Go broad or specialise
Focus on your passion – painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, Māori visual arts or performance – or mix and match.
Get hands-on
Create and make in Massey's well-equipped studios, workshops, computer labs, digital suites and darkrooms.
Design your own degree
All Massey design students start with broad core courses. Then in later years you can specialise or gain wide-ranging skills.
Global-ready skills
Our Massey graduates are sought after by employers and work in New Zealand, Australia, Europe, North America and beyond.
Overview
Focus on photography. Explore contemporary Māori art, culture, language, and tikanga. Delve into paint or printmaking. Or broaden your horizons by picking courses from across creative disciplines.
Whether you're starting out or established as a creative, learn the fundamentals and stretch and grow at the College of Creative Arts.
Learn from award-winning artists, designers and photographers. Discover new ideas with researchers specialising in areas such as art and the environment, and memorialisation and remembrance. Explore ways of making, and why you make what you do.
Get hands-on in our studios and workshops. Master new skills in our state-of-the-art computer labs, digital suites and darkrooms. Graduate with a qualification respected nationally and internationally.
Art and photography are a good fit if you:
- do well in school subjects such as design, visual arts (ngā toi) or technology (hangarau)
- want to push your creativity and hone your skills
- like being creative and thinking analytically.
Fine arts courses
Drawing, painting, performance art, sculpture and video. Take classes in any media, supported by technical workshops to hone your skills.
As well as independent creative work, courses may cover:
- communication for makers
- creative cultures
- research methods and practices.
Māori visual arts courses
Māori visual arts – Toioho ki āpiti, recognises language, culture, tikanga and art as inseparable. Our bachelor's degree has a strong Māori kaupapa, with te reo, tikanga, and manaakitanga at its core.
We welcome students of Māori, Pākehā and international indigenous heritage. We cater for all levels of te reo Māori.
As well as independent creative work, courses may cover:
- Māori design processes, including cultural significance
- Māori visual culture, including contemporary and traditional contexts
- te reo Māori
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi).
Photography courses
As well as independent creative work, courses may cover:
- composition
- darkroom and digital techniques
- lighting in studios and on location
- post-production
- studio techniques
- video art.
Bachelor of Design with Honours – BDes(Hons)
Extend your skills and push the boundaries of design innovation with our four-year Honours degree.
How to study art and photography
Discover what we offer if you’re interested in art and photography – whether you’re coming to university for the first time, changing direction or returning to advance your study or career.
Undergraduate study
Undergraduate study An undergraduate qualification is generally the first thing you’ll study at university. In some qualifications you can choose what subject you’d like to specialise in.
Bachelor's degrees and bachelor's degrees with Honours
Bachelor of Design – BDes
Change the world through design. Study in New Zealand’s leading and most comprehensive design qualification.
Mātauranga Toi Māori – Bachelor of Design
Study creative arts and help shape a future where te ao Māori is at the forefront of Aotearoa creative industries. A first for Aotearoa tertiary education, the Mātauranga Toi Māori major engages te ao Māori in any of our creative disciplines in Design – Concept, Fashion, Industrial, Integrated, Photography, Spatial, Textiles or Visual Communication Design.
Photography – Bachelor of Design
Great photographers shake us, shift our perceptions and entice us to see things differently. Learn from leading photographers and develop your technical skills with our professional cameras and specialist studios and labs.
Bachelor of Design with Honours – BDes(Hons)
Extend your skills and push the boundaries of design innovation with our four-year Honours degree.
Mātauranga Toi Māori – Bachelor of Design with Honours
Study creative arts and help shape a future where te ao Māori is at the forefront of Aotearoa creative industries. A first for Aotearoa tertiary education, the Mātauranga Toi Māori major engages te ao Māori in any of our creative disciplines in Design – Concept, Fashion, Industrial, Integrated, Photography, Spatial, Textiles or Visual Communication Design.
Photography – Bachelor of Design with Honours
Great photographers shake us, shift our perceptions and entice us to see things differently. Learn from leading photographers and develop your technical skills with our professional cameras and specialist studios and labs.
Bachelor of Fine Arts – BFA
Discover how to produce work that makes people think and feel, act and react. Whatever your mode of art-making is, we’ll help you find and develop your own creative voice.
Mātauranga Toi Māori – Bachelor of Fine Arts
Study creative arts and help shape a future where te ao Māori is at the forefront of Aotearoa creative industries. A first for Aotearoa tertiary education, the Mātauranga Toi Māori major engages te ao Māori in Fine Arts disciplines.
Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours – BFA(Hons)
The four year BFA with Honours, gives you the opportunity to really extend your skills and push the boundaries of contemporary art production.
Mātauranga Toi Māori – Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours
Study creative arts and help shape a future where te ao Māori is at the forefront of Aotearoa creative industries. A first for Aotearoa tertiary education, the Mātauranga Toi Māori major engages te ao Māori in Fine Arts disciplines.
Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts – BMVA
Join a unique community where te reo, tikanga and whanaungatanga are the keys to growing creative practices and processes in toi Māori.
Undergraduate certificates
Certificate in Creative Arts – CertCreativeArt
Massey’s Certificate in Creative Arts is a flexible qualification that will introduce you to the basics of design, screen, music and art covering a broad range of creative arts subjects. You can complete this qualification in person on our Wellington campus or via distance.
Undergraduate diplomas
Diploma in Creative Arts – DipCreativeArts
You’ll study with design, screen, music and art degree students in a range of courses covering a broad range of creative arts subjects, studying in-person on our Wellington campus or via distance. Successful completion of this qualification can allow entrance directly into the second year of College of Creative Arts bachelor's degrees.
Graduate diplomas
Graduate Diploma in Design – GDipDes
Develop your technical skills and learn to think like a designer.
Graduate Diploma in Fine Arts – GDipFA
Massey’s Graduate Diploma in Fine Arts is for skilled graduates who want to gain new knowledge and skills in fine arts.
Postgraduate study
Postgraduate study Once you’ve graduated with a bachelor’s degree – or have equivalent experience – you’ll be ready to take on postgraduate study.
Master's degrees
Master of Fine Arts – MFA
Embed yourself in a rich dialogue about your creative practice in Massey’s Master of Fine Arts. Our MFA embraces intersections between knowledge systems, a spectrum of making processes, and modes of audience engagement.
Master of Māori Visual Arts – MMVA
Challenge your own toi Māori practice, and learn from and be inspired by leading artists.
Postgraduate diplomas
Postgraduate Diploma in Design – PGDipDes
Go beyond your bachelor’s degree and advance your design thinking with a Postgraduate Diploma in Design.
Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Arts – PGDipFA
Extend your creative practice and begin your fine arts journey. Massey’s Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Arts gives you the opportunity for advanced study in contemporary art.
Postgraduate Diploma in Māori Visual Arts – PGDipMVA
Toioho ki Āpiti (the Māori visual arts qualification at Massey) welcomes all indigenous and Pākehā artists.
Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies – PGDipMusStud
Massey’s Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies will prepare you to meet the challenges cultural organisations face in maintaining heritage collections and delivering high-quality services to communities.
PhD and other doctoral degrees
Doctor of Philosophy – PhD
A prestigious research qualification that demonstrates your ability to carry out independent and original research in your chosen field.
Relevant research areas at Massey
Discover research expertise, projects and initiatives relating to art and photography at Massey.
What our students say
“I'd never intellectualised my process before. This was the first time I'd actually gone, 'Why am I doing this? What does this actually mean?’”
“Chev found his strength in bringing together his art and his whakapapa. With a passion for cultural identity and social ethnography, his emerging creative career has involved advertising, journalism, mural and documentary projects. In 2017 he won the Ngā Manu Pīrere award for emerging Māori artists at Te Waka Toi Awards.”
Ngati Porou, Rongomaiwahine, Ngati Kahungunu ki Mahia, Pakeha
“Some of the most valuable skills I gained were how to deliver and present my art and writing, and to be self-directed when constructing a project. I liked the way Massey provides the resources to create and become an artist without telling you exactly how to do it.”
Our facilities
You'll have access to a wide range of first-class facilities when you study with us.
Gallery spaces
Students studying fine arts, Māori visual arts and photography have access to gallery spaces where they can exhibit or test their work.
Workshops
Students can access a number of workshops on campus, alongside technical staff who will introduce them to the equipment and assist them if required. Equipment in the fine arts workshop includes a range of wood and metal working machinery, hand tools, a spray booth and casting area.
Te Pūtahi-a-Toi
Te Pūtahi-a-Toi - School of Māori Knowledge has a rūnanga room and a wharekai – Toi Te Ora – where we can manaaki visitors, students and staff.
Location: Manawatū campus
Photo studios
Massey University's Wellington campus has specialised professional photography studios, (white cycs, green screen, Elincrom/Bowens/Diva lite) access only by students enrolled in photographic specialised papers only.
Screen and digital print facility
Massey students have access to a screen and digital print facility, where they can use a digital sublimation printer for polyester fabrics and materials, and a screen printing facility with 7m print tables.
Fab Lab
Fab Lab Wellington is Australasia’s first digital fabrication laboratory affiliated to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Fab Lab's capabilities include:
- A computer-controlled laser cutter
- numerically-controlled milling machine
- a sign cutter
- a precision milling machine to make 3-dimensional moulds
- surface-mount circuit boards
- and small 3D printers.
Toystore
The Toystore offers a wide range of audiovisual equipment for design students to borrow, as well as access to large format printing and technical support.
Jobs in art and photography
Set your own horizons. You'll graduate as an inventive and resilient thinker and maker, ready to make an impact.
Some of our graduates become artists, either working alone or in collaboration with other creatives. Others work in community or cultural organisations, galleries or museums.
Art and photography careers include:
- artists, who specialise in areas such as conceptual art, painting, printmaking or sculpture
- conservators, who repair and maintain artworks and taonga (treasured objects)
- curators, who research and create exhibitions
- film directors or designers
- gallery or museum roles such as archivists or publicists
- photographers or videographers
- photojournalists
- teachers or lecturers.
Annual salary ranges for jobs
- Artist – $48,000 to $91,000
- Curator – $61,000 to $101,000
- Photographer – $48,000 to 84,000
Salary ranges disclaimer
Indicative pay rates are:
- in New Zealand dollars
- based on Tahatū Career Navigator website data.
Which art or photography qualification?
Examples of where our qualifications may take you.
| Qualification | Jobs |
|---|---|
|
Bachelor of Design with Honours (Photography) Bachelor of Design with Honours (Photography / Mātauranga Toi Māori) |
Photographer |
|
Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours (Mātauranga Toi Māori) Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts |
Artist |
|
Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies Postgraduate Diploma in Māori Visual Arts |
Curator |
Accreditations and rankings
Ranked 2nd in Asia Pacific for the Red Dot Design ranking
Massey is ranked 2nd in Asia Pacific in 2025 in the international Red Dot Design Ranking for the third consecutive year, the only design school to be ranked in New Zealand and Australia. This year’s results places Massey in the top 3 universities in Asia Pacific for the 11th year in a row.
QS Ranking - Art & Design
College of Creative Arts – Toi Rauwhārangi ranks in the global top 200 for art and design by QS World University Rankings.
Get an information guide
Download our guides to find out more about studying art and photography at Massey.
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