Digital + Material
Innovation + Engagement
Combine cutting-edge digital practices with internationally-renowned art and craft studio disciplines in the Bachelor of Design.
Design students will benefit from deep immersion in digital, manual and theoretical studies and a wide overview of creative practices. From coding, to making, to manufacture, students apply hands-on design to digital and physical materials. Students delve into web design, data visualisation, and interaction design, and experiment in studios to develop expertise in the latest digital form and fabrication processes.
This degree prepares students with transferable knowledge and skills required to make their mark on a rapidly changing world.
Look around, Information Technology (IT) is everywhere - your TV, laptop, gaming system, mobile phone, watch, music, movies, kitchen, car, bank and your next gig tickets. It is changing the way we live, learn, work and even socialise.
If you are interested in driving this exciting revolution, within a truly globalised and fast changing industry, then the ANU Bachelor of Information Technology is for you.
You will get a strong grounding in computing fundamentals to tackle the progressive nature of IT. With IT being an intrinsic part of all industries, knowledge of software development and information systems is highly sought after by the best employers.
This degree can also be taken as a flexible double with almost any other degree at ANU.
Career Options
ANU ranks among the world's very finest universities. Our nearly 100,000 alumni include political, business, government, and academic leaders around the world.
We have graduated remarkable people from every part of our continent, our region and all walks of life.
Employment Opportunities
Graduates of the Bachelor of Design may find careers in fields including object design, visual communication, data visualisation, user experience design, graphic design, web design, interface design, design thinking and strategic design.
Graduates of the Bachelor of Design may find careers in fields including object design, visual communication, data visualisation, user experience design, graphic design, web design, interface design, design thinking and strategic design.
Learning Outcomes
demonstrate skills and knowledge of the practices, languages, forms, materials and technologies in their relevant discipline;
research, develop and evaluate design concepts and processes by thinking creatively, critically and reflectively;
apply skills and knowledge to the creation, visualisation and production of design projects;
work independently and collaboratively on design projects and respond to project demands;
interpret, communicate and present ideas, problems and arguments in modes suited to a range of audiences; and
recognise and reflect on social, cultural technological, environmental and ethical issues of creative practice and design considering local and international perspectives.
- Analyse well defined problems, and design, implement and evaluate solutions that demonstrate an understanding of the systems context in which software is developed and operated including economic, social, historical, sustainability and ethical aspects.
- Recognise connections and recurring themes, including abstraction and complexity, across the discipline.
- Adapt to new environments and technologies, and to innovate.
- Demonstrate an operational understanding of the foundations of computer science including programming, algorithms, logic, architectures and data structures.
- Communicate complex concepts effectively with diverse audiences using a range of modalities.
- Work effectively within a team in order to achieve a common goal.
- Demonstrate commitment to professional conduct and development that recognises the social, legal and ethical implications of their work, to work independently, and self- and peer-assess performance.
Admission Requirements
- ATAR:
- 80
- International Baccalaureate:
- 29
Prerequisites
ACT: Mathematical Methods (Major)/Further Mathematics (Major)/Specialist Mathematics/Specialist Methods (Major)
NSW: Mathematics Advanced or equivalent. More information about interstate subject equivalencies can be found here. here.
Adjustment Factors
Adjustment factors are additional points added to an applicant's Selection Rank (for example an applicant's ATAR). ANU offers adjustment factors based on performance and equity principles, such as for high achievement in nationally strategic senior secondary subjects and for recognition of difficult circumstances that students face in their studies.
Selection Rank adjustments are granted in accordance with the approved schedules, and no more than 15 (maximum 5 subject/performance-based adjustment factors and maximum 10 equity-based adjustment factors) can be awarded.
You may be considered for adjustment factors if you have:
- applied for an eligible ANU Bachelor degree program
- undertaken Australian Year 12 or the International Baccalaureate
- achieved an ATAR or equivalent at or above 70
- not previously attempted tertiary study.
Please visit the ANU Adjustment Factors website for further information.
Indicative fees
Bachelor of Design - Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
Bachelor of Information Technology - Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
For more information see: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/costs-fees
- Annual indicative fee for international students
- $49,330.00
Scholarships
ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.
Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are. Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.
For further information see the Scholarships website.
Program Requirements
The Bachelor of Design flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:
A maximum of 42 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses
The 96 units must include:
36 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:
DESN1002 Visual Communication: Design and Production
DESN1003 Contemporary Design in Context
DESN1004 The Past as Prototype: History, Ethics and Concepts for Design in the Twenty-First Century
DESN2008 Design Thinking: Human-Centred Design Methodologies
DESN3010 Design Studio: Independent Practice
DESN3011 Design Studio: Engagement and Collaboration
A minimum of 6 units from the completion of foundation courses from the following list:
ARTV1020 Figure and Life
ARTV1021 Image and Object
ARTV1033 Hold Everything: Studio Foundation
DESA1021 Precise Drawing and Model Making
A minimum of 12 units from the completion of interdisciplinary concepts and theories courses from the following list:
ANTH1002 Culture and Human Diversity: Introducing Anthropology
ANTH1003 Global Citizen: Culture, Development and Inequality
ANTH2005 Traditional Australian Indigenous Cultures, Societies and Environment
ANTH2009 Culture and Development
ANTH2017 Culture, Social Justice and Aboriginal Society Today
ANTH2025 Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective
ANTH2026 Medicine, Healing and the Body
ANTH2132 Food for Thought: Anthropological Theories of Food and Eating
ANTH2134 States and Citizens: Anthropological Perspectives
ARTH1006 Art and Design Histories: Form and Space
ARTH1007 Art and Design Histories: Making and Meaning
ARTH2043 After the Bauhaus: Design from the Interwar Period to the Age of Climate Crisis
ARTH2162 Art in the Digital Age
ARTH2167 Issues in Contemporary Craft and Design
ARTH2080 Art and Visual Culture of the Long Eighteenth Century, 1660-1815
ARTH2098 Australian First Nations Art and Culture
ARTH2174 Art, Medicine, Gender from the Renaissance until Today
ENVS1001 Environment and Society: Geography of Sustainability
ENVS1003 Introduction to Environmental and Social Research
ENVS1004 Australia’s Environment
ENVS1008 Sustainable Development
GEND1001 Sex, Gender and Identity: An Introduction to Gender Studies
GEND1002 Reading Popular Culture: An Introduction to Cultural Studies
GEND2023 Gender, Sex and Sexuality: An Introduction to Feminist Theory
GEND2034 Going Public: Sex, Sexuality and Feminism
GEND2036 Excessive Appetites: Sociocultural Perspectives on Addiction and Drug Use
GEND2057 Relationships, Marriage and Family
HUMN1001 Digital Culture: Being Human in the Information Age
HUMN2001 Introduction to Digital Humanities and Public Culture - Tools, Theories and Methods
INDG1001 Indigenous Peoples, Populations and Communities
INDG1002 First Peoples' experiences and ways of being: resilience, agency, resurgence and rights
INDG2001 Indigenous Cultural and Natural Resource Management
PHIL1004 Fundamental Ideas in Philosophy: An Introduction
PHIL1005 Logic and Critical Thinking
PHIL1007 What is Humanity?
PHIL1008 Introduction to Ethics
PSYC1003 Psychology 1: Understanding Mind, Brain and Behaviour
PSYC1004 Psychology 2: Understanding People in Context
PSYC1005 The Wellbeing Formula: The Science and Practice of Making a Good Life
SOCY1002 Self and Society
SOCY1004 Analysing the Social World: An Introduction to Social Psychology
SOCY1006 Society & Technological Change
A minimum of 24 units from completion of design courses from the following list:
DESN2001 Digital Form and Fabrication
DESN2002 Foundations of Creative Code
DESN2003 Creative Data Visualisation: Representing Data in Visual and Material Form
DESN2004 Dynamic Design and Generative Systems
DESN2006 Front-End Web: Crafting Online Experience
DESN2007 Design Fiction: Speculative and Critical Design
DESN2009 Typography in Context: Digital Typographic Design
DESN2010 Making Creative and Critical Technologies: Physical Computing for Art and Design
DESN2012 The Ethics of Making: Design for Reuse and Repair
A maximum of 18 units from completion of studio courses listed in the:
The Bachelor of Information Technology flexible double degree component requires completion of 96 units, of which:
A maximum of 36 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses
The 96 units must include:
30 units from the completion of the following compulsory courses:
COMP1600 Foundations of Computing
COMP2100 Software Design Methodologies
COMP2300 Computer Organisation and Program Execution
COMP2420 Introduction to Data Management, Analysis and Security
MATH1005 Discrete Mathematical Models
6 units from completion of course from the following list:
COMP1100 Programming as Problem Solving
COMP1130 Programming as Problem Solving (Advanced)
6 units from completion of course from the following list:
COMP1110 Structured Programming
COMP1140 Structured Programming (Advanced)
24 units from completion of a 3000- and 4000-level courses from the following subject areas:
COMP Computer Science
INFS Information Systems, only if completing the Information Systems major
A minimum of 12 units and a maximum of 30 units from completion of further courses from the following subject areas:
COMP Computer Science
INFS Information Systems, only if completing the Information Systems major
A maximum of 6 units from completion of courses from the following list:
MATH1013 Mathematics and Applications 1
MATH1014 Mathematics and Applications 2
MATH1115 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 1
MATH1116 Advanced Mathematics and Applications 2
MATH2301 Games, Graphs and Machines
STAT1003 Statistical Techniques
STAT1008 Quantitative Research Methods
A maximum of 12 units from completion of courses from the following list:
ENGN1211 Discovering Engineering
VCUG2002 Leadership and Influence in a Complex World
VCUG3001 Unravelling Complexity
Majors
Bachelor of Information Technology Majors
Minors
Bachelor of Information Technology Minors
Bachelor of Design Minors
Back to the Bachelor of Design page
Course selection
Enrolling for the first time can seem like a big task. Below, you will find an example enrolment pattern for your first year of study.
There are a few items to note:
- Courses coded in the 1000 range are appropriate for first-year students. We strongly recommend that students new to tertiary study enrol in first-year courses during their first semester.
- We recommend you start a CASS Program Plan. This is a way to track how the courses you take fit within the overall structure of your degree and will help you pick your later year courses.
- The tables below represent only one possible combination. You are welcome to pick and choose from any other 1000-coded course found under the “Study Tab”.
- The tables below assume you are new to tertiary study and ineligible for course credit.
- A step-by-step guide on how to enrol in courses is available on the Enrol for the First time webpage.
Single degree
Students starting in Semester 1–single degree Bachelor of Design, example
Semester 1
Elective
Elective
Semester 2
Elective
Elective
Students starting in Semester 2– single degree Bachelor of Design, example
Semester 2
Elective
Elective
Semester 1
Elective
Elective
Other first year courses available: to find all other 1000-level courses, refer to the Catalogue of Programs and Courses. You may refine your selection on the right-hand column of the webpage.
Double degree
Students starting in Semester 1– double degree Bachelor of Design, example
Semester 1
Course from other degree
Course from other degree
Semester 2
Course from other degree
Course from other degree
Students starting in Semester 2– double degree Bachelor of Design, example
Semester 2
Course from other degree
Course from other degree
Semester 1
Course from other degree
Course from other degree
Study Options
Bachelor of Design - Single Degree
Study Options
| Year 1 48 units | DESN1002 Visual Communication: Design and Production 6 units | DESN1004 The Past as Prototype: History, Ethics and Concepts for Design in the Twenty-First Century 6 units | Elective | Elective |
| DESN1003 Contemporary Design In Context 6 units | ARTV1020 Drawn from life: Techniques and Perspectives of Observational Drawing 6 units | Elective | Elective |
Bachelor of Design - Double Degree
Study Options
| Year 1 48 units | DESN1002 Visual Communication: Design and Production 6 units | DESN1004 The Past as Prototype: History, Ethics and Concepts for Design in the Twenty-First Century 6 units | Course from other degree | Course from other degree |
| DESN1003 Contemporary Design In Context 6 units | ARTV1020 Drawn from life: Techniques and Perspectives of Observational Drawing 6 units | Course from other degree | Course from other degree |
Academic Advice
Course credit
If you have undertaken previous study that is relevant to your current academic program, you can request to receive course credit. For more information and how to apply, see the CASS credit application webpage, or contact the CASS Student Office.
Other important information for new students
Please refer to the New students page. You will find all the information you require to activate your ANU email account, enrol into courses and our O week details.
Need help?
If you would like further information or advice regarding your degree, please contact the Student Office. We offer appointments, and you can reach us at students.cass@anu.edu.au.
You can also check out our in person opening hours and location on the CASS Student Office webpageBack to the Bachelor of Information Technology page
The ANU Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) program (when taken with a major in Information Systems, Software Development, or Cyber Security) is accredited by the Australian Computer Society. The degree can also be taken without a major, or with a major or minor from other areas of Computing (see BIT Majors). The three year degree prepares graduates to enter the computing industry work force as novice practitioners to develop software or to apply computing in human organisations. The BIT can also be taken as a part of many double degrees and there is an option for high performing students to apply for an Honours year (Bachelor of Information Technology (Honours)).
About this degree
The degree is made up of compulsory requirements (seven courses) and an additional suite of computing requirements (nine courses) plus electives.
You can choose to study a computing major or minor – note that completing a major in Information Systems, Software Development, or Cyber Security is required for ACS accreditation.
Single degree
- This degree requires 144 units (each course is typically 6 units)
- Typically, you will study four courses per semester (total of 24 units) In addition, you have 48 units (eight courses) of electives that can be taken from Computer Science or from any other area of the university.
- You can study a computing major (48 units) or minor (24 units)
Double degree
- This degree requires 96 units (each course is typically 6 units) from the BIT rules
- Typically you will study four courses per semester (total of 24 units)
- There are no university electives in the double degree. You can choose your double degree with BIT from the Degree Builder in Programs and Courses.
- You can study a major (48 units) or a minor (24 units).
About this degree
Typically you will study 4 courses per semester (total of 24 units) as a full time student giving you a total of 24 courses across your whole degree
- The degree is made up of compulsory requirements (seven courses) and an additional suite of computing requirements (nine courses)
- You can choose to study a computing major or minor – note that completing a major
- In the single degree program you will have 48 units (eight courses) of electives. You may use these to study further computing courses, courses from elsewhere in the university, or a major or minor from another area of the university.
- In the double degree, you have no electives - your other degree requirements use up all of these.
Enrolment Status
While it is possible to enrol in fewer courses per semester, which is called studying part-time, it will take you longer to finish your program and get your degree. If you are an international student you must always be full-time.
Important things to keep in mind when choosing your 1000-level courses
When you enrol for the first time you will typically study '1000-level' courses. These courses have '1' as the first number in their course code, such as COMP1100.
You need to enrol in courses for both First Semester and Second Semester noting that you can change your Semester 2 courses anytime until July.
You can’t study more than four courses (24 units) per semester (eight courses per year )
International students cannot study less than 24 units a semester.
You may take 1000-level courses at any time in your program remembering:
for a single degree you can’t count more than ten 1000-level courses (60 units)
for a double degree you can only count six 1000-level courses (36 units) towards your BIT half of the double degree.
Choosing your first year programming courses
For your first year programming courses you have a choice of COMP1100 or COMP1130 in Semester 1, followed by, COMP1110 or COMP1140 in Semester 2.
The standard courses are COMP1100/1110 but if you have a strong maths background, and/or significant programming experience, you should chooseCOMP1130/1140.
If you choose COMP1130 and it is the wrong level for you, you will be able to transfer to COMP1100 within in the first 2 weeks without penalty.
Majors and Minors
See available majors and minors for this program
See available majors and minors for this program
You have the option to complete a major as a part of your BIT degree. Note that only BIT degrees with a major in Information Systems, Software Development or Cyber Security will receive Australian Computer Society Accreditation.
Electives
You have four electives to choose in your first year. These can be additional computing courses (e.g.:COMP1720, COMP1710, COMP2400, INFS1001), other electives that may count as COMP courses (MATH1013, MATH1014, STAT1003, STAT1008,ENGN1211) and/or engineering oriented electives (such as PHYS1001 or ENGN1218 ).
Explore majors, and minors, in other subject areas (e.g., management, mathematics, psychology, languages) that interest you. Each college site will provide information on the first year courses that you can study for a given major or minor.
Study Options
Bachelor of Information Technology - Semester 2 Commencement
This study plan is for those students commencing in semester 2. Due to the different offering of courses, your study plan is different from those students who commence in semester 1.Bachelor of Information Technology single degree
Study Options
| Year 1 48 units | COMP1100 Programming as Problem Solving 6 units OR COMP1130; | MATH1005 Discrete Mathematical Models 6 units | Elective course 6 units | Elective course 6 units |
| COMP1110 Structured Programming 6 units OR COMP1140; | COMP1600 Foundations of Computing 6 units | Elective course 6 units | Elective course 6 units |
Bachelor of Information Technology double degree
Study Options
| Year 1 48 units | COMP1100 Programming as Problem Solving 6 units OR COMP1130; | MATH1005 Discrete Mathematical Models 6 units | Other Degree course 6 units | Other Degree course 6 units |
| COMP1110 Structured Programming 6 units OR COMP1140; | COMP1600 Foundations of Computing 6 units | Other Degree course 6 units | Other Degree course 6 units |
Academic Advice
For assistance, please check Enrolment and program management or for further questions email studentadmin.cecs@anu.edu.au.