Image of Bachelor of Journalism and Broadcast Media students at ECU's radio station.
Edith Cowan University (ECU) is taking the lead in preparing graduates with the specialist skills and knowledge required to excel in creative careers, offering new undergraduate degrees that will see students delving deeper into their chosen discipline.
School of Arts and Humanities Executive Dean Professor Matthew Allen said ECU's new Creative Humanities courses will nurture the makers and storytellers of the future to unleash the talented cultural producers we need.
"ECU has always been known for its creative courses," he said.
"These new degrees build on that rich tradition, and re imagine creativity for a new generation."
The new courses will see students spend more time in their chosen discipline, have a greater emphasis on practical learning, and recognise the importance of industry partnerships and work integrated learning.
The undergraduate ECU Creative Humanities courses, commencing in semester one of 2025 are:
- Bachelor of Communication
- Bachelor of Creative Writing
- Bachelor of Design
- Bachelor of Journalism and Broadcast Media
- Bachelor of Screen Production
- Bachelor of Visual Arts
More intensive learning on-campus
The new courses provide more time to study on-campus, but not in a traditional lecture theatre.
Students will work hands-on in their specialist discipline, and from 2026 will immerse themselves in the new purpose-built creative spaces of ECU City, including art and design studios and galleries, film and screen production studios, technology labs, and state-of-the-art radio and television broadcast studios.
Associate Dean Creative Humanities Professor Katya Johanson said supervised practical work was critical in allowing students to deeply explore the tools and materials creative professionals use in a sustained way, including cameras, apps, sound equipment or the written word.
"With more intensive, project-based classes, students will also develop the networks that will become future professional associations – with other students, academic staff and industry partners."
A new era in Creative Humanities
Professor Allen said students applying to study the new courses in 2025 would be among the first creative graduates of ECU's new city campus, which opens from semester one, 2026.
"We are getting ready for an amazing transformation of both the Perth CBD and university education when ECU City opens," he said.
"All the degrees bring together technology and creativity in a new alignment. Creativity is at their heart: and they will allow students to explore and develop their own unique voice to speak the stories that matter."
Responding to the needs of employers
Professor Johanson said because ECU's courses are shaped in partnership with industry professionals, employability is deeply embedded into the way each course is structured.
"Employers look for the unique creative contribution that each prospective employee brings to an organisation or project," she said.
"By providing students with the time to extensively test, build and practise skills and knowledge in their specialist areas, these courses equip them to develop the content for a compelling portfolio of creative work."
Professor Allen said a degree in Creative Humanities is not a qualification that quickly goes out of date.
"It is an experience of creativity that will last a lifetime," he said.
"No matter where our graduates end up, their study with us will make them confident and capable, captains of their own career journey."
Find out more about ECU's Creative Humanities courses by visiting the webpage or come and chat with the experts you can learn from at Mount Lawley Campus Open Day on Sunday 28 April.
ECU's current Creative Humanities students can transfer from existing degrees to the new degrees, with no delay to course completion. Students who choose to remain in the existing degrees are also welcome to do so.
