How to become a visual artist
Develop your ideas, hone your practice and start making wonderful things.
How to become a photographer
There’s more to this career path than Instagram filters.
When your interests are broad, and your horizons are wide.
An Arts degree gives you the chance to explore the world – and your place in it – through subjects such as Cinema Studies, Cultures and Contexts, Music: Global Perspectives and Research in Creative Practice. It’s for the thinkers, communicators, creatives and question-askers. People who aren’t afraid of complexity and who want to explore the stories, images and songs that shape our society.
RMIT’s Arts degrees are designed for creative people with something to say – and a drive to shape the world around them. They’re specialised, career-focused courses in:
- Creative Writing – for storytellers, editors and narrative thinkers
- Fine Art – for makers, experimentalists and visual artists
- Photography – for image-makers, thinkers and storytellers with a lens
- Music Industry – for future producers, performers, promoters and change-makers.
All our Arts degrees combine critical thinking with studio-based or industry-relevant learning. You’ll take part in internships, collaborate on projects and have access to exhibition and publishing opportunities both in Australia and globally.
Career options with an Arts degree
Arts graduates tend to find themselves in places where words, ideas and people are important where insight and communication are valuable currency. Here are just a few directions you can take.
Media and communications
If you love stories – telling them, analysing them, creating them – a Bachelor of Arts can lead to work in:
- journalism
- podcasting and content creation
- social media and comms
- digital marketing
- PR and community engagement.
You don’t have to be a media graduate to work in media – you just need the right mix of voice, vision and versatility.
Creative industries
Your Arts degree might be the foundation for a career in:
- writing and editing
- fine arts
- publishing
- film
- theatre.
You’ll learn how to understand audiences, shape narratives and contribute meaningfully to the cultural landscape. You don’t have to be a novelist. You might be a script editor, content strategist or cultural programmer.
Arts education and learning support
Your Arts background can lead into teaching, educational leadership or creative facilitation roles across:
- schools, TAFEs and universities
- art spaces and community programs
- workshops, festivals and events
- youth support and outreach programs.
Pairing your degree with postgrad teaching qualifications can take you straight into the classroom, or you can carve your own path through informal education and community work.
Cultural policy and arts advocacy
Behind every great artist, venue or program is someone doing the advocacy, grant-writing, policy development or community engagement to make it happen. That could be you. With additional study or experience, Arts graduates often find roles in:
- arts councils and policy think tanks
- government departments
- cultural strategy or arts administration
- not-for-profits and creative collectives.
Research and academia
Since we’re talking Arts, we’re going to show off our Shakespeare for a second:
“Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous.”
Shakespeare framed danger as lean, hungry and male. You don’t have to be lean, hungry or a man to be dangerous in research. If you love to dig deep and think big, consider research roles across:
- universities
- think tanks
- advocacy organisations
- cultural institutions.
With postgraduate study, you could be shaping the discourse in fields like:
- history
- music
- philosophy
- cultural studies
- visual arts
- theatrical Elizabethan depictions of Roman dictators and their relevance to 21st-century career options for Arts graduates.
Do I need further study?
That depends on your goals. Many Arts graduates go straight into entry-level jobs across media, admin, community engagement and public service. Others go on to specialise with further qualifications – in teaching, law, international development, social work, public policy or research. An Arts degree can be the springboard to many different things, and postgrad study helps you target your landing.
Undergraduate study options
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Undergraduate degree
Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing)
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February, July
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On campus
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Melbourne City
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Full-time 3 years, Part-time 6 years
Undergraduate degree
Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) (Honours)
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February
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On campus
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Melbourne City
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Full-time 1 year
Undergraduate degree
Bachelor of Arts (Music Industry)
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February, July
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On campus
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Melbourne City
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Full-time 3 years, Part-time 6 years
Undergraduate degree
Bachelor of Arts (Photography) (Honours)
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February
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On campus
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Melbourne City
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Full-time 1 year
Undergraduate degree
Bachelor of Fine Arts
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February, July
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On campus
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Melbourne City
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Full-time 3 years
Undergraduate degree
Bachelor of Photography
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February, July
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On campus
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Melbourne City
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Full-time 3 years
Postgraduate study options
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Postgraduate study
Graduate Certificate in Creative and Cultural Production
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February, July
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On campus
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Melbourne City
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Full-time 6 months, Part-time 1 year
Postgraduate study
Master of Arts (Arts Management)
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February, July
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On campus
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Melbourne City
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Full-time 2 years, Part-time 4 years, Reduced duration available
Postgraduate study
Master of Fine Art
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February, July
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On campus
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Melbourne City
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Full-time 2 years, Reduced duration available
Research degree
Master of Fine Art
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Continuous (scholarship application closing dates apply)
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On campus
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Melbourne City
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Full-time 2 years, Part-time 4 years
Postgraduate study
Master of Photography
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February, July
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On campus
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Melbourne City
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Full-time 2 years, Part-time 4 years, Reduced duration available
Research degree
PhD (Art)
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Continuous (scholarship application closing dates apply)
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On campus
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Melbourne City
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Full-time 3-4 years, Part-time 6-8 years
Where do Arts graduates work?
Everywhere.
RMIT graduates are working in:
- music labels, production houses and live venues
- publishing houses, editorial teams and literary festivals
- museums, galleries, studios and artist-run initiatives
- schools, universities and community organisations
- creative agencies, record labels and media outlets
- their own businesses, collectives and side hustles.
You’ll also find them exhibiting internationally, producing albums, publishing books, pitching screenplays and running workshops in places you haven’t even heard of yet.
Learn more about your art study options
RMIT's art degrees are designed to make you confident, skilled and adaptable in today’s creative industries and provides a comprehensive and industry-focused education that can help you succeed as arts graduate in Australia.
