Music

What would life be without music? USC’s Music major is for music lovers, performers and producers who want to understand the modern music industry and hone their performance skills. You’ll study songwriting and composing, music production and sound engineering, and explore a range of performance techniques and styles, including voice performance.

You'll study under internationally acclaimed musicians, including Artistic Director Sean O'Boyle AM and Director of Vocal Arts Suzanne Kompass.

Learn how to manage the recording process and build an audience through live performances and online. Then, put what you’ve learned into practice through a major music industry project, where you’ll make, produce and release your own recording. Most Music courses do not have prerequisites and can be studied as electives.

Career opportunities

Recording artist, performer, voice performer, producer, songwriter, composer, music industry professional.

Theatre and Performance

The Theatre and Performance major integrates theory and practice to develop performance makers and educators who can successfully navigate the live performance industry. Studies in acting, directing, devising, theatre history and leadership will give you a strong foundation on which to build your performance-making skills and understandings.

Electives provide options to work with a professional director, explore physical theatre, develop your scriptwriting, and/or undertake an industry placement, where you’ll develop practical skills and valuable industry networks.

The Drama major also builds valuable skills in communication, creative problem solving, critical analysis, teamwork, time management and leadership.

Career opportunities

Director, actor, playwright, producer, educator, performer, community arts worker.

Photo by Lisa Marree Williams.

Screen Media

The Screen Media major develops the knowledge and skills you will need to work in the screen and media industries, with a strong focus on combining theory with practical experience.

Study the media and communications sectors, screen aesthetics, and the social impacts of screen media, as well as screen media's history and future.

You'll also engage with experienced industry mentors and guest lecturers and gain practical skills in screen production, screen editing and screenwriting.

Your study will culminate with a capstone industry project, where you will work in a small group to produce a short film.

Career opportunities

Screen producer, media manager, screen editor, film and television critic, screenwriter, cinematographer, media policy advisor, filmmaker.

Creative Advertising

The Creative Advertising major prepares you for creative and strategic roles in the dynamic advertising industry. You’ll study communication and advertising theories and develop your practical skills through industry projects for real clients.

You’ll also learn about copywriting, new media advertising, advertising planning and design.

This major develops your professional skills in communication, creative problem solving, teamwork, time management and leadership – transferable skills that are valuable in any career.

Career opportunities

Account executive, copywriter, creative director, account planner, art direction, advertising designer

Marketing

In the Marketing major, you’ll learn how marketing connects organisations to their consumers, and how to develop and implement competitive marketing strategies.

At the heart of marketing is understanding people: who, how and why they buy and consume goods and services. You’ll learn how to critically evaluate and address a broad range of practical marketing scenarios, including commercial contexts and social issues. You’ll also discover how to gather, analyse and interpret relevant data to inform innovative marketing solutions.

Career opportunities

Marketing coordinator, brand manager, product developer, fundraising specialist, communications officer, content manager, media adviser, event promoter.

Creative Writing and Publishing

The Creative Writing and Publishing major gives you hands-on experience in writing, editing and publishing.

Taught by award-winning published authors and illustrators, you’ll study the fundamentals of creative writing craft, explore your own writing style and learn the tools of the publishing industry.

With a choice of electives, you can specialise in writing for youth, writing for the illustrated book, or online publication.

You'll also develop professional skills in written communication, critical analysis, teamwork and leadership.

Career opportunities

Author, editor, publisher, educator, professional writer, journalist.

Serious Games

The rapidly growing Serious Games industry focuses on solving real-world problems using the universal appeal of play. In this major, you'll learn how to design and deliver game experiences to drive positive change in education, healthcare, marketing and more.

In the Serious Games major you will study game-based learning, puzzle design and game production, and use these skills to create emotionally rich and challenging experiences within your own games and simulations, including experiences for PC, mobile and virtual reality.

You can take your newfound knowledge and skills into the many companies that are now growing around the games industry.

Career opportunities

Job opportunities include embedded roles in government agencies and not-for-profits, as well as video games publishing, marketing, production and management.

Interactive and UX Design

In the Interactive and UX Design major you will engage in the online design and development of a professional website portfolio, in addition to either undertaking an industry placement or engaging in the design and development of a substantial website project.

The major integrates the development of front-end coding skills and website interface design, and includes capabilities in website and graphic design, wireframing, responsive layout design, accessibility and usability.

You will also develop skills in visual and written communication for the Internet, creative problem solving, creative and analytical thinking strategies, time management and project management.

Career opportunities

Front-end website designer and / or developer, user interface designer and / or developer, website project manager.

Visual Communication

The Visual Communication major prepares you to work as an independent designer or industry employed practitioner, with an understanding of the cultural, conceptual and technological perspectives and attributes required for reflective professional practice and a commitment to ongoing problem solving through visual communication.

The major integrates the technical, creative and conceptual skills to create design outcomes that meet client requirements, whilst engaging with industry networks and sources. A framework of design theory and practice and the ability to analyse and synthesise information from a range of sources to generate design solutions underpins this.

Choose to intern at a studio or agency or complete a professional client project, including a graduate portfolio exhibition.

Career opportunities

Art director, creative director, advertising executive, publishing, book layout design, magazine layout, illustration. Leisure and tourism industries, product design, photographic editing, community services.

Animation and Visualisation Design

Do you love to create your own stories, worlds, props and characters, and bringing these to life? Do you want to learn how to visualise complex information and concepts in a way that fosters efficient and effective understanding of it?

The Animation and Visualisation major will provide you with theory, skills and hands-on experiences you need to take on a career in 3D design or animation for interactive media, visualisation, film, TV, games, advertising and information/education.

You will learn 3D-modeling processes using industry standard software. Project based learning will enable you to gain an understanding of approaches to storyboarding, object modelling, character design, rigging, texturing and rendering.

You will learn about animation post-production and composition using a match-moving software, composition software and a special effects software that brings together 2D and 3D renders, green-screen video footage, photographs, text, vector artwork, and sound and music to make it all come alive.

You will also have the chance to complement your specialisation by taking elective subjects in Graphic Design, Electronic Media Design or Screen and Media, and Communication Design.

Career opportunities

2D and 3D animator, concept artist, 2D and 3D generalist, visualisation artist, visual effects (VFX) designer, character designer, environment designer, compositor.

Social Media

This major will prepare you as a social media specialist by teaching you how to work with real clients to develop and implement social-media strategies, and analyse their success. You will learn how to create and curate content across social media platforms, tell compelling brand stories and work with real clients to gain practical industry experience while you are studying. You will also have opportunities to gain industry-recognised certifications and travel overseas on study tours.

Career opportunities

Social Media Manager, Digital Marketing Manager, Online Community Manager, Content Creation Executive, Digital Strategist.