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Graduate Diploma of Design (Design Anthropology)

DMDA31  072750K



Duration

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Fee*
1 Year/s Online (Semester 1) A$22,500 (annual for 2012) 
*The indicative course fees shown in Course Search apply to international students studying on-campus in Australia for the relevant year only. They are based on a standard study load per year. However, please note that fees are assessed according to a student's study load in each semester, and variation to study load will result in an adjustment to tuition fees. All fees are subject to annual review and may be adjusted.

Less than 20 years old, design anthropology represents the synthesis of academic anthropology with the professional practice of design. It seeks to understand how the processes and artefacts of design help define what it means to be human – how design translates human values into tangible experiences.   

 
The program is to be offered at Swinburne University of Technology, Prahran campus, with some units offered online through Open Universities Australia and some specialisation units offered at the Hawthorn campus. 

(This program is not available to on-shore international students.)

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The purpose of the Graduate Diploma of Design (Design Anthropology) program is threefold:
 
(1) to provide design and social science undergraduate students direct pathways into the highly professionalised design anthropology field at the master level, which is the minimal degree requirement for placement in the field;
 
(2) to offer current untrained or under-trained ‘design anthropologist’ and ‘anthrodesigner’ professionals (e.g. user experience designers and researchers, branding and consumer insights specialists, social and product innovation consultants) a degree that systematically credentials the design and anthropological theory and skills necessary for recognition and advancement in those professions;
 
(3) to lay the intellectual and practical foundation for research pathways into the Swinburne Faculty of Design’s PhD program as related to the activities of CIKADA, the Faculty of Design’s Indigenous Knowledge and Design Anthropology research group.

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12 months full-time or part-time equivalent.*

100 credit points, normally undertaken full-time studying 50 credit points per semester.

A full-time weekly workload includes 12 hours of contact time and expects a minimum of another 24 hours study time.
 
The Graduate Diploma program consists of two online compulsory units (one unit of 12.5 credit points in Research Methods and one of 25 credit points in Design Studio) of core study; followed by three online discipline units (three times 12.5 credit points) of Design Anthropology. Students also select a specialisation of two online units (two times 12.5 credit points) to complete their Graduate Diploma.  Online units may also be offered through Open University Australia. 
 
The online Graduate Diploma allows domestic and offshore international students to take advantage of the online offerings and flexible study at their own pace. Graduate Diploma students, full-time or part-time*, study completely online. International students will be encouraged to aim for the master degree.
 
*International students are required to study full-time and on campus and cannot undertake the other study modes
 

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Graduate Diploma of Design (Design Anthropology)
All units are undertaken online.  All units are 12.5 credit points unless otherwise noted. These units may also be offered through Open Universities Australia.
 
Semester 1
Semester 2

Plus two units from a selected secialisation:
 
Indigenous Knowledge
Cross Cultural Communication Design
or
Sustainable Design

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Employment may be found in areas such as marketing, user experience designers and researchers, branding and consumer insight specialists, social and product innovation consultants.
 
Further research in this field may also be undertaken.

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Graduates of university degree courses would have sufficient points to be eligible for associate membership in the Design Institute of Australia on graduation.

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Swinburne College English for Academic Purposes Advanced level certificate at the postgraduate level (EAP 5: PG-70%); OR, obtaining a minimum IELTS overall band of 6.5 (Academic Module) with no individual band below 6.0; OR, a TOEFL (Paper-based) minimum score of 575 (with Test of Written English (TWE) score of 5); OR, a TOEFL (Computer-based) minimum score of 232 (with Written Writing score of 5); OR, a TOEFL (Internet-based) minimum score of 90 with no band less than 20.

 

Refer to the English Language Requirements website for further information.

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Successful completion of a Bachelor degree program with the equivalent of an Australian system 60% grade average (or better) from a university recognised for social science or design education is required. Candidates with other tertiary qualifications and relevant industry experience will also be considered. An entrance essay and design/design strategy portfolio is required for all applicants to the program. A design strategy portfolio consists of a series of 1-2 page project case studies that demonstrate the applicant’s holistic approach to formulating and solving social challenges through anthropological and design thinking.

The normal requirement for admission to the Masters of Design (Design Anthropology) program and the Graduate Diploma of Design (Design Anthropology) program is a Bachelors degree with the equivalent of an Australian system 60% grade average (or better) in a design, social science (especially anthropology), humanities, information science or human-computer interaction discipline.

The Masters of Design (Design Anthropology) and the Graduate Diploma of Design (Design Anthroplogy) also provide an entry point for applicants who do not hold a degree but have at least eight years relevant industry experience demonstrating potential to undertake work at this level.

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Note: This course is only available to international students not in Australia due to students Visa requirements.
 
Please read the Admission requirements section carefully and also submit copies of relevant academic transcripts, proof of citizenship, an entrance essay and a design/design strategy portfolio.

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A range of scholarships are available to international students, visit our Scholarship Page for details.

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