Study the New Zealand Certificate in Digital Media and Design and start your journey into the creative industries. You will be working along with our creative teams to develop skills in animation, digital painting, film making, photography, sculpture sculpting characters and building games. This course offers the learner an exciting opportunity to experience a large range of creative processes which will give them foundations skills to develop in their journey in the creative industries.
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20 weeks full-time
2025 Semester 1: 17 February to 27 June
This programme is eligible for the Zero Fees Scheme.
International Fees can be found here.
The New Zealand Certificate in Digital Media and Design (Level 3) aims to provide students with the creative skills and knowledge required to start their journey into the Creative Industries.
Students learn to develop storytelling skills over a number of different platforms. They make a portfolio of an animated character, be able to use this to make a 2D platformer and publish this for PC gaming. They work on a short live-action film running their own set and as a small group. Photography skills will develop their understanding of cameras, composition, light and colour. Students will learn how to sculpt their characters using a number of traditional and digital techniques for a short stop-motion film. All these skills will give the learner a great portfolio of practical work to be able to develop their creative career in their desired direction.
Students will be exposed to industry-standard software such as Adobe Collection, Toon Boom Harmony, Dragonframe, Maya, Unity and many more. Industry-standard Hardware with custom build HP Z workstations and Wacom Cintiq drawing tablets.
Compulsory
NZCDMD101 Animation
Students will develop character design and character motion knowledge, developing a motion portfolio for their characters. This will include run and walk cycles, idles and actions.
NZCDMD102 Gaming
Students will develop game design knowledge and apply this to making a 2D game for the PC platform.
NZCDMD103 Film
Students will work in small teams to run a film set and develop a short live-action film.
NZCDMD104 Sculpture
Students will learn how to develop sculptural techniques to build a small stop-motion set and accompany characters to develop a short stop-motion film.
NZCDMD105 Painting
Students will develop digital painting techniques to be able to develop concepts and deliver a short narrative-driven project.
NZCDMD106 Photography
Student will develop their knowledge of different photographic techniques and present a portfolio of a themed project.
The Creative Industries is a vibrant and growing Industry and graduates can go onto further study and develop their pathways into industries such as film, animation, game design, concept develop, digital content creators and many many more creative opportunities.
School LeaversStudents must be a minimum of 17 years at the start of their course and ideally have NCEA Level 2 or 3.
Mature ApplicantsApplicants over the age of 20 years at time of enrolment will be considered where they can demonstrate the ability to succeed in a programme. Examples of demonstration of ability to succeed are the provision of evidence of successful completion of a programme of study at Level 1 or above in a related discipline and/or employment in the related sector for one or more years. They may be admitted subject to programme regulations approved by the Head of Faculty in consultation with the Programme Manager as appropriate. Personal commitment and a belief in one’s own ability to succeed are important personal traits and will always be taken into consideration during the selection process.
Notwithstanding the above admissions categories, in exceptional circumstances, a mature aged applicant who can show evidence of ability to succeed in the programme may be considered for admission provided the applicant has successfully completed an approved course or programme, which is deemed to prepare graduates for the required academic standard for entry.
English Language Requirements
Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following
NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or
an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English; or
Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA),or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL);or
Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand,,Australia,Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or
Successful completion of a Bachelor's Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters' Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States or
Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment
IELTS test - General or Academic score of 5 with no band score lower than 5TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 500 (with an essay score of 4 TWE)TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 35 (with a writing score of 14)Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools with a score of 154. No less than 154 in each skill.OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-testsNZCEL - a) Expiring Level b) Current: a) Level 3 (General) or (Workplace) b) Level 3 (General)Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 36 with no band score lower than 36Language Cert - B1 Achiever International ESOL Written (LRW) PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASSTrinity ISE - ISE I with no less than distinction in any band
* New versions of some NZCEL qualifications, and in some cases new qualifications, were published on 13 June 2017. These are intended to replace pre-existing versions and qualifications, which have been given expiring status until discontinued on 31 December 2019. (a) denotes expiring (b) denotes current
To satisfactorily complete the New Zealand Certificate in Digital Media and Design (Level 3) and be awarded this qualification, the student must successfully achieve:
Please Note: Students failing to attend for 80% of the timetabled programme hours may forfeit Zero Fees entitlement.
This course gives learns a number of pathways into the Creative Industries. This inlcudes further study in the follow courses: