Bachelor of Screen & Media

The Bachelor of Screen & Media at Collarts is a two-year degree for people who want to make film, television and online video, not just study it. You work across the whole production chain: developing an idea, writing it, shooting it, editing it, and getting it out to an audience. Expect hands-on units in cinematography, editing, sound, production management and screenwriting, with a strong emphasis on actually finishing projects rather than only theorising about them.

Australian bachelor degrees normally run three years full-time, but this one is delivered over two years, which means a heavier study load each trimester. The degree is built from units of study, each carrying credit points, and you accumulate those across your enrolment. Collarts runs its year in trimesters, so there are three study periods rather than the two semesters many universities use. That structure suits people who want to move through quickly and get into the industry sooner. Alongside the core production units, you can usually choose electives that let you specialise, documentary, drama, social media content, or post-production, depending on what the school offers in a given trimester.

Work-integrated learning is central to a screen degree. You will collaborate on real productions with other students, taking on crew roles the way a professional set operates, and there is normally an industry placement or internship component where you work with a production company, broadcaster, agency or independent filmmaker. Assessment is largely project-based: you submit finished films, edit reels, scripts and production documentation rather than sitting many exams. Many students build a showreel across the two years that becomes their calling card when they graduate.

This course suits school leavers who already make videos and want proper training, career changers moving into screen production, and people working in adjacent creative fields, photography, design, music, who want to add moving image to what they do. It is also a pathway for international students, who need to meet English proficiency requirements (IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common undergraduate standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university's own English programmes accepted as equivalents) and a separate Department of Home Affairs English threshold for the Student visa. On a Student visa you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream lets eligible graduates stay and work in Australia. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 0101953. Check the official Collarts and CRICOS pages for current unit lists, entry requirements and fees before you apply.

• Camera assistant or cinematographer, working on film, television and commercial shoots for production companies and broadcasters.
• Editor or assistant editor, cutting drama, documentary, corporate video and online content in post-production houses and in-house creative teams.
• Producer or production coordinator, managing schedules, budgets and crews on set and through post.
• Screenwriter or script developer, developing concepts and scripts for film, TV and streaming platforms.
• Content creator or social media video producer, making short-form video for brands, agencies and digital publishers.
• Sound recordist or post-production sound editor, capturing and mixing audio for screen projects.
• Production designer or art department assistant, building the look of a production.
• Documentary maker, researching, shooting and editing factual content for broadcasters, festivals and online channels.

Australian employers in these roles include independent production companies, television networks, streaming service production arms, advertising and creative agencies, post-production facilities, and the growing online content sector. Screen Australia and state screen agencies fund much of the local production work, and many graduates start as freelancers building a portfolio before moving into permanent crew or staff roles.