We written so many articles on Australian institutions, from high school to colleges and universities. Today, we looking at art schools in Australia, the very best in quality education in the best cities for studying arts.
Australia has built a reputation as one of the best study-abroad destinations. Its art schools attracts lots of applications from international students and this demonstrates the influence and standards of the country’s education system.
Australia continues to welcome more into international students and some have made the long trip to study arts in the best schools. A talent in arts may not be enough but learning from of professional sets on the right career path.
Study Fine Art at Schools in Australia
Domestic and international students are welcome to study at Australian universities and colleges including some other academic institutions as these are high-quality schools that offer art degrees, Australian art schools are committed to educating students to learn about the social and political discourses and how they influence local artistry.
Pursuing a degree in arts in any of the schools on our list is an experience you will be excited about. Educational resources and places where you can research and explore for inspiration are guaranteed. Some of these places art would take you to are the National Gallery of Australia, the White Rabbit Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Art Gallery, and the Tasmanian Museum.
What are the entry requirements and qualifications?
The requirements for art schools in Australia as seen below:
i. Pre-University Qualification
If you are an international student from Malaysia and you are interested in studying at any of the art colleges, then you should make sure that you possess a minimum of 2.0 CGPA in your STEM results or a minimum of 3Ds or 2Es.
ii. Language Qualification
If you are born in a non-English speaking country, the institution you are applying to will require you to prove that you can speak English accurately. These English language tests are acceptable in Australian institutions, provided an applicant’s score is meet the requirement.
- IELTS
- TOEFL
Also Read: 15 Most Expensive Schools In Australia
List of Art Schools in Australia
Be rest assured that these institutions are not ranked according to how prestigious they are, they are just listed in alphabetical order and they are currently the functioning art schools in Australia.
#1. Adelaide Central School of Art
Adelaide Central School of Art is an independent, non-profit, accredited higher education institution providing courses in visual arts. Adelaide Central School of Art adopts the studio model of visual arts education.
They offer a bachelor’s degree in visual arts, an associate degree in visual arts, a bachelor’s degree in visual arts (Hons), short courses, masterclasses, and workshops.
#2. Adelaide College of the Arts
The Adelaide College of Arts is one of Australia’s finest art schools. Formerly known as the Adelaide Centre of the Art, a campus of TAFE South Australia that focuses on performing arts education. It is located in Adelaide Light Square, just opposite the TAFE SA Adelaide campus.
Identified major study areas of the center are:
- Professional Writing
- Visual Arts
- Entertainment Technicians & Designers
- Entertainment Technology
- Performing Arts (Acting and Dance)
Also Read: MBA in Australia for International Students – Scholarships, Cost, Requirements
#3. Australian Catholic University
The Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university that boasts seven campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome. In 2018 it had 34,834 students.
ACU has a wide range of research institutes and centers and four colleges. The university offers education, arts and humanities, global studies and international development studies, media communications, social science, youth work, creative arts, visual arts, and design.
#4. Australian Flying Arts School
The Australian Flying Arts School is a non-profit-oriented organization that is interested in a lifetime career in visual and media arts in Queensland.
Founded by Mervyn Moriarty in 1971, he flew more than 400,000 kilometers (250,000 miles) over the next 12 years to remote areas of Queensland and provided art education.
Gertrude Langer Arts Queensland, Moriarty’s Flying Arts, Council, and Arthur Creedy’s school cultural activities department are believed to have inspired the creation of private visual arts galleries and regional centers throughout Queensland.
#5. Australian School of the Arts
The Australian School of Art is an art program established in 2006 by the Art Sheldon College Institute of the Arts. The program was designed by Darren Harvey to create an “unparalleled artistic and creative learning experience”.
Industry professionals such as Jessica Hughes, Murray James, Adam Lopez, and Alastair Tomkins, are responsible for vocal, performance, dance, and media courses respectively.
#6. Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne
The Faculty of Fine Arts and Music is one of the prominent art schools in Australia. It is a faculty of the University of Melbourne, in Victoria.
The faculty was formed in 2009 by the merger of the University’s School of Music. In 1895 the faculty was founded as the University Conservatorium and the Victoria College of Art. VCA was established in 1972 and merged into the University of Melbourne as an independent faculty in 2007.
Also Read: 80 Best Boarding Schools in Australia for Everyone
#7. Julian Ashton Art School
Julian Ashton Art School was founded by Julian Ashton in 1890, formerly known as Academy Julian. The school is one of the notable art schools in Australia. It has always been an influential art school. For a long time, it has been called the Sydney Art School.
The Julian Ashton Art School building and some of its equipment have been included in the heritage list, partly because of the importance of the school itself.
#8. Academy of Design Australia
LCI Melbourne is a higher education institution located in Collingwood, specializing in the art of design. As a government-recognized higher education institution, it is one of the only two higher education institutions in Australia that offers a bachelor of arts degree in design and provides communication design (creative advertising), fashion and clothing design, film production and photography, etc. Professional research, graphic and digital design, interior design, and visual arts.
LCIM is one of the best art schools in Australia and offers a bachelor of design arts in a multidisciplinary route and a set of higher education diplomas to provide students with design thinking skills that can be applied to all creative industries. LCI provides excellent and unique design education by allowing students to explore creative disciplines and discover their strengths.
#9. Monash University Faculty of Art Design & Architecture
The Faculty of Art, Design, and Architecture at Monash University is engaged in teaching and research in the fields of fine arts, urban design, curation, and design, architecture. Monash is one of the art schools in Australia that offers a range of these disciplines within a faculty.
The college is located on the Caulfield campus of Monash University and includes:
- Department of Fine Art
- Department of Design
- Department of Architecture.
MADA’s influence far exceeds its own, because the institution intends to carry out practice-based cooperation in Monash, Australia’s largest comprehensive university. The facility actively participates in many major research projects throughout the university and internationally
#10. Power Institute of Fine Arts
Power Institute of Fine Arts is one of the art schools in Australia. It is a teaching and research department at the University of Sydney, covering the fields of art history and theory.
The institute curates public lectures and seminars by internationally renowned scholars, owns one of Australia’s leading art libraries, publishes award-winning works, and collaborates with partner organizations to produce new research.
#11. Queensland College of Art
The Queensland College of Art is a professional art and design college. The art college is located on the South Bank, Brisbane, and Southport on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia.
Founded in 1881, the college is the oldest art school in Australia. They have been part of Griffith University since 1991. The school is co-located with the Queensland School of Music, Griffith Film School, and Griffith Graduate Center. The Griffith University Art Museum is also located on campus.
#12. RMIT School of Art
RMIT School of Art is a University School of Art located in Melbourne, Victoria. It offers education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels of study in fine arts and photography at RMIT University..
The College of Art offers vocational certificate and diploma courses in the field of visual arts and photography degree programs, including bachelor’s and master’s degree courses in the field of fine arts and photography, and a doctorate in art philosophy. In 2020, the art school was ranked 11th in the world for art and design subjects in the QS World University Rankings, becoming the number one art school in Australia.
#13. Royal Art Society of New South Wales
The Royal Art Society of New South Wales (RAS) is an independent non-profit gallery (Lavender Bay Gallery). The school is located in North Sydney and aims to promote and encourage the appreciation of visual art.
The school’s first exhibition was held in the Garden Palace. Down through the years, the association has served so many including Sydney Long, Antonio Dattilo-Rubo, Charles Kant, George Lambert, Norman Lindsay, W. Lister Lister, Elioth Gruner, Hans Heisen, John Longstaff, Marg Lit Preston, and many others. Royal Art Society of New South Wales celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2020.
#14. Southern Cross University Art Schools in Australia
Southern Cross University is a public university and one of the universities with the most prominent art schools in Australia. Its campuses are located in Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales and the southern end of the Gold Coast in Queensland. Ranked as one of the top 100 young universities in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
Southern Cross University Art and Design has a strange influence on the way you see the world. It’s a bit like three years of treatment. Going to the art school of this university will change your view of yourself in the world and how you view the world. The art college will stimulate curiosity, including looking inward.
#15. Sydney College of the Arts
The Sydney College of Art is a contemporary art school that was a faculty of the University of Sydney from 1990 to 2017.
SCA moved to the Camperdown main campus of the University of Sydney in 2020 and now occupies a large part of the Teachers College.
Programs of Study Include:
- Ceramics – BVA, MFA, MCA, PhD
- Critical Studies – BVA, MFA, PhD
- Curating – MArtC, PhD
- Glass – BVA, MFA, MCA, PhD
- Jewellery and Object – BVA, MFA, MCA, PhD
- Painting – BVA, MFA, MCA, PhD
- Photomedia – BVA, MFA, MCA, PhD
- Printmedia – BVA, MFA, MCA, PhD
- Screen Arts – BVA, MFA, MMI, MCA, PhD
- Sculpture – BVA, MFA, MCA, PhD
#16. Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts
The Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts is the longest-running School of Arts and the oldest continuous lending library in Australia.
Founded in 1833, the school counted many of the colony’s educated elite as members and quickly positioned itself as a center for social change and intellectual life in the city of Sydney with a program of public lectures, courses, a lending library, and other activities based on its mission of adult education.
The Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts is the oldest and one of the best art schools in Australia and the oldest continuous lending library in the country.
#17. UNSW Art & Design Schools in Australia
UNSW Art & Design was formally known as the University of New South Wales Faculty of Art and Design and College of Fine Arts, which is part of the Design, Architecture and Creative Arts of the University of New South Wales. Located on Oxford Street in Paddington, Sydney, Australia. The school is one of the most prestigious art schools and colleges in Australia.
#18. UNSW Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
The UNSW Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is a constituent institution of the University of New South Wales, Australia. It was originally established as the Faculty of Art in 1960 under the leadership of the founding Dean Professor Morven Brown. In 1990, it was renamed the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
It includes four schools:
- the College of Arts and Media
- the College of Education,
- the College of Humanities and Languages, and
- the College of Social Sciences.
The College of Arts and Social Sciences offers more than 45 undergraduate degree programs and 27 graduate programs.
#19. Victorian College of the Arts
This is one of the art schools in Australia. It was formed in 2009 by the merger of the University School of Music and Victoria College of Art. In 2018 the faculty was renamed to the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music to reflect the main structure of undergraduate degree offered by the school: Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Music.
The faculty is also the host to the Wellington Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Development Center, which works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to identify, recruit, and support potential and practical Aboriginal artists to research and improve their academic and artistic skills.
#20. Whitehouse Institute of Design
The Whitehouse Institute of Design in Australia is one of the art schools in the country. It is a private design school with campuses in Melbourne’s city center and Sydney’s Surrey Hills. It was founded in 1988 by Leanne Whitehouse.
The college offers various vocational education and training (VET) courses, Master of Design (M.Des.) and Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) degrees, including advanced diplomas, certificates, and a wide range of White House workshops. M.Des.
Frequently Asked Questions about Art Schools in Australia
What is the best art school in Australia?
According to QS Rankings, RMIT is the best art school in Australia –it currently ranks 1st in Australia and 18th in the world for art and design.
Is Australia a good place to study art?
Art schools in Australia are among the best in the world. Recent QS Rankings place 7 Australian universities in the world’s top 100 schools for art and design.
What is the best-performing arts school in Australia?
The list of the best art schools in Australia includes Monash University, Edith Cowan University, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Queensland.
What courses are offered?
Australian art schools offer different art courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. You can obtain a degree in Fine Arts, Film and Video Production, Fashion and Textile Design, Digital Media and Animation, Graphic Design, Photography, and Arts History and Curatorship.
What qualifications can I earn?
You can obtain a diploma of visual arts, bachelor’s of fine arts, bachelor’s of arts, master’s of fine arts, and doctor of philosophy in arts-related fields.
