Integration & Specialisation
The complex and shifting nature of the 21st century society and job market is the reason that disciplinary integration forms the foundation of our practical programme. This means that we produce students who are adept at generating new knowledge through trans-medial research skills and technological innovation. Our under-graduate programme thus links traditional art-making skills such as drawing, sculpting, print-making, typography, illustration, painting, photography, metalwork and goldsmithing with progressive, new-media technologies in order to equip students with a sustainable understanding and command of design.
Students specialise in Visual Communication Design, Fine Art or Jewellery Design from their second year and thus exit the degree with a flexible but professional qualification. Throughout the degree, we cultivate the ability to act and think critically and creatively with appropriate self-knowledge and confidence in areas of specialisation in the art and design world as well as within the broader context of personal and social functioning. Our ethos is to create thought-leaders who create and design in a way that changes the world around them for the better.
The four-year degree is the equivalent of an honours degree. This enables students to continue their studies through entering a range of Master’s programmes locally and internationally. Our highly skilled staff offer postgraduate degrees all the way through to doctoral level.
Why obtain a BA in Visual Arts at Stellenbosch University?
Whether you ultimately choose to specialise in Visual Communication Design, Fine Art or Jewellery Design, you will have flexibility paired with sharp conceptual and technical skills. Years of experience have taught us that our alumni are uniquely able to move seamlessly between diverse vocational fields within the creative industries. All our graduates are equally equipped to enter professional fields such as advertising, art, journalism, education, media production, curatorship, and/or corporate design thinking and make excellent entrepreneurs.