Offered By	ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences and Research School of Humanities and the Arts
Minimum	48 units
Academic Contact	melinda.hinkson@anu.edu.au
Academic Plan	7146XVCR
CRICOS Code	073480G
UAC Code	832096(MLA (Visual Culture Research)) 835096(MLA (Visual Culture Research))

Visual Culture Research is a multi-disciplinary field combining the humanities and social scientific perspectives of anthropology, art theory and film studies with workshops utilising visual media and relevant software. It aims to foster in students a well-developed understanding of and set of skills for working with visual materials. Graduates will achieve a high level of visual literacy - an ability to analytically grasp visual materials from a range of disciplinary perspectives, and an understanding of the key conceptual debates in visual studies. They will also develop a practical familiarity with a range of visual media and the relevant software for working with visual materials. Through 'hands on' exercises students will combine these analytical and practical skills, developing the ability and confidence to manipulate visual materials for research-related purposes. 

Who Studies Visual Culture Research? 

The program is designed to cater to the interests and needs of a range of potential candidates. These include: 

• graduates seeking to develop specialist practical and critical expertise in the field of visual culture as a pathway either to Higher Degree Research or a career working with visual culture collections

• freelance and professional filmmakers, multimedia producers, researchers looking to extend their understanding of critical and cross-cultural issues in dealing with visual culture

• curators and collections managers wishing to undertake further study in the field of visual culture as part of their professional development  

It is expected that some students will come to the program with a specific idea or theme or visual culture collection that they wish to explore. The flexible design of the program allows for a suite of courses to be tailored to such aims.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Master of Liberal Arts requires the completion of a four year degree at a recognized University or higher education provider or approved professional experience; OR the completion of the Graduate Certificate in Liberal Arts or equivalent postgraduate degree.

This program is part of an integrated "roll-over" program whereby the Master of Liberal Arts may lead into the Master of Liberal Arts (Research) subject to the applicant meeting the appropriate admission criteria. 

For the purpose of admission to the MLA (VCR), the following are considered to be cognate studies:

 

• anthropology

• art history

• film studies

• new media arts.

     

 If credit for RPL is sought a case must be presented in writing to the program convenor. Applications for entry on the basis of RPL only will require submission of a professional portfolio submitted to the program convenor. Relevant professional experience would most commonly relate to paid work in museums, cultural and collecting institutions or heritage sites or employment in a relevant government department or other industry organisation. Individual consultancy work or other professional experiences could also be relevant and will be assessed on a case by case basis by the program convenor according to a professional portfolio submitted by the applicant. 

 

Applications for entry on the basis of RPL only will require submission of a professional portfolio submitted to the program convenor. The portfolio should consist of 

 

(i) a detailed CV. 

 

(ii) a statement about relevant duties undertaken as part of the professional experience. This will include a statement of the number of years of professional experience and the work conducted, as well as a statement by the applicant describing how and why this experience is equivalent to completion of an undergraduate degree in a relevant area. 

 

(iii)  a writing sample of the kind and to the standard that we would expect of graduates of an undergraduate degree. This might include a professional report, professional recommendations or submission, significance assessment, etc. 

 

(iv) two referee's reports that confirm the capacity of the applicant to undertake postgraduate study.

Prerequisites

Applicants for direct entry in the Master of Liberal Arts (Visual Culture Research) should have a four year Bachelor degree from an Australian university or overseas equivalent.  Those applicants without an Honours degree can achieve ‘equivalence’ with a 3 year (pass) Bachelor degree and completion of the Graduate Certificate of Liberal Arts (Visual Culture Research).

The information published on the Study at ANU 2011 website applies to the 2011 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2010 website.