Vaal University of Technology

Advanced Diploma in Fine Art

Culture and Arts - Visual Arts

Purpose and Rationale

Qualification Overview

Purpose

This qualification aims to equip learners with critical thinking and critical making skills needed to engage with contemporary discourses and socio-economic challenges through art practices focusing on entrepreneurship, technology, research, and the community. The core modules within the program will help learners develop skills in critical thinking, research methods, and the critical making of visual arts and related products or services. Graduates will have the competence to practice visual arts at advanced levels, solve visual creative problems, and manage entrepreneurial innovations.

Career Opportunities

Upon completion of this qualification, learners can pursue various career paths within the Visual Arts domain. They may work in government or the private sector as self-employed artists, art administrators, art teachers, forensic image analysts, or art practitioners in creative industries like broadcast, film, and animation.

Rationale

The Visual Arts sector is a significant industry in South Africa with high growth potential and job creation opportunities. This qualification was developed through benchmarking with national and international institutions and stakeholder consultation to ensure relevance and alignment with industry needs. The inclusion of a research component prepares learners for postgraduate studies and exposes them to research methods used in higher education. Skills acquired through this qualification are unique and valuable in the creative industries, potentially increasing student enrollment and access to postgraduate studies.


By incorporating critical thinking, research, and practical skills, this qualification prepares learners for success in the dynamic field of Visual Arts, ensuring they are equipped to make meaningful contributions to both industry and society.

Outcomes

  1. Critically solve creative artistic problems of an appropriate professional standard in a range of professional artist/client contexts/tools.
  2. Communicate effectively through academic writing, presentations, critique and visual presentation.
  3. Develop and manage entrepreneurial business ventures in visual arts and creative industry.
  4. Understand and resolve the challenges presented by academic enquires (research) and society within the visual arts setting.
  5. Explore and apply artistic knowledge or Fine Art related disciplines knowledge in a production process.

Assessment Criteria

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes

Exit Level Outcome 1:

  • Describe, determine, and interpret discipline theories, critique strategies, history, bodies of work, discourse in visual arts, and related disciplines.
  • Think critically and independently in solving specific artistic problems within visual art contexts.
  • Think critically and creatively through an understanding of philosophical, historical, social, and economic contexts of art and culture discourses.

Exit Level Outcome 2:

  • Identify and develop a suitable topic/concept for Advanced Diploma studies (individual projects).
  • Communicate both verbally and textually within academic and a range of artist/client contexts.
  • Determine and critically apply a suitable literature survey and theoretical framework in a visual art setting.
  • Engage in in-depth conceptual and innovative technical engagement with a variety of technique experimentation and hybrid processes to express views or communicate a message or tell a story.

Exit Level Outcome 3:

  • Identify the entrepreneurial potential for the application of two-dimensional skills in related areas.
  • Show evidence of potential entrepreneurial opportunity in a chosen professional career path or related area.

Exit Level Outcome 4:

  • Undertake relevant research materials, analyze and synthesize information addressing academic inquiries within the visual arts setting.
  • Apply appropriate methodologies in the research project undertaken.
  • Describe and determine research methods and techniques at both the practice and theoretical levels.
  • Plan research projects within a visual arts setting.

Exit Level Outcome 5:

  • Conceptualize and translate pre-production concepts into complete works/creative products through experimentation and hybrid processes.
  • Engage in safe working practices and good work ethic.
  • Produce and present a competitive professional portfolio of artworks for a chosen professional career path.
  • Demonstrate critical and independent thinking in solving specific artistic problems in an individual project development in a contemporary setting.
  • Apply a clear understanding and application of philosophical, historical, social, and economic contexts of art and culture discourses in the production of artworks.
  • Demonstrate evidence of professional practice from inception to the final presentation of a creative product.
  • Produce and present a competitive professional body of artwork for a chosen professional career path.

Integrated Assessment:

  • Assessment of modules in the qualification is in accordance with the assessment policy of the institution.
  • Formative and Summative Assessments will take place on this learning programme.
  • Formative Assessments will include tests, assignments, oral presentations, debates, online activities, case studies, and critique sessions.
  • Summative Assessment will include a formal examination or a portfolio of evidence in Continuous Assessment modules.
  • Re-assessment opportunities are available through rewrites, supplementary assessments, and special circumstances.
  • Assessments will take place within 7 days after the main assessment, with special assessments scheduled for specific circumstances.

Qualification Details

Type
Advanced Diploma
NQF Level
07
Min. Credits
120
SAQA Source
More Information

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Vaal University of Technology
Description
Vaal University of Technology (VUT) is a public university located in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa. It was established in 2004 and is one of the largest universities of technology in the country. VUT offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in various fields including engineering, applied and computer sciences, management sciences, human sciences, and arts and design. The university focuses on providing practical and industry-relevant education to its students, with a strong emphasis on experiential learning and work-integrated learning opportunities. VUT is known for its state-of-the-art facilities, research centers, and partnerships with industry and community organizations.

This page includes information from the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) . Builtneat Pty Ltd trading as Study Start, has modified all or some of this information. SAQA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.