Career Advisors Webinar: New Creative Production and Communication Courses

Bettina Frankham:
Okay. So I just wanted to say, welcome and thank you for joining us for this webinar about our new creative production and communication courses at UTS in the School of Communication.

Before we get started, though, I'd like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which UTS stands. That's the Gadigal people, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug nation, the Bidjigal people and the Gamaygal people upon whose ancestral lands our university stands.

We'd also like to pay our respects to the Elders, both past and present, and acknowledge them as the traditional custodians of these lands and of the knowledges that are in these places.

So I want to say thank you to everyone for joining us today, and I want to start off by acknowledging the crucial role that you, as careers advisers, play in helping students navigate these pathways through higher education.

Some quick housekeeping points. The webinar is being recorded. You should have got a message when you joined the session, and the recording will then be shared with everybody who's registered within a few days along with a resource pack that has specific information about all the different disciplines who are offering streams within the degrees.

So the focus for the session today is on giving you some practical tools to support your students in making decisions about these new streamlined degrees that we're offering.

Christina Ho:
Okay. And just to give you an idea of who we are. So my colleague, Bettina Frankham, and I are going to be presenting. We are deputy heads of school in the School of Communication which houses the degrees that we're going to be discussing and the things that we're going to be covering include the course structures, some of which are a little bit different to what you're maybe used to, the career outcomes, and who thrives in these degrees in terms of the timeline.

The courses go live on the UTS website on the 29th of August and the 2026 handbook will be live on the second of September.

Bettina Frankham:
So to get things underway, we just wanted to start talking about what makes our degrees distinctive from other offerings that you might be aware of in this kind of space.

One of the really important things across both the Bachelor of Creative Production and the Bachelor of Communication is that there's this shared core foundation subject. So these are subjects that all of the students across all of the different streams share together, and that lets them build these kind of collaborative networks where they're working with students from other majors and sharing their strengths and interests across common projects. So we find that a really valuable kind of building block for the degrees that the students are in.

Then, on top of that, there are these stream specialisations that students can go where they develop this deep expertise in particular areas of interest and knowledge with a focus very much on hands-on learning, so very practical activities that students are engaging in those specialisation areas.

A really important differentiator though, is this kind of cross-pollination that's enabled for students so that they can access different subjects from other streams and from other degrees within communication. Students also being able to undertake subjects from the creative production degree, and similarly creative production students can undertake subjects from the BComm as well.

I guess a key thing about the UTS approach is this kind of real-world focus. So we build strongly on industry partnerships and have a strong emphasis on practical experiences through things like work integrated learning activities in classes where we're kind of trying to replicate the sort of situations they might find themselves in when they go out into the workforce.

Key though, is really addressing those future-ready skills so that we're thinking about ways to prepare them for the future, aware that we're moving into a very rapidly changing workplace with lots of changes in technology, lots of social and political shifts going on. So we aim to produce flexible, adaptable and resilient graduates who have a really broad range of knowledge through this deep specialisation that enables them to go out into the workforce.

Christina Ho:
So here are some of the mechanics for how our degrees work. I'm going to cover the Bachelor of Communication, and Bettina is going to look at Bachelor of Creative Production. But both of these degree suites have these common elements — 144 credit points in total, three core subjects that Bettina mentioned before.

In terms of how many subjects per session, full-time students are doing four subjects per session, and we do like to think of full-time study as being like a full-time job in terms of the hours that you're committed to it. Obviously, you're not necessarily in class all of those hours, but there are a lot of activities and preparation that students need to do at home. So we like to think of it as being equivalent to a full-time job.

So the Bachelor of Communication, which some of you may be familiar with already, we have refreshed that. We are required to do that every five or six years, so next year will be the first refreshed version of our Bachelor of Communication. We have in each course eight stream subjects, so depending on the stream that you've chosen…

The six of them are listed there at the bottom. So there's creative writing, digital and social media, journalism, media business, public relations and advertising, and social and political sciences. And I'll just say that some of these titles have changed. So if any of you were familiar before with the Bachelor of Communication in strategic communication, that is now called public relations and advertising.

So that's a key change. And we had a creative writing stream that was called, up until next year, writing and publishing, which is now going to be called creative writing.

So whichever of those streams you're in, you do those eight mandatory stream subjects which gives you that deep specialisation in your chosen area. But you also have the opportunity to choose a second stream, so you can choose a second stream out of any of the other five in the BComm.

You can do eight second stream subjects and then plus electives, or you can do two of the first two subjects of the second stream and then fill up the time with electives. So there's a bit of choice flexibility there.

And the second stream is designed to complement the first stream. And we'll talk about that in a little while. But a lot of the students that we have currently really take advantage of doing two stream specialisations and essentially doubling their kind of deep specialisation in their chosen areas.

Bettina Frankham:
Thanks Chris. So we've got for the BCP, you'll notice that the BCP stream subjects vary between 54 and 66 credit points. That reflects the different kind of technical demands of the stream areas. So animation requires a much more intensive kind of skill-building progression through the degree. So they have a higher level of dedicated stream subjects if they come in to do the animation stream, whereas the media arts and music and sound design subjects, there's a little bit more flexibility. So they have more stream choice and elective subjects available to them to explore and specialise in further.

Animation can also take on additional subjects to make up those 48 credit points with things outside of the animation specialisation if they choose, or they can choose to take an even deeper dive and really specialise and focus on animation.

So within the BCP, as you've probably gathered, there's three streams — the animation stream, media arts stream (which was previously known as media arts and production), and music and sound design as the third stream. So it's quite exciting bringing these three areas of specialisation together. And the BCP is production focused from day one. So students are getting their hands onto equipment, getting into groups and starting making things right from the start.

Christina Ho:
So, as we mentioned in the Bachelor of Communication, there is some flexibility to build your degree and to have two stream specialisations, and we've just given you a taste of some of the combinations that our students do. You can pair any of the streams together. But just, for example, media business and public relations and advertising is a very common combination. And we've just given you these little profiles to indicate what that kind of combination might look like.

Combining media business with PR and advertising will combine learning about how the media industry works from funding to distribution and also mastering strategic storytelling for brands and causes. This opens up doors to roles like account management at creative agencies and media companies or strategic positions where business know-how is paired with crafting compelling messages.

Another combination that a lot of our students do is creative writing and digital and social media. So combining those two specialisations will develop storytelling skills in different writing genres, but also learning to create engaging digital content across platforms. And as Bettina mentioned, we have these core subjects that everyone does that provide the foundation for work in both areas, preparing for roles like content strategist, digital storyteller or a narrative-driven social media creator.

Our third profile there is journalism plus social and political sciences. So that kind of a combination really deepens and develops journalistic skills like investigation and multimedia reporting alongside a deep understanding of social and political issues, which provides a really strong foundation for roles that involve reporting, storytelling, research or advocacy.

And they're just some indicative examples of the combinations that our students do, but we still have that flexibility for students to pair up any of the six streams within the Bachelor of Communication, depending on their interests.

Bettina Frankham:
And moving on to some examples from the Bachelor of Creative Production. As Chris said, these are just snapshots. They're not prescriptive about the choices that students can take. It's a bit of a choose your own adventure type combination, which again strengthens the argument for future-ready skills. Students are very good at picking up on trends and identifying combinations that can work well and convert into careers.

For example, here we've got Sam — it's a combination that's really perfect for people interested in multimedia storytelling. Combining media arts and music and sound design, both very technical subjects with their own different approaches to technology and storytelling. People doing this sort of combination could be interested in anything from being a filmmaker or an independent filmmaker to doing interactive work where audiences help build the story, or immersive brand experiences drawing on tools from media arts and music and sound design.

Craft skills are put to good use to tell those sorts of stories. Again, reinforcing that production core that's common to all of the streams means that students get to work with each other and understand the different perspectives that creatives have and the best ways to collaborate across technical areas.

As I mentioned before, animation has a much more focused approach to the stream. Choosing animation and exploring additional subjects from music and sound design and media arts means students can discover their interests while building core animation skills that make them valuable in the industry, which is actually quite strong and takes on a lot of our graduates.

It's a good choice for students who know they want to create but aren't quite sure yet exactly what they want to create. There's flexibility in choosing the form they might want to continue working on into the future.

Christina Ho:
So how do students get into these degrees? Looking at the entry requirements and pathways — the ATAR varies a lot depending on the stream and degree combinations. You're probably aware that you can take these degrees in combination with other degrees at UTS, including international studies, creative intelligence and innovation, and law.

Creative writing is also available in combination with secondary education. So depending on the degree combination, the ATAR can be anywhere between 72 and 96.

We have multiple pathways available, including early entry and various equity pathways. We won’t go into detail here because there are many, but they’re all available on the UTS website. We’ll also forward you a resource pack that gives more details about each of the streams and their combinations.

Bettina Frankham:
Thinking about career outcomes and our industry connections — a little bit of our brag book here, I guess. We were rated number one for employment outcomes for communications graduates in New South Wales from a cyclical graduate outcome survey that talks to graduates of different universities to look at where they've ended up.

We’re counted among the top 10 Australian universities for communication and media studies. We're also in the top 100 globally for communication and media, and have received five-star graduate outcomes for graduate salaries from our communication courses.

This is reinforced by where our graduates end up working. We’ve got graduates employed at places like Google, Meta, Commonwealth Bank, Amazon, Nine Network, Pinterest, Deloitte, Seven Network, ABC, Transport for NSW, Apple Services Australia and Legal Aid Australia. So you can see it’s a really diverse range of graduate outcomes — from global tech to local not-for-profits, leading media organisations and government.

I just wanted to highlight a quote from the chair of our Industry Advisory Board, Megan Brownlow, where she talks about UTS creating students who have platform-agnostic skills for whatever comes next.

That’s the key focus for our approach in designing these degrees — preparing graduates for roles that don’t even exist yet. As I said at the beginning, it’s a rapidly changing workplace that we’re entering into.

It’s important that students have flexibility and the ability to recognise ways to problem solve, no matter the platforms they use. The critical thinking they’re trained in through these degrees means they’re well placed to work with things like AI — using it as a collaborative tool, not a replacement for workers.

Now I’d like to play a short excerpt from an interview we conducted with our Industry Advisory Chair, Megan Brownlow. She brings with her 25 years of media experience across various industries and has a strong understanding of how things work in the communication sector.

Bettina Frankham:
The skills that the UTS degrees teach are not locked into legacy distribution platforms, which might be why some parents get worried. They hear about journalists not being employed. They hear about TV being in decline.

But UTS takes more of a platform-agnostic view, which means we give you foundational skills that are transferable across platforms, including the platforms that are not yet designed. And so those transferable skills enable UTS graduates to be prepared for whatever comes, and that, I think, is a skill that they'll use in all aspects of their life.

So I think Megan's perspective there is quite invaluable. She's seen that with her long career — she's seen the industry change and transform multiple times. Her input as part of the Industry Advisory Board really helps us to ensure that our curriculum stays relevant to real industry needs. We're really fortunate to have her input to help us with that sort of development.

Christina Ho:
In terms of careers advisers and supporting students to choose the right pathway, we thought we'd just give you a sense of the kind of profile of the people that really thrive in the Bachelor of Communication and the people who thrive in the Bachelor of Creative Production.

In terms of the BComm, our students are curious questioners. They have this intrinsic curiosity to understand how the world works in its many formations, but they also want to be able to communicate that understanding to various audiences. So they're curious questioners and they're also creative communicators. They have stories to tell, they have those critical thinking skills and they want to understand how to communicate that in many different genres, platforms and audiences.

They're innovation-minded. They enjoy problem solving and entrepreneurial thinking. One of the distinctive features of UTS is its very hands-on focus, which is to say that we do have theory, history and concepts, but everything is always applied to the real world — applied to real problems and thinking creatively and entrepreneurially about solutions and possible futures.

These are the kinds of students that are drawn to the BComm. They're essentially analytical and creative thinkers.

Because we have such a focus on practical skills development and applying understanding and knowledge, we get students working both independently and collaboratively. A lot of the key assessments that students do are done collaboratively. We have very supported, structured kinds of activities for them to do with each other. Collaboration is a skill that you only learn by doing it, so they get lots of practice in the Bachelor of Communication.

Bettina Frankham:
Just picking up on Chris’s point about entrepreneurial thinking, I want to give a quick shout out to UTS Startups, which is an incubator that UTS runs to help our close-to-finishing students and graduates start up their own businesses. So there is support for that kind of entrepreneurial development of business ideas and things like that for students across UTS.

We’re increasingly finding that people from the communication space are also taking advantage of that as a way to think about their careers post-degree.

Looking at who thrives within the Bachelor of Creative Production, and I just want to emphasise what Chris said — these aren’t prerequisites, they’re indicators of the kinds of students who will probably do really well in these degrees.

The key thing is we’re looking for students who want to make things, not just analyse them. So it’s that hands-on practice — people who are interested in telling their own stories or making their own content, not just consuming what others create.

As with the BComm, collaboration is a key skill we emphasise big time. It’s about making sure our students have a good understanding of the other creatives they work with — the production demands, timeline demands, and the particularities of working as a music composer, sound designer, filmmaker, screen experience designer or animator. Understanding all those different creatives means they can take on big projects and work well together rather than driving each other crazy.

We’re trying to make the industry better by training our students to be good collaborators and understand the other specialisations they can work with.

The specialisations mean that if students have a particular way they like communicating — for example, if they’re focused on sound and music — they’ll find a good place in the BCP.

Similarly, and I probably count myself among this group, if someone loves technology and is a constant tinkerer, they’ll do really well in the BCP. They’re comfortable with digital tools and driven to experiment.

Also, people who are interested in experimenting with all the different platforms that come out — and the new ones, as Megan says, that we haven’t even thought of yet — those who push creative boundaries and engage practically with platforms to explore storytelling and ideas will thrive.

If you’ve got students thinking about these degrees, the key difference between the two suites is the distinction between making things and analysing or strategising. That’s probably one of the clearest ways to distinguish what the BComm does differently to the BCP.

Also consider whether students are drawn to words and ideas — expressing themselves in writing. While BCP students need to do that well, they’re often more drawn to thinking out loud through images and sounds.

If they enjoy working with technology, aren’t afraid of it, and are willing to give it a go as a creative tool, they’ll do well.

Also think about whether they see themselves in a corporate communication role — many of our graduates end up in those positions — or in a creative studio environment, or even self-employed creating content. These are key questions that help students decide which area or degree suite is most appropriate.

Christina Ho:
Okay, we wanted to also address some common misconceptions. These are sentiments you might be hearing from students and families — for example, that there aren’t enough jobs in creative industries.

We hope we’ve shown that our degrees prepare students to work across many different roles and industries. As you saw from the kinds of workplaces they go into — everything from banks to tech companies — it’s not about funnelling them into one sector, but opening up a wide range of opportunities.

Another big fear is that AI will replace creative workers. We hope we’ve shown that in this era of AI, creative skills are actually more valuable. This is something we’ll touch on in the next slide with one of our other videos.

AI allows routine tasks to be automated so humans can focus on strategy and innovation. AI can’t do that — at least not yet. So creativity and critical thinking are probably more important than ever, especially with so much out there masquerading as creativity or innovation that really isn’t. Human skills are going to be even more crucial.

For those wondering whether these degrees are academically rigorous — our students have a strong theoretical foundation plus practical application. The UTS model is definitely to apply theory in practice, and we would argue that’s the best way to learn theory. Unlike some traditional ways of teaching arts, humanities or social sciences, there’s only so much you can learn from reading a book.

We do have a lot of reading and writing, but also a lot of application. That’s what makes knowledge come alive and real — it becomes real for students.

Do you need natural talent to succeed? We don’t assume students come in with particular skills. What we really value are students who are curious, persistent and willing to give things a go and collaborate. These qualities are much more important than being a brilliant natural talent in any discipline or genre. We’re here to teach those skills — we just want students to be willing to learn.

Bettina Frankham:
Now we’ve got some video excerpts again from our Industry Advisory Board members. I’ll play those. Did you want to give these an intro, Chris?

Christina Ho:
Oh yeah, okay. We’re going to hear again from Megan Brownlow and also from one of our other Industry Advisory Board members. Just to give a bit of context — our Industry Advisory Board includes people from a range of organisations in the communication and creative industries. They help us keep our degrees aligned with what the sector values in graduates. These are organisations that often employ a lot of new graduates.

Whenever we do curriculum or program reviews, our Industry Advisory Board gives us hugely valuable insights into how to frame, tweak and adjust things to make them really industry relevant.

Bettina Frankham:
I think one of the biggest issues that the creative industries and communication sectors face is that older generations — and I include myself in that — haven’t necessarily stayed up to date with the proliferation of communications platforms or creative opportunities. So when they think about communications or the creative industries, they think of areas that might be in structural decline, like old-fashioned television or newspapers. It’s just a different world now. There are many more channels and it’s much more diverse.

Particularly for the digital natives who are coming into UTS — and their teachers at UTS who are so savvy on what’s here now and what’s next — there’s so much more to it than people generally understand. And the opportunities obviously come with that proliferation.

If I think about what’s happening right now, it’s not just engaging with generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot, but potentially moving towards new work streams where AI is running autonomously with human oversight and team collaboration. So a blend of autonomous AI, teamwork and human input.

I think that’s exciting for graduates coming into the industry. If I think about the traditional pathway — which I certainly trod — it was about earning your stripes, making the tea, doing the mundane jobs. AI is stripping all of that away and making it much more exciting. Graduates will be able to use more of their critical thinking skills, creativity and relationship-building. Relationships are going to be really important too.

So I think it’s about stripping things back to what makes us human — what separates us from a machine.

Bettina Frankham:
Okay, so that’s all the content we’ve got for today. But just before we move to the question and answer session, I want to give you some contact information and next steps you can take if you’re interested in getting more information.

The key dates coming up:
We have a webinar similar to this one available for students and parents happening on 21 August at 5 pm. There’s a QR code on the screen, and we’ll also include that information in the resource pack that’ll come out to you very soon. If you want to encourage your students and their families to sign up, that webinar will give them direct information and a chance to ask questions themselves.

Then on 29 August, our courses go live on the UTS website. Because of the approval process, there’s been a slight delay getting them up, but from 29 August the new streamlined BComm and the new Bachelor of Creative Production will be available to view with all the details about subjects, structure and pathways.

Then on 30 August, it’s our big day of the year at UTS — Open Day. It’s a very buzzy, busy day. Great for students and families to speak to academics in person. There are lots of workshops and activities. The campus is alive like you’ve never seen it before — fairy floss stalls, popcorn stalls, the whole business — and lots of really good information. It’s a great way to get a sense of what it’s like to study at UTS and ask those burning questions.

Then on 2 September, the handbook is released. That’s where you’ll find the full range of details about the new courses — in-depth answers about how the degrees run and what students can do within them.

Bettina Frankham:
If you're looking for contact information for careers advisers, there's the UTS Careers Advisers Hub — very useful people who are responsive and happy to help with resources or answer any questions that can help you advise your students.

For students and families, there's also a High School Students Hub where they can ask their own specific questions. There's a connection to an information line they can ring — for domestic students, the number is 1300 ASK UTS. International students have a separate line, and there's also an online enquiry form for direct questions.

As we said at the beginning, we’ll be sending you a link to the webinar recording as well as information sheets that give more detailed information on each of the streams in the degrees we’ve mentioned.

Bettina Frankham:
Now we’ve got some time for any questions people might have.

Christina Ho:
Feel free to use the Q&A to type in your question, or raise your hand if you prefer to ask verbally.

Bettina Frankham:
I might exit the slideshow.

Christina Ho:
Maybe everything is clean.

Bettina Frankham:
There we go!

Christina Ho:
Okay Lizzie, if a student has already applied for early entry for strategic comms, do they need to reapply for the Bachelor of Communication?

I think the answer to that is no. If they've already applied, those applications will apply to the new version of our courses. The course codes are the same — it's just a different version.

Christina Ho:
Why are we changing language from majors to streams? That’s a really silly thing, really. There’s no difference — they still operate in exactly the same way. But we were told that UTS nomenclature requires us to use a word other than “major.” It’s very technical.

All of our streams are technically different courses — different course codes, different degrees, different ATAR cut-offs. So technically, you weren’t doing a major. You were doing a stream, which was in the name of your degree. If you were doing the Bachelor of Communication in journalism, journalism wasn’t your major — it was your degree. So we were incorrectly using the word “major” previously, but in effect there’s no difference. We’re just now calling them streams.

Christina Ho:
Yes, UAC will be changing the names of the degrees for all applications. As I said, the course codes haven’t changed. So if anyone has already filled in UAC documentation with the old degree names, they will carry straight over.

Christina Ho:
Students can select one stream at application, but can add a second stream once enrolled. Is there a strategy to choose one over the other?

Bettina Frankham:
There used to be a benefit in choosing media arts for BCP as your first major, but I don’t think that’s the case now. Students from music and sound and animation can do some media arts subjects because of the number of stream electives and other subjects available. I think the flexibility means it’s not as big a strategic advantage choosing one stream over another.

Christina Ho:
For the Bachelor of Communication, I wouldn’t say there’s any particular strategic advantage to choosing one stream over another. It really depends on students’ interests. If students complete both streams in full, both will be listed on their testamur. There is an advantage in completing both, though not all students do. Some may decide after first year that the second stream isn’t the right fit and switch to electives instead.

In terms of choosing, it’s really about interest. We showed some common combinations in the slides, but students can combine any streams. If that helps them explore their interests, that’s what matters.

Bettina Frankham:
Once they’re in, it’s possible — though tricky — to change streams. It’s a different application process, but there are possibilities to change their mind once they’re enrolled.

Christina Ho:
It may lead to them taking a little longer to finish.

Bettina Frankham:
Sure.