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6 Trimesters Full Time (Fast Track) – 2 years; 8 Trimesters Full Time – 2.5 years; 9 Trimesters Full Time – 3 years
On-campus, Online (Domestic students only), and Blended delivery options available. On-campus includes 2 hours of weekly on-campus classes plus 1 hour of national content. Online includes 2 hours of live online classes plus 1 hour of national content each week. Blended combines 2 hours of live (on-campus or online) classes with 1 hour of national content each week.
Full time · Full time (1.0 EFTSL, typically 8 units per year)
Online: September 2026 | February 2027 | May 2027. Brisbane: February 2027 | May 2027
Course Overview
Where You Can Study
Eligibility
Domestic Students (must meet one of the following):
International Students:
English Language Requirements (International):
Career & Study Pathways
Quality & Recognition
Academic Regulator
TEQSA
Accreditation Status
AccreditedCourse Content
Understanding Digital Media Production
Introduces fundamental digital theory including colour theory, lighting theory, image types, resolution, aspect ratios, bit depth, frame rates, compression, and skills in Photoshop and digital matte painting.
Introduction to Real-Time Engines
Establishes foundational knowledge of principles and workflows in real-time engines, including technical considerations and collaborative teamwork skills.
3D Asset Production
Introduces planning, design and construction of 3D models using industry standard software including Maya and Substance Painter for games, animation, VFX and real-time applications.
Introduction to Compositing
Covers image acquisition and manipulation for film and VFX, colour management, compositing in Nuke, matchmove, mattes and masks, and project management.
Project Design and the Entrepreneur
Explores entrepreneurship, innovation and project design, developing approaches to identify opportunities and transform them into tangible successes.
Programming Foundations
Introduces fundamental programming concepts including variables, data types, control structures, functions, data structures, file I/O, modules, error handling, and object-oriented programming.
World Building for Virtual Environments
A practical unit focused on creating immersive digital worlds, teaching students to conceptualise, design and implement virtual environments in a real-time engine.
Digital Cinematography and Lighting
Explores how lighting and camerawork enhance storytelling across digital production environments including Game Cinematics and Virtual Production.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Communication
Collaborative unit blending creativity and technology across fields such as film, audio, music, gaming, design and computer science through project-based learning.
Procedural & Generative Systems
Covers techniques for creating procedural and generative graphics, rendering and real-time procedural graphics for realistic shots and effects.
Impact Studio
Uses interdisciplinary collaboration skills to address a real-world problem in a 'hackathon' style studio environment, producing a prototype presented to internal and external stakeholders.
Virtual Production Pipelines
Introduces virtual production pipelines, previsualisation, mocap and environments using real-time engines, including virtual cameras, lighting, sets, motion capture, camera tracking, LED volumes and previsualisation.
Motion Capture
Introduces motion capture and its application for real-time and rendered contexts, with hands-on experience to capture, export and edit mocap data.
The Ethical Professional
Explores ethical, professional, legal and social issues underpinning work in creative, innovation and technology industries.
Virtual Production Studio
Culminating unit providing practical experience in a professional virtual production studio, including planning, preparing, filming and editing a virtual production film sequence using a volume.
Project Management and Leadership
Provides theoretical and practical aspects of project management and leadership through collaborative capstone project work.
Work Integrated Learning
Professional experience opportunity requiring a minimum of 80 hours at one or more host organisations to complement and deepen skills and knowledge gained from study.
Specialisation Mentorship
Prepares students for careers in animation, CG, or VFX through a self-directed project aligned with specialisation goals, with mentorship to develop essential industry skills.
Cinematography II: Production
Expands knowledge in camera and lighting skills for Directors of Photography, covering LOG format, LUTs, prime lenses, follow-focus units and studio shooting scenarios.
VFX Compositing and Post-Production
Builds upon prior VFX and compositing learning with post-production techniques, exploring theories and practices of VFX compositing through practical application.
Scripting, Automation and IoT
Explores scripting and automation techniques for system administration and data extraction, plus IoT programming on microcontrollers with sensors, actuators and IoT networking.
Real-Time VFX
Builds advanced VFX skills using real-time engines including Unreal Engine, Niagara and Houdini, covering node-based logic, particle systems, simulations, scripts and advanced textures and shaders.
Physics-Based & Procedural Animation
Covers physics and mathematics driving simulations including fluid dynamics, rigid body dynamics and particle systems using Houdini, Maya, and Nuke to create realistic simulations and dynamic effects.
Textures and Shaders
Develops skills in texturing and shading of 3D objects for animation, games, VFX and other applications using Maya and Substance Painter.
Digital Sculpting
Common Questions
In addition to core units, students choose from a pool of electives to develop a specialisation in one of three areas: Virtual Production, VFX, or Technical Art. Each specialisation track has dedicated elective units aligned to the relevant career pathway.
Students will learn industry-standard software including Unreal Engine (with Niagara, NDI, nDisplay and DMX), Houdini, Autodesk Maya, Blender, RV and Shotgun, Substance Painter and Designer, Nuke, and the Adobe Suite. Physical equipment includes virtual production studios, motion capture suits, high-end digital film cameras, and green screens.
Yes. The Work Integrated Learning unit (CIM310) provides a professional experience opportunity requiring a minimum of 80 hours at one or more host organisations. SAE also has a partnership with globally renowned design and visual effects studio FIN, offering students extended work placement opportunities.
The indicative annual course fee for domestic students is $23,992 AUD (based on 1.0 EFTSL), comprising 20 units at $2,999 each and 2 units at $5,998 each, plus the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF). FEE-HELP is available for eligible domestic students.
The course can be completed in three different timeframes: 6 trimesters (Fast Track, approximately 2 years), 8 trimesters (approximately 2.5 years), or 9 trimesters (approximately 3 years), all classified as full-time study loads. The CRICOS code for the 9-trimester option is 116348H.
Application
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Step 02
Submit Documents
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Step 03
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Honestly I was lost when I first started looking at Australian colleges. There are just too many options and every agent gives you different info. A friend told me about FindTheCourses and within a week I had shortlisted 3 programs that actually matched my budget and visa situation. My advisor Sanjay was super helpful — never felt like I was being pushed into anything.
Priya Sharma
India
Master of Nursing · Griffith University
