VCA introduces updated BFA curriculum for 2021

VCA Grad Show 2019 Opening Night, Southbank Campus. By Drew Echberg.
VCA Grad Show 2019 Opening Night, Southbank Campus. By Drew Echberg.

In 2021, the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) will introduce an updated Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) curriculum, in which students will continue to take practical, studio-based classes with a structured program of high-level skills training and theoretical subjects in their chosen discipline, and undertake breadth studies in subjects from outside of their core discipline area.

The updated curriculum expands on the successful elective offering currently available to BFA students, and the introduction of a breadth component is a responsive development to accommodate students wanting to acquire a broader set of skills and knowledge, indicated by research undertaken with current students.

The change means that, from 2021, VCA students will have more subjects available to them across other areas of fine arts (acting, animation, dance, production, film and television, music theatre, screenwriting, theatre and visual art), as well as music, law, teaching, languages, psychology, social sciences, humanities, science, marketing and more.

Current students will transition into the new core curriculum in 2021 and will have the option of doing either elective subjects (in their main area of study) or breadth subjects.

Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music Professor Barry Conyngham said: “Since 2015, our BFA students have participated in more than 100 different breadth subjects, ranging from free speech and media law to cognitive psychology.

“This updated curriculum is designed to help students build a sustainable career as an artist and give them a wider understanding of the world we live in so they can continue to inspire, ignite and effect change.

“We also look forward to continuing to teach more than 10,000 students studying other undergraduate degrees, such as science, engineering, arts and commerce, through a variety of fine arts and music breadth subjects.”

Further information can be found on the Current Students section of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music website.