Pros and Cons of a Bachelor of Creative Industries at WSU

Do you want a degree that pushes your creativity but something different from the typical Arts degree? Then, a Bachelor of Creative Industries at WSU is definitely an option for you! 

We’ve got James, a Bachelor of Creative Industries graduate from WSU, to let us into a deeper insight into the degree. If you missed our previous article on what it’s like studying this degree, you can check it out here!

Let’s dive in! 

Why should you study a Creative Industries degree at WSU?

Top 3 Pros of a Creative Industries Degree

Top 3 Cons of a Creative Industries Degree

Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make

Things to Know Before Starting WSU Creative Industries

What Makes this Degree Different

Motivations for Studying WSU Creative Industries

Potential Career Paths

Why should you study a Creative Industries degree at WSU?

A Bachelor of Creative Industries at WSU has a strong interdisciplinary foundation, where creativity is fused with entrepreneurial and legal knowledge.

By the end of the degree, Creative Industries graduates can take initiative knowing that they have developed a wider perspective than if they had just done a single Arts or Business degree. 

Top 3 Pros of a Creative Industries degree

#1: Real world experience 

“The degree provides an opportunity to gain some real experience in your chosen major,” James says. For James, the mandatory work placement definitely helped to give him the transitory step into his career. 

In addition, he says, “In the Creative Teams 1 & 2 units, you gain some good connections and contacts with both students, teachers and people.”

In many creative careers, you’ll bump into these connections so these units are a great way to step ahead in your career path by networking! 

#2: Wide range of majors

“There are a good choice of majors and sub-majors to choose from,” James says.

Specifically, there are 12 majors which are: 

• • Advertising
  • Creative Writing
  • Cultural and Social Analysis
  • Digital Cultures
  • English
  • Enterprise Innovation
  • Graphic Design
  • Journalism
  • Law and the Creative Industries
  • Media Arts Production
  • Music
  • Public Relations

However, commencing students don’t need to choose their major from the get-go — the course structure is quite flexible and accommodating.

Students get to choose two ‘Introduction to Major’ units and get to dip their toes into different majors before committing to a major/sub-majors. 

#3: Interdisciplinary nature of the degree

A Bachelor of Creative Industries develops a wide perspective from building a creative and business-edged skillset. “This opens your mind up to different career paths,” James says. 

By the end of their degree, graduates often have qualifications for a range of career options because they’ve been exposed to a variety of settings.

Rather than having tunnel vision to one career option, which may feel too much of an ultimatum, “Many graduates feel capable working in different creative projects and in different roles,” James adds.

Top 3 Cons of a Creative Industries degree

#1: Lack of guidance

Unfortunately, in a Bachelor of Creative Industries at WSU, some units and their teaching methods may not be the most prepared.  

“When I was studying, it [a Bachelor of Creative Industries] was a new degree,” James tells us, “so some of the units such as Creative Teams 1 & 2 and Writing Portfolios were a bit more free form or subject to change with some of the dates and assignments not as clear on occasion.”

#2: Course structure

“I found some of my semesters vary drastically in content,” James says. 

For James, the course structure in a Bachelor of Creative Industries wasn’t well-arranged. “One semester, I would have most of my creative core units and next semester, would be all my finance and law,” he says. 

This isn’t great for most creative majors — in which your skillset shouldn’t be put on hold. “I would sometimes struggle to adjust to the content type, especially being a more creative focused learner,” James adds.

#3: The core units

“Some of the core subjects I found not as relevant to me in what I wanted to do with the degree,” James says. 

For creative people, the core units, which have a law and business focus, may not appeal to them or be directly helpful to their career path. However, at the same time, the core units don’t require such a high workload as the major units.

This degree has the lowest graduate employment success of any industry! Find out why here!

Any regrets? 

“In doing the degree itself, no,” James says. “I changed my degree from a BA [Bachelor of Arts] that I wasn’t happy in and BCI [Bachelor of Creative Industries] was pretty much exactly what I was looking to move on to.”

What do you wish you had known before starting the degree? 

While a Bachelor of Creative Industries does help build students’ creativity, extracurricular study and experience is necessary to boost their actual creative aspirations. 

“I wish I had had more knowledge or technical skills in creative technology as I feel it would have helped me further in some of the units,” James tells us. 

As an example, Creative Writing majors will have required readings however, most of their projects are inspirations from their personal interests and self-directed readings.

What makes this degree different from the ones offered at other universities? 

“I haven’t really heard about any similar degrees at other universities,” James says. Indeed, in New South Wales, a Bachelor of Creative Industries is the only offered at WSU. 

You won’t gain the same skillset or study experience from an Arts degree or a Business degree from any other university in New South Wales!

What inspired you to choose this degree?

“I wanted a creative focused degree and I was not enjoying the BA I was in. I took a year off and when I wanted to come back they had just announced BCI which gave me the creative avenue I was looking for,” James says.  

As for choosing WSU, James explains that it was “more due to familiarity and proximity — I was living in Western Sydney and it was by far the easiest for me to travel to.”

What are the possible career paths?

Depending on the chosen major or sub-majors, the career options for a Bachelor of Creative Industries are highly diverse. However, they are most likely creative and these options include: 

• • Photographer
  • Writer
  • Market researcher
  • Media Producer

Lynn Chen is a Content Writer at Art of Smart Education and is a Communication student at UTS with a major in Creative Writing. Lynn’s articles have been published in Vertigo, The Comma, and Shut Up and Go. In her spare time, she also writes poetry.