award of the honours mark and award of the honours grade.

The Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences shall exercise authority in any matter concerned with the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies and the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor Advanced Studies with Honours combined degrees not otherwise dealt with in these resolutions.

Admission to this course is on the basis of a secondary school leaving qualification such as the NSW Higher School Certificate (including national and international equivalents), tertiary study or an approved preparation program. English language requirements must be met where these are not demonstrated by sufficient qualifications taught in English. Special admission pathways are open for mature aged applicants who do not possess a school leaving qualification, educationally disadvantaged applicants and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants. Applicants are ranked by merit and offers for available places are issued according to the ranking. Details of admission requirements are found in the Coursework Rule and the Coursework Policy.

In addition, admission to this course requires the applicants to present a portfolio of their artwork online, or in an optional interview. The results of this process will form part of the ranking for applicants.

The units of study that may be taken for the award Bachelor of Visual Arts and the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies are set out in:

Table A: Undergraduate core units of study;

Table B: Undergraduate elective units of study;

Table S of the Shared Pool for Undergraduate Degrees;

Table O of the Shared pool for Undergraduate Degrees.

In these resolutions, except where otherwise specified, Table A, Table B, Table S and Table O mean Table A, Table B, Table S and Table O as specified here.

To qualify for the award of the Bachelor of Visual Arts pass degree, a candidate must successfully complete 144 credit points, comprising:

72 credit points of Studio units as specified in Table A, which must include a studio specialisation;

24 credit points of Critical Studies units of which 12 credit points must be from Table A at 1000 level and 12 credit points must be from Table B at 2000 or 3000 level; and

48 credit points of units from Table B, Table O or Table S, which may, optionally, include a minor or major.

To qualify for the award of the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies, a candidate must successfully complete 192 credit points, comprising:

72 credit points of Studio units as specified in Table A, which must include a studio specialisation;

24 credit points of Critical Studies units of which 12 credit points must be from Table A at 1000 level and 12 credit points must be from Table B at 2000 or 3000 level;

A major from Table S, excluding the Visual Arts major;

12 credit points of units from the Open Learning Environment from Table O;

A minimum of 24 credit points at 4000 level as listed and defined in Section 7 below and specified in Table A or Table S, including a research, community, industry or entrepreneurship project of at least 12 and a maximum of 24 credit points; and

Where appropriate, elective units from Table B, Table O or Table S.

Completion of a studio specialisation (72 credit points) from Table A is a requirement of the Bachelor of Visual Arts.

Candidates have the option of completing a major or a minor from Table S, excluding the Visual Arts major or minor.

Completion of a studio specialisation from Table A and a major from Table S, excluding Visual Arts major, is a requirement of the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies.

The list of available Studio Specialisations for the Bachelor of Visual Arts and the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies is as specified in Table A.

The list of available majors for the Bachelor of Visual Arts and the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies is as specified in Table S. Candidates in these degrees may not take the Visual Arts major or minor from Table S.

An embedded honours component involving a research project, is available to meritorious students, who complete an alternative set of units of study in the final year of the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies. Honours can be undertaken by studio practice and research paper or by dissertation.

The units of study that may be taken for the course are set out in the honours units of study table.

To qualify for the award of the honours degree a candidate must complete 36 credit points comprising:

By studio practice and research paper:

30 credit points of honours Studio; and

6 credit points of an honours unit of study prescribed by the Faculty as listed in the Table of units of study in the Faculty Handbook.

By dissertation:

30 credit points of honours Dissertation; and

6 credit points of an honours unit of study prescribed by the Faculty as listed in the Table of units of study in the Faculty Handbook.

The honours mark is determined by calculating a WAM from the 36 credit points of Table A honours units of study, using the formula:

The mark is the actual mark obtained by the student for the unit of study, or in the case of a failing grade with no mark, 0. Pass/fail assessed subjects and credit transfer subjects (from another institution) are excluded from these calculations. However, the marks from all attempts at a unit of study are included.

Honours in the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies is awarded in the following classes:

A student with an honours mark of 90 or above may be awarded a university medal. The medal is awarded at the discretion of the Faculty to the highest achieving students who in the opinion of the Faculty have an outstanding academic record, in accordance with the Coursework Policy 2014.

The Bachelor of Visual Arts is awarded at a Pass level.

The Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies is awarded at either a Pass or Honours level. The honours degree is awarded in classes ranging from First Class to Third Class according to the rules specified above.

Candidates taking the embedded honours component who do not meet the requirements for award with honours, and who fulfill requirements for the Bachelor of Visual Arts or Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies will be awarded the degree merited.

Cross-institutional study is available in this course under conditions specified in the Resolutions of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

The Sydney College of the Arts encourages candidates in this course to participate in international exchange programs as set out in the resolutions of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

A candidate may transfer from the Bachelor of Visual Arts and elect to complete the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies in accordance with these resolutions and receive full credit for work completed in the Bachelor of Visual Arts. A candidate may transfer from the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies combined degree and elect to complete the Bachelor of Visual Arts in accordance with these resolutions and receive credit of up to 144 credit points as determined by the faculty.

Credit transfer is subject to the provisions of the Coursework Policy and the Resolutions of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, or, in the case of a major or minor offered by another faculty, any relevant resolutions of that faculty.

These resolutions apply to students in the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies and the Bachelor of Visual Arts who commenced their candidature after 1 January, 2018, except with the permission of the Associate Dean.

Students who commenced candidature in the Bachelor of Visual Arts prior to 1 January 2018 who elect to proceed under these resolutions should note that the University does not undertake to offer 4000-level units and projects in the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies combined degree prior to 2020 and that it may not be possible to complete requirements for the combined degree before the end of Semester 2 of that year.

Candidates who commence candidature after 1 January, 2018 who are seeking credit for prior study should note that the University does not undertake to offer 4000-level units and projects in the Bachelor of Visual Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies combined degree prior to 2020 and that it may not be possible to complete requirements for the combined degree before the end of Semester 2 of that year. Where a student in the Bachelor of Visual Arts proceeding under these resolutions applies for and is granted credit and wishes to complete the degree before 1 January, 2020, the student will be offered the opportunity to complete the Bachelor of Visual Arts degree under the resolutions that applied at 1 January 2017.

Candidates who commenced the Bachelor of Visual Arts prior to 1 January 2018 may complete the requirements in accordance with the resolutions in force at the time of their commencement.