To ensure our courses remain workplace relevant, the University seeks to maintain strong industry links. A number of the courses have been developed in direct consultation or partnership with industry and employer groups, and feature a practical workplace component. The School teaches the Bachelor of Arts across the University's main campuses and centres from Port Macquarie to Tweed Heads. There are also a number of opportunities for practical experience with modern digital media technologies while learning how to write and produce work for electronic multi-media outlets. Students in the course produce a range of project based work including local histories, CD-ROMs, Web pages, videos, radio scripts and programs, creative writing works and a variety of community projects.
Students participate live to air as interviewers, disk jockeys and production coordinators.
Based on the Lismore campus of Southern Cross University, the School of Contemporary Arts, while representing one of the foundation schools of the University, continues to provide distinctive experiences and awards in the areas of contemporary music and visual arts. In Contemporary Music, the philosophy of the School is to regard each artist as unique, and so the School structures a study package for each student which is as flexible as possible to enable individual artistic and educational growth. Students are encouraged to 'flex the boundaries' of their creative, intellectual and interpretative expectations, thus encouraging a sense of independence and confidence. Staff members are composers and practising performers with strong backgrounds in all aspects of the music industry. There are regular teaching and performing visits by musicians with national and international reputations, while Southern Cross has an excellent Performing Arts building that includes professional recording and video studios that offer students practical production experience.