School of Creative Arts opens doors for alumnus

USQ’s Bachelor of Creative Arts (BCA) degree aims to foster the development of emerging artists and equip them to work in a wide range of disciplines such as Creative Media, Music, Visual Arts and Theatre within the creative arts industries.

Associate Professor Janet McDonald, Head of School of Creative Arts said that USQ can offer a unique experience for emerging artists.

'Our BCA offers 60% of the degree in students gaining much sought-after practical experiences in the creative arts, so we can offer support that others cannot,' Associate Professor McDonald said.

'We genuinely support our students, both while they are at university and after they have graduated.'

One success story from USQ’s School of Creative Arts is playwright, Mr David Burton.

Mr Burton graduated from USQ in 2007 and has since become a national award-winning playwright.

'I have been in the industry for three years now and I have had 10 plays produced and won two state and two national awards,' Mr Burton said.

'I have worked as a playwright and in youth theatre and USQ really prepared me for that.

'It gave me practical hands on experience in every imaginable area and prepared me for the industry in a way that you don’t see in grads from other universities.'

Mr Burton is a good example of what a USQ graduate can achieve.

He came to USQ aiming to be a drama teacher and discovered a talent for playwriting.

'He came to us and we were able to nurture his skills in writing and through hard work he has been able to forge a great career – he’s so busy working!

'If parents are worried about their children trying to find work in the creative arts, they don’t need to - we have proven that our graduates, like David, are highly regarded and gainfully employed,' Associate Professor McDonald said.

'If you want to study and work in creative arts – do it,' Mr Burton said.

'It can lead to a great career and like any degree you will get out of it what you put in.

'We have stayed in touch and work together to help him in the industry and he mentors several of our current students – we look upon our graduates as colleagues and treat them as such.' Associate Professor McDonald said.

Students can enrol in a cross-disciplinary combination such as Theatre and Music or Creative Media and Visual Arts or combine any of the four disciplines in the Bachelor of Creative Arts.

Majors such as Acting and Stage Management Majors are still on offer for students wanting to be part of the 30 years of training that USQ has provided the arts sector in Queensland.