UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture: Shape the future through creativity

Complex situations require complex solutions, and it’s only through creative thinking, knowledge sharing and collaboration that we reach these. It’s this knowledge and spirit that’s at the heart of UNSW’s newest faculty - Arts, Design & Architecture (ADA). 

Artwork credit at 02:01: Fernando do Campo, ‘To companion a companion’ at UNSW Galleries, 2021.

Power in diversity

ADA unites students, staff, alumni and industry partners from across the Schools of Art & Design, Arts & Media, Built Environment, Education, Humanities & Languages, and Social Sciences. Through creativity, collaboration and inclusion, this diverse community seeks and solves problems to improve life on earth.

“Having a strong interdisciplinary base but learning how to listen to and collaborate with other disciplines to solve problems together, that’s what real life is about,” says Professor Claire Annesley, Dean of UNSW ADA.  

Claire sees ADA as a powerful faculty, but that’s not just because of the number of subject areas that sit under its umbrella. It’s because ADA is a community that will challenge the way we think about people, place and culture to help solve some of humanity’s greatest problems and shape a better future.

As a student with ADA, you’ll be at the centre of this. Our academics and industry partners know that our students are diverse, creative and hopeful for change. They want your ideas and fresh perspectives so they can learn from and collaborate with you.  

“Bringing together people from different disciplines to work on these big problems is the way forward,” says Claire.

Turn your ideas into real-world solutions

"When we go into the workplace, when we’re solving problems, we have to be able to work with and learn from a massive range of different people. And that’s what our students will become really skilled at doing. Being able to operate in a diverse environment and being able to process that and use their imagination to come up with solutions,” explains Claire.

With thousands of industry partners to connect with across UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture, you’ll have the opportunity to roll up your sleeves and work alongside professionals to find solutions for real-world challenges. Through access to state-of-the art facilities across all our schools, you’ll be making and learning with the same tools you’ll use as a professional.

As part of a faculty that champions creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration, you’ll gain the combination of hands-on experience and transferable skills that are critical for the future of work.  

“We’re preparing our students not just to fit in to jobs that exist, but actually to completely shape the future of work,” says Claire. “We’re giving them the skills and experience to challenge the way things are done, and employers will look at them as the future.”  

A community that encourages your difference

ADA is home to people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse passions and interests. It’s an open and supportive community, where the voices and perspectives of the student community are listened to and play a central role in shaping the faculty.

Claire believes the balance of openness and diversity will be the foundation of students’ success. She meets regularly with UNSW ADA’s shadow board and Indigenous shadow board, Winangala Gurrugurrubaa, to understand the experiences, goals and challenges of the student community, so that she can help shape an experience that allows all students to thrive.

“We’re open to ideas about what students would like from this new faculty,” says Claire.

While ADA is diverse, it’s a community with values and ways of thinking that unite it. “What we have in common is that we’re all committed to working creatively,” explains Claire. “We’re also committed to making sure that we work together to find these solutions.”  

It’s the creativity, community and dedication to problem solving that make ADA the perfect home for students who want to shape a future with real impact. As a student, it’s a place where you’ll be challenged and challenge others to think differently. You’ll build your confidence from day-one, so that you graduate ready to go after the life you want.