Visual Arts and Design Department – FHS | Vaal University of Technology

Visual Arts and Design

To be the leading Visual Arts Department within an African university, excelling in quality teaching, research, innovation, and technology.

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Department of Visual Arts and Design

Vision:

To be a Department of Visual Arts within an African university that leads in high-quality teaching and learning in Visual Arts, informed by research and driven by innovation and technology.

Mission:

To produce employable and entrepreneurial graduates who can make a meaningful impact on society through Visual Arts in the fields of Fashion, Fine Art, Graphic Design, and Photography.

Brief History of the Department of Visual Arts and Design:

The first courses in the School of Art and Design were introduced at the Vaal Triangle College for Advanced Technological Education (VTCATE) in 1978, with the launch of the National Diploma in Graphic Design. That year, 13 students enrolled, and three graduated at the end of 1980. In 1979, a part-time two-year Certificate in Studio Pottery was also introduced. Although this was not a national certificate, it was locally tailored to meet the needs of a large and active group of local ceramicists.

In subsequent years, a National Diploma in Ceramics was introduced, followed by National Diplomas in Photography and Fashion Design. In 1983, students could enrol for the National Diploma in Fine Arts by first completing the Basic Course offered in their first year of study. For the first 12 years of the School of Art and Design’s existence, all students regardless of their chosen diploma were required to complete all Basic Course subjects in the first year. The emphasis was placed on drawing and design, and included subjects such as Object, Constructional and Life Drawing; Form and Colour Studies; Lettering; History of Art; Perceptual Studies; and Space and Volume Studies.

In 2004, South African higher education was restructured. Technikons were converted into Universities of Technology, and some traditional universities merged with other institutions. Although the former Vaal Triangle Technikon did not merge with any institution, it did inherit the Vista Campus in Sebokeng.

Over the past 16 years (2004 to 2020), the department has developed new qualifications, including three-year Diplomas in Fine Art, Fashion, Photography, and Graphic Design. These diplomas articulate into one-year Advanced Diplomas in the respective fields, followed by Postgraduate Diplomas in Fine Art, Fashion, Photography, or Graphic Design.

Further postgraduate studies can be pursued through the Master of Arts (MA) in Visual Arts, with a specialisation in Fine Art, Fashion, Photography, or Graphic Design (two years), and subsequently the PhD in Visual Arts (three years) or a Doctorate in Photography (three years).

The previous qualifications in Fine Art, Fashion, Photography, and Graphic Design, namely the National Diploma, BTech, MTech, and DTech—have been phased out as of 2017.

Learn more about our courses

Graphic Design

The Graphic Design course offers a comprehensive practical and academic programme designed to equip students with the essential skills and knowledge to successfully meet the demands of the graphic design and related creative industries.

The curriculum emphasises the integration of conceptual thinking and technical expertise, with a strong focus on industry-relevant software and application proficiency.

Students are expected to develop advanced cognitive and problem-solving skills that enable them to generate innovative and effective design solutions, positioning them as valuable contributors in this fast-evolving and dynamic field.

Photography

The Photography programme is designed to equip students with the knowledge, practical skills, and entrepreneurial acumen required to become innovative Digital Media Producers within the digital communications industry.

Graduates will be capable of producing compelling digital media content for a range of clients, including private individuals, corporate entities, SMMEs, public relations firms, and NGOs. Content is tailored for distribution across digital platforms such as the World Wide Web and social media channels including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok.

Fashion

The Fashion course offers both practical and academic components, aimed at equipping students with the essential skills and knowledge required to meet the dynamic demands of the fashion business sector.

The programme is structured to progress rapidly from closely supervised and guided teaching to fostering independent problem-solving and self-directed learning.

Upon successful completion of the programme modules, students will be able to conceptualise original ideas using both manual and digital techniques, allowing them to develop and express their own unique style.

Fine art

Vision
The vision of the Fine Art course is to be an innovative and exploratory visual art programme that engages with contemporary discourse through art practices addressing entrepreneurship, technology, research, and community engagement.

Mission

To provide higher education within an academic environment that fosters visual awareness, critical thinking, and critical making.
To equip and support individuals to become creative and professionally competent visual practitioners and entrepreneurs who are sensitive to both community and global needs.

The Fine Art programme aims to produce highly versatile graduates with the technical and creative expertise necessary to succeed in the visual arts and the broader creative industries.
The purpose of the qualification is to develop the conceptual and creative-technical skills required in a professional visual communication context. It is designed to enable graduates to operate effectively within multidisciplinary visual arts settings. Additionally, it aims to build the capacity of students to create employment opportunities in both the formal and informal economies or to respond to socially relevant challenges.

At its core, the programme is anchored in the development of critically engaged and entrepreneurial visual art practitioners who can contribute meaningfully to contemporary discourse within the creative industry.

As a section of the Department of Visual Arts and Design, Fine Art attracts international students from countries such as Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Ukraine, among others. The majority of our local students come from Limpopo, the Free State, the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and the North West.