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The University of Sydney (UniSyd)

Camperdown , New South Wales ,Australia

Graduate Diploma in Interaction Design and Electronic Arts

This program is the first of its kind in Australia, created to infuse technological innovation with human-centered design thinking. Explore these technologies and their potential to solve critical problems in areas including urban informatics, wearable technology, health and responsive environments. Graduates are highly sought after by UX industry, software development, digital product design and creative industries. Technology is becoming closely interwoven into everyday life. How we create and design these interactions is crucial to their success and the positive impact they have on our lives. This understanding forms the core of the IDEA program's design philosophy: technology that is designed to delight its users. We aim to infuse the latest technological innovation with a human-centred design thinking to solve complex problems. The IDEA program promotes a creative and critical approach, within the framework of research-driven interaction design and user experience methodologies. The result is an understanding of how to design interactive products, services and systems that will have lasting cultural and commercial importance. In a foundation first semester, you will develop the essential industry knowledge and skills for working as an interaction or user experience designer, at ease with web and mobile applications. Once you have these core skills in human-centred design thinking, web/mobile interface design and software programming, you are trained to analyse and evaluate their application in a range of design contexts. This evaluative approach is what enables IDEA students to create meaningful interactive experiences that will become ubiquitous parts of our everyday life. In the second semester, you will engage in design studio projects to extend these skills, both conceptually and technically. We offer a studio-based teaching environment in which you work individually or in teams to creatively solve design challenges. You will learn to design across multiple platforms and scales - from natural, tangible and wearable user interfaces to interactive architecture, creative robotics and urban informatics. Your ideas may even become the basis of prototype products, patents or start-up services. You can adapt this program to suit your interests and passions by taking electives from other faculties. You will also build a compelling design portfolio showcasing not only your design skills but also your understanding of how best to convey the user experience of new products and services. The course is timetabled to suit your busy schedule. Subjects are run either in the evening or in intensive mode (a block series of Fridays and Saturdays). You can also study part-time. The course has embedded qualifications, enabling you to graduate after the foundation first semester with a Graduate Certificate, or continue on to Graduate Diploma or Masters level. For more information on units of study and links to current student work, please visit the M.IDEA program page.

Campus Information

Camperdown/Darlington

Our biggest campus is 72 hectares of state-of-the-art teaching and learning technology, including six libraries, art galleries, historical museums, perfectly manicured lawns, and the following faculties and schools:

Intakes

  • Feb
  • Aug Deadline: Aug

Application Processing Time in Days: 30

Application Process

COE Process
5 Days

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

Our Careers and Employability Office, dedicated to business students, offers a range of opportunities to explore your career options, plan your career, develop your skills, and network with recruiters and employers.

Our Careers and Employability Office offers a specialised career service to students across all of our degree programs. We are committed to helping you achieve your career aspirations and equipping you with the skills to thrive in your career.

Our career services will help you:

plan your career
develop your career decision making skills
tailor your resume and job applications
engage in experiential recruitment activities such as mock interviews and assessment centres
connect with top graduate recruiters and corporate partners through our programs.
We also offer the award-winning free Job Smart program, which enables international students to gain the skills and professional experience to gain employment when they graduate.

Business School students who engage early with career exploration, professional skill development and industry connections are best equipped to make their mark in today's complex and changing professional world.

Getting career ready with the Careers and Employability Office
Students explain how the Careers and Employability Office can help you get career ready throughout your studies.

Start planning your career now
We recommend that you begin your career-planning journey before you enrol and start your degree. Visit the below resources to discover your career options and help you choose the right subjects. 

Graduate Careers Australia provide detailed careers information and profiles across most areas including accounting, consultancy, government, human resources, IT, marketing, and international relations.
MyFuture assists school leavers with exploring career opportunities and different industries. Visit MyFuture to help you narrow down which majors you wish to study at the Business School.
Visit the Careers and Employabilty Office once you enrol. We’re located in the Careers and Student Experience Lounge, Basement Level, Abercrombie Building.

Career Pathways
Graduates of the Master of Interaction Design and Electronic Arts will become proficient in the creative use of new technologies which they can then utilise in a practical way in a wide range of professional and artistic settings. Areas studied in this course will prepare them to perform in roles such as interaction designer, usability engineer, new media artist or creative director.

PSW Opportunity

NA

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

A successful applicant for admission to the Master of Interaction Design and Electronic Arts will have a bachelor's degree. Students enter the program from a wide range of professions including IT, Industrial Design, Fine Arts, Planning, and Humanities.

TOEFL - IBT score - A minimum result of 96 overall including a minimum result of 23 in Reading, Listening and Speaking and 25 in Writing

IELTS score - A minimum result of 7.0 overall and a minimum result of 7.0 in each band

TOEFL - PBT score - A minimum result of 592 overall including a minimum result of 4.5 in Writing

Pearsons Test of English - A minimum result of 68 overall and a minimum result of 54 in each band