The Media Design School in Auckland claims to have become the first tertiary education provider in New Zealand to offer a qualification with a stream dedicated to virtual reality and augmented reality.
The AR/VR stream has been added to the school’s Graduate Diploma of Creative Technologies (GDCT), which currently offers streams in 3D Animation and VFX, Graphic Design and Web Development.
It is a further sign of a growing AR/VR industry in New Zealand, following the announcement a day earlier of the formation of the New Zealand VR/AR Association as a chapter of the global VR/AR Association and the recent opening of AR/VR centres in both Auckland and Wellington.
The school’s CEO, Darryn Melrose said the school had been offering its students exposure to AR and VR for the past two years. “In 2014, Media Design School was responsible for bringing the largest virtual reality exhibit in New Zealand to Auckland, showcasing 20 Oculus Rifts and wowing an audience of thousands. From there, our students have been given the opportunity to incorporate elements of virtual and augmented reality into their digital design projects,” he said.
“Offering a dedicated VR/AR stream to our students will enable them to further develop their practical skills in a supportive, hands-on learning environment.”
The school has also incorporated opportunities for students to develop concepts and prototypes for both virtual reality and augmented reality across all of its degree programmes.