Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Digital Arts

Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Digital Arts

Course Title

Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Digital Arts

MQF Level

6

Duration and Credits

3 Years

180 ECTS

Mode of Study

Full-time

Information for International applicants

An Advanced Level pass at Grade C or better in Art.

Admission to this course is also open to applicants in possesion of:

  1. the Diploma in Design Foundation Studies from the University of Malta or
  2. a qualification comprising not less than 60 ECTS credits (or equivalent), pegged at Level 5 on the Malta Qualifications Framework in an area deemed relevant by the Faculty Board, together with an Advanced Level pass at Grade C or better in one of the following subjects English, Graphical Communication, History, Information Technology, Marketing, Philosophy, Sociology, or a subject (other than Art) deemed comparable by the Faculty Board, together with passes at SEC Level at Grade 5 or better in English Language, Mathematics and Maltese or
  3. a transcript showing passes in 120 ECTS credits in respect of the first two years of study in a three-year MCAST Bachelorҳ degree course in an Art and Design related subject, together with passes at SEC Level at Grade 5 or better in English Language, Mathematics and Maltese. All applicants shall be required to attend for an interview and present to an interviewing board a portfolio of their recent works. Applicants who are unsuccessful in the interview shall not be admitted to the Course.

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Applications for our February and October intakes have been officially open since the third week in November. You can submit your application online. The deadlines for submission of applications vary according to the intake and courses. We encourage all international applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible. This is especially important if you require a visa to travel and eventually stay in Malta.

You can compare your national qualifications to the local requirements by visiting our qualifications comparability webpage. Access more information about our admission process and English language requirements.

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Our dedicated team at the student recruitment office is here to support you every step of the way. From the moment you start your application to the moment when you receive your decision letter, we're here to assist you. If you have any questions or need further information, don't hesitate to reach out to us. You can contact us at info@um.edu.mt, and our team will be more than happy to help.

After you receive an offer from us, our International Office will assist you with visas, accommodation and other related issues.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours is a practice-based undergraduate award in art and design practice and theory, based on studio practice and the digital environment. This single-honours programme develops a learning structure in which historical traditions and new practices confront and influence each other within a contextual, cultural and theoretical framework. If you aspire to become professional artists within the areas of Graphic Design, Digital Games, Web Development, Animation, Illustration and Photography, then this course is aimed for students like you. The course provides you with a holistic artistic education, with specialisation in Graphic Design and Animation (both of which involve photography and illustration). Through a combination of practical and theoretical modules, the course encourages the development of critical and original approaches to contemporary creative production and enables students to actively investigate the influence of new digital technologies in relation to creativity and visual communication.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Honours in Digital Arts programme is a practice-based undergraduate award in art and design practice and theory, based on conventional studio practice and applied within the digital environment. It is a three-year, full-time, single honours programme that develops a learning structure in which historical traditions and new practices confront and influence each other within a contextual, cultural and theoretical framework.

The course is aimed if you aspire to become a professional artist within the areas of Graphic Design, Digital Games, Web Development, Animation, Illustration and Photography. The course provides you with a holistic artistic education, with specialisation in two main routes in the second and third years, namely:

  1. Graphic Design (Visual Communications, Web and Screen Design), and
  2. Animation (Digital Games, Web, Television/Film and Digital Video Art).

The areas of Illustration and Photography are common and overlap both streams.

Through a combination of practical and theoretical modules, the course encourages the development of critical and original approaches to contemporary creative production and enables students to actively investigate the influence of new digital technologies in relation to creativity and visual communication. The programme provides a framework within which you are prepared for further academic research as well as integration into the various graphic design, illustration and animation industries which require a high degree of digital creativity.

Communication and Academic Skills Programme

The communication and academic skills programme complements students’ main course of study. It introduces them to writing and presenting as situated within academic contexts sensitive to specific disciplines and develops their competences for future careers.

In addition to the compulsory study-units, students are required to choose study-units to the value of 4 ECTS credits from the elective study-units on offer during the first semester.
 
Semester 1
 
Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)
 
DGA1003 Research Methods in Art and Design 4 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA1004 Introduction to Text and Image 6 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA1007 Introduction to Visual Narrative 2 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA1018 Storyboarding and Sequential Art 4 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA1019 Introduction to Software and Hardware 4 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA1021 Intermedia Studio 1 4 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA1022 Ideas Generation and Development 2 ECTS   (NC)  
 
Elective Units (Elective units are offered subject to availability, a minimum number of student registrations and time-table constraints)
 
DGA1011 Introduction to Visual Literacy 4 ECTS    
DGA1012 Introduction to Design Thinking 4 ECTS    
DGA1013 Comparative Approaches to Art, Design and Visual Culture 4 ECTS    
DGA1014 History of Photography 4 ECTS    
DGA1015 Contemporary Art Photography 4 ECTS    
ELP1063 English Speech Fluency 2 ECTS    
IOT1008 An Introduction to Creativity 4 ECTS    
LIN1063 Academic Reading and Writing in English 2 ECTS    
MCS1012 Introduction to Analogue Photography and the Darkroom 4 ECTS    

 
 
Semester 2
 
Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)
 
DGA1008 Introduction to Illustration 6 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA1010 Introduction to Animation 6 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA1017 Programming for Artists and Designers 1 6 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA1020 Applied Software Practices 4 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA1023 Intermedia Studio 2 4 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA1024 Introduction to Photography 4 ECTS   (NC)  

 
Requirement for regular progression to Year 2: 60 ECTS credits

In addition to the compulsory study-units, students are required to register for study-units listed under one of the streams below: either the Visual Communications Stream or the Animation Stream.
 
Semester 1
 
Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)
 
DGA1006 Contemporary Image Making 4 ECTS    
DGA2000 Intermedia Studio 3 6 ECTS    
DGA2003 Audiovisual Language and Film Analysis 4 ECTS    
 
Compulsory Units - Visual Communications Stream
 
DGA2005 Editorial Design 4 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA2009 Designing for the Screen 1 4 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA2019 Applied Photography 1 4 ECTS   (NC)  
 
Compulsory Units - Animation Stream
 
DGA2011 Visual Narrative 6 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA2012 Animation Principles 6 ECTS   (NC)  

 
 
Semester 2
 
Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)
 
DGA2016 Intermedia Studio 4 4 ECTS    
DGA2017 Introduction to Interactive Art 4 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA2018 Immersive Experience Design 8 ECTS    
IDG3000 Game Design and Conceptualisation 4 ECTS    
MCS2050 Cultural Theory and Semiotics 4 ECTS    
 
Compulsory Units - Visual Communications Stream
 
DGA2020 Applied Photography 2 4 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA2021 Brand Identity and Packaging Design 6 ECTS   (NC)  
 
Compulsory Units - Animation Stream
 
DGA2013 Digital Animation Production (3D) 6 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA2014 Motion Graphics and Compositing 4 ECTS   (NC)  

 
Requirement for regular progression to Year 3: 60 ECTS credits

In addition to the compulsory study-units, students are required to register for study-units listed under one of the streams below in accordance with the choice of stream done in their second year of the course.
 
Semester 1
 
Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)
 
DGA3004 Negotiated Practice 4 ECTS    
DGA3014 Programming and AI Concepts for Artists and Designers 4 ECTS    
DGA3018 Managing a Research Project 6 ECTS    
DGA3021 Professional Practice - Internship 6 ECTS    
ELP2020 English Proficiency 2: Rhetorical Strategies in Writing and Speaking 2 ECTS    
 
Compulsory Units - Visual Communications Stream
 
DGA3016 Designing for the Screen 2 6 ECTS    
 
Compulsory Units - Animation Stream
 
DGA3017 Character and Simulated Animation 6 ECTS    

 
 
Semester 2
 
Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)
 
DGA3011 Final Project and Dissertation 12 ECTS   (NC)  
DGA3019 Future Perspectives 4 ECTS    
DGA3020 Research Symposium 4 ECTS    
DGA3023 Degree Exhibition 12 ECTS    

 
Requirement for successful completion of Year 3 (final year): 60 ECTS credits.

Requirement for award of Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Digital Arts: 180 ECTS credits.

This programme of study is governed by the General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2019 and by the Bye-Laws of Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Digital Arts (Honours) under the auspices of the Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences.

If you successfully complete the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Honours in Digital Arts, you will:

  • Be able to apply your understanding of the history and theory of digital art and design to the analysis and evaluation of art and design outcomes in a variety of cultural contexts and settings.
  • Fuse theoretical knowledge with the use of contemporary technologies to conceive, develop, produce, and present innovative artworks.
  • Significantly contribute to the development of content in a variety of creative fields.
  • Become eligible for gainful employment in areas with a focus on creative digital media production.
  • Perform and communicate effectively as a professional artist and designer, individually and collaboratively, to propose, manage and complete art and design projects.
  • Prepare an effective professional portfolio suitable for career applications in the art and design industries or for admittance into highly competitive international graduate programs in art and design.

  • Apply your understanding of the history and theory of digital art and design to the analysis and evaluation of art and design outcomes in a variety of cultural contexts and settings;
  • Articulate your personal vision through practice and theory and explain the same vision effectively to multiple audiences, in a variety of situations, and through diverse channels of communication;
  • Fuse theoretical knowledge with the use of contemporary technologies to conceive, develop, produce, and present innovative artworks;
  • Be prepared to conceptually and technically refine your work in preparation for professional artistic practice;
  • Significantly contribute to the development of content in a variety of creative fields;
  • Become eligible for gainful employment in areas with a focus on creative digital media production;
  • Perform and communicate effectively as professional artists and designers, individually and collaboratively to propose, manage, and complete art and design projects;
  • Prepare an effective professional portfolio suitable for career applications in the art and design industries or for admittance into highly competitive international graduate programs in art and design.

Non EU Applicants:

Fee per academic year: Eur 8,500

You are viewing the fees for non EU nationals. Switch to EU nationals if you are a national of any country from within the EU/EEA.

The course prepares you for careers in the graphic design, the publishing and the digital games industries, the moving image and animation fields, as well as in more generalised areas which increasingly draw upon the creation of new media talent such as those of the audio-visual, gaming, mobile services, social software and IT.

As a graduate with a BFA Honours in Digital Arts at the required level, you will be eligible to read for the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Digital Arts and the MA in Digital Arts (by Research) offered by the Department of Digital Arts, Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences and also the Master of Science (MSc) in Digital Games offered by the Institute of Digital Games at the University of Malta.

Humanities Stream

 

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