Tshwane University of Technology

Mission Statement

As a faculty of Arts and Design embedded in a university of technology, the mission is to contribute innovatively to the socio-economic development of South Africa by developing and stimulating the artistic potential and abilities of our students through relevant, recognised and career-focused programmes in the visual, performing arts and cultural management and policy domains; engaging in research and innovation; encouraging and recognising artistic outputs; utilising and developing technology towards artistic expression; and contributing to culture-led social, economic and physical regeneration, thereby interacting with the relevant community through the arts.

International Role

Through the creative arts and design practice, our faculty moves towards unpacking the multifaceted dynamics of the social to know the next strides of innovation and sustainability to positively impact politics, economy, culture and human life. To ensure we as a faculty and university promote positive change on a global level do we foster and cherish international student and staff projects, industry and university partnerships. Building valued networks and relationships with international universities and stakeholders encourage the broadening of transferring knowledge of arts and design research and teaching and learning. Connections made grant the opportunity to showcase the importance of art and design in higher education. There is a need to express the noteworthiness of our disciplines as a critical skill, emphasising its importance in society as a positive change that allows dialogue, connects people, blurs boundaries and makes lasting memories. 

National Role

As a people’s university, our moral purpose is to be the embodiment and custodian of our people’s aspirations. This strategic intent is foregrounded by the outcomes of our Transformation Summit and subsequent Transformation Framework, which was informed by national, continental and global developmental goals. Our University and Faculty provides an academic home for all our people, especially for those who are at the margins of society, rural and urban, by maximising access to higher education to address our triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment. We adopt a decolonial position as our programmes aim to have a liberating effect by ensuring that our learning becomes a continuum of creation, innovation and technology transfer to serve the aspirations of our communities. Anchored in the African philosophy of Ubuntu, we are a caring and compassionate University, Faculty and a site of ideation, intellectualism and engaged scholarship to effect social change and transformation.

Main Focus

The Faculty of Arts & Design boast five departments, namely Fine & Studio Arts, Interior Design, Design Studies (Fashion – and Jewellery Design & Manufacture), Performing Arts [Dance, Music, Theatre Arts (Performer), Theatre Arts (Technical)], and Visual Communication (Commercial Photography, Integrated Communication Design and Motion Picture Production). Our programme qualification mix is locally relevant and internationally competitive.

All programmes have career-focused progression possibilities – from diploma at entry-level to advanced diplomas, postgraduate diplomas, master’s and doctoral degrees. The diploma programmes lay solid foundations for our students to enter the world of work confidently and competently. The advanced diplomas give them a deeper understanding of a specific area of specialisation in their discipline. The postgraduate diplomas prepare our students for both the professional world, academia, and master’s and doctoral studies.

Entrepreneurship, Decolonisation and the Africanisation of education in the creative industries are key and central aims of our programmes. Localised and context-specific knowledge systems are now embedded in every programme in the Faculty of Arts & Design and provides a purposeful focus on African art, design, dance, film, music, photography, theatre and performance. The TUT programmes also keep abreast with international trends and global influences.