by Gerrit Bester
With 49 227 applications to study for an arts qualification this year, TUT's Faculty of Arts and Design remains a popular choice as an academic home for prospective students considering a career in the arts.
A total of 15 435 of these were first choice applications for a place in one of the Faculty's five departments – Fine and Applied Arts, Visual Communication, Interior Design, Performing Arts and Design Studies.
This year, only 510 of these applications could be accepted, following a rigorous selection process that included auditions, practical tests, the submission of portfolios to assess skills, etc.
According to the application statistics, the most popular courses are Performing Arts (Theatre Arts) with 3 267 applications, Fashion Design (2 750) and Music (1 756).
The Faculty is renowned for offering a number of unique courses.
The Diploma in Fine and Applied Arts is a unique qualification with elective options not offered at any other South African tertiary institution, such as Glass and Fibre Arts.
The Diploma in Interior Design is a unique three-year qualification, offered only at TUT, that develops graduates to apply design principles to the professional planning, designing, equipping and furnishing of residential, retail and commercial interiors.
The Diploma in Performing Arts is also a distinctive qualification that offers students the opportunity to specialise in a performing arts discipline or related inter-disciplinary areas within the performing arts creative sector.
The Diploma in Integrated Communication Design, offered by the Department of Visual Communication, is the only qualification in South Africa that bridges the historical divide between graphic design and multimedia studies, with graphic design focusing on traditional design and print disciplines, and multimedia focusing on web design, 3D modelling, animation and motion design.
Another interesting fact about the programmes offered by the Faculty is that the Motion Picture Production programme is the oldest film-making programme in South Africa.
What is the importance of an arts education to crack it in this industry, with many prospective students and their parents often asking: But will I/my child find a job?
Prof Nalini Moodley, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design, says: "Careers in the creative industries are extraordinarily difficult career paths to choose. This is because there are limited job opportunities. It requires an entrepreneurial spirit and if you want to succeed you have to be driven to excellence and of course you have to be committed and love what you do."
"If you are passionate and want to excel, you will. You will find our alumni excelling all over the world, gracing international stages in every field of the arts, from jewellery designers designing for A-list Hollywood stars, to the opera stages of Italy, to visual artists collaborating with internationally acclaimed artists. A world without artists is unimaginable. Beauty and creativity are fundamental to our very existence, and allowing the arts to grow is allowing the soul of humanity to grow and flourish," she adds.
Applications for the 2025 academic year opened on 1 March. Go to www.tut.ac.za
