
Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University Australia
Billy Blue College of Design is known for its engagement with industry and employability focus. We have courses developed in collaboration with industry including game design and development, digital media, communication design, software engineering, branded fashion design and interior design.
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Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University Australia is known for its engagement with industry and employability focus. We have courses developed in collaboration with industry including game design and development, digital media, communication design, software engineering, branded fashion design and interior design.
General Info
Facilities
Sydney Campus
Located in the inner-city precinct of Ultimo, this converted heritage building is as cool as inner Sydney itself. Recently revamped, it boasts hip, 19th century style architecture, but with an edge.
With open plan spaces, high ceilings, lots of light, and creative pods for learning, collaboration and entrepreneurship, this space draws its inspiration from cafes and restaurants rather than institutions. Connect, share and challenge your thinking, and access the latest technologies to kick-start your new career.
Melbourne Campus
Situated on Flinders Street, right in the heart of Melbourne’s fashionable and trendiest area. As a student, you will enjoy state of the art facilities and a chance to immerse yourself in a creative and stimulating environment.
Melbourne has a reputation as the cultural hub of Australia. This campus is conveniently located close to a multitude of art galleries, restaurants and cafe precincts. It’s also next door to major landmarks such as Federation Square, St Pauls’ Cathedral, Young and Jackson Hotel, the Banana Alley Vaults, the old Herald and Weekly Times building, Melbourne Aquarium and Batman Park – all of which offer a stimulating and colourful range of fashion, food, culture and industry immersion.
Brisbane Campus
Located in Fortitude Valley, just minutes from Brisbane’s City Center, this cutting-edge new campus is a creative and stimulating learning environment that is part of our mission to disrupt and reinterpret the way education is delivered.
The campus is perched on cliffs overlooking the Brisbane River and captures a Queensland architectural style that our Sunshine State is famous for. Enjoy the latest digital learning technologies, open learning and collaborative classroom and project spaces, and a creative and stimulating vibe.
Staff
Our staff are all firstly professionals with industry experience – not just text book learning. All academics receive and update their materials regularly, along with the University re-developing curriculum to match current approaches.
We were recently (September 2020) accredited as a Houdini certified school based on an industry panel review of our Houdini reel of our students work.
Employment Rates
Employment level: High: 9 out of 10 graduates get a job they love within a year. Based on 2019 graduate survey.
We have dedicated success coaches which guide our students throughout their university journey and provide assistance with their course work, resume, finding placement and general support. Each of our courses have a Work Integrated Learning program in the final year where students can choose from doing an internship or part take in a live brief. There are potential hiring opportunities there and we also have strong relationships with industry partners who also hire our students.
Technology
Software
We teach Houdini, Maya, Zbrush, Nuke - and rendering real-time in Unreal and offline with Arnold.
Hardware
We have an offsite render farm, motion capture body suits, dual monitor and high performance multiple labs, Cintiq tablets, green screens studios, dedicated film and video equipment services etc.
Student Showcase
Take a look at some of the traditional and digital artwork Billy Blue College of Design students produce during their education.
•Alexandra Sheather - Unreal Engine Designer, Girraphic
Billy Blue College of Design allowed me to see what is possible in the industry and expand on what I want for my career. While studying there I met great people who are now my coworkers today. Hands on experience is very important to me so getting to use industry standard equipment while studying and doing an in industry internship were my favourite parts of studying with Billy Blue.
Networking & Careers
We have the best relationships with: Houdini3D, Sony, Unity, Vogue Australia, AIPP & DDB. Graduates find jobs at Girraphic, Ministry of Style, Publicis Australia and Datacom.
We have a dedicated industry team who have established and strong industry partners such as, AGDA, Marque, Unity, Vogue Australia, AIPP & DDB who involve our students in these workplaces and have them work on live briefs. Students get hands-on to tackle Design & Creative Technology challenges requiring critical thinking, problem-solving and genuine industry insight. We help our students with providing them with industry placements and internships at some of the world’s most influential organisations.
We work with industry to engage students in:
- Work-ready interns
- In-Class client live briefs
- Graduate hiring initiatives
- On-campus speaking opportunities
- Industry collaborations
Courses
We offer a competitive generalist 3D degree that is forward thinking and built on two pillars of where 3D is headed in the future: Realtime animation production and procedural geometry and workflows. We are moving our content to specialise in these two areas, by incorporate and overlapping early subjects in the Games and 3D animation degrees to have a deep understanding of fundamentals in 3D for a realtime first approach. We also teach Houdini immediately in the first year in the principles of animation and have a procedural geometry approach first to modelling.
Bachelor of 3D Design & Animation
Get hands-on with 3D – which is kind of what you do in everyday life anyway, right? Well here we’re talking about projects that will turn you into an expert on modelling, rigging, animation, texturing, lighting and compositing. A Bachelor of 3D Design and Animation will give you the essential knowledge to take on a career in industries such as film, post-production, TV, games and asset development, advertising and education. You will explore design and animation theory to enrich your storytelling, while working through realistic briefs and industry standard creative processes. In glorious 3D. And, let’s be honest, being able to create a virtual world is in high demand right now.
Duration: 3 years full-time. Pricing details here. Intake dates: February, June & September
Bachelor or Diploma of 3D Design & Animation
This cutting-edge degree can lead you into a career in one of the most imaginative, innovative and technically sophisticated fields of design – 3D design and animation. Guided by industry leaders, you’ll develop modelling and 3D design skills – including texture creation, lighting and original stylistic visual approaches – that will let you create photorealistic and animate visualisations. You’ll use your ever-growing digital expertise to present an original design outcome while collaborating with other students. Together you will plan a project from start to finish – through the creation of the animation to the development of a management plan that reflects industry processes.
Duration: 3 years full-time and 6 years part-time. Pricing details here and here. Intake dates: February, June & September
Diploma of Photography & Photo Imaging
If you’re a keen photographer who’s ready to take your skills to the next level and perhaps make photography your career, this diploma course will be perfect for you. It will give you a broad base of generalist photo imaging knowledge and experience. Interweaving theory and practice, you will gain skills in using software, such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Premiere, as well as the know-how to use equipment such as DSLR cameras, studio lighting, video rigs, and more. You’ll explore both still image and video formats, and learn real workplace procedures so you have the confidence to manage many types of photography assignments from start to finish. With exercises grounded in industry practice and access to studio spaces even outside of class hours, you can refine your skills and experiment with different techniques.
Duration: 1 year full-time. Pricing details. Intake dates: February, June & September
Bachelor of Software Engineering (Artificial Intelligence)
The Bachelor of Software Engineering: Artificial Intelligence (AI) was created in collaboration with IBM, building a powerhouse of skills, future thinking and market insights. Founded on extensive industry consultations, we’ll offer you a range of technical subjects with a focus on the major areas of AI – from Natural Language Processing to Robotics. Harnessing your own creative talents and expertise, and led by industry professionals, you’ll identify and solve complex artificial intelligence software engineering problems. You’ll develop skills that are increasingly the mainstay of software engineering. Also, while the course is founded on strong traditional and cutting-edge software engineering know-how, such as programming, maths and statistical knowledge, you’ll also investigate ethics, social responsibility and cognitive psychology throughout your studies.
Duration: 3 years full-time. Pricing details. Intake dates: February, June & September
Bachelor of Game Design & Development
There are some people making games who will tell you it’s all about the underlying premise, the stories told or even the mechanics. It’s all lies. People love games because of the art, and that’s where you’ll come in. This course is designed to help you develop both your artistic style and technical skills, so you can decide whether you’re more interested in a throwback-EGA aesthetic or disturbingly hyper-real uncanny valley gear. Or something in between, maybe. Whatever the case, you’ll be working on industry-standard software alongside industry-standard experts to create beautiful environments, ugly environments, average-looking characters and breathtakingly gorgeous characters as assets for the immersive experience that is gaming. We focus on employability as well as honing your talent, so prepare to be drilled on people skills and professionalism as well as how to capture refracted light in a pixel-art potion of healing and suchlike.
Duration: 3 years full-time. Pricing details. Intake dates: February, June & September
Bachelor of Software Engineering (Game Development)
When you really want to work and play at the same time, grab a fully charged controller and get serious with our highly hands-on Bachelor of Software Engineering (Game Programming). You will learn C++, OpenGL, AI and Networking programming so you can work with industry standard game engines like Unity and Unreal – or take steps in creating your own. You’ll become a proficient software engineer and by working on collaborative game projects with designers and artists, you’ll be positioned to enter the tech and games industries with a clear advantage. Thanks to our partnership with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), you will develop games for PlayStation® platform through the PlayStation® First Academic Development Program.
Duration: 3 years full-time. Pricing details. Intake dates: February, June & September
Diploma of Game Design & Development
You might have already heard, but a fair bit of work goes into making a game... and it’s even more work to make that game good (gg). This Diploma of Game Design and Development focuses on the front-end of that process, if you know what we mean. (We mean it will be your introduction to the full spectrum of game art and design, from visual design fundamentals to illustration, game design conception and introductory development processes.) You will graduate with the necessary technical skills and exposure to the game development industry to walk into an entry-level Game Developer role, or to continue your studies into the Bachelor.
Duration: 18 months full-time. Pricing details. Intake dates: February, June & September
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