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Pathways to Bachelor of Music
Chenali Amaratunga
Future Students Advisor, Victoria University
Hello everyone. Welcome to the Bachelor of Music pathway session. My name is Chenali and I'm a Future Students Advisor at Victoria University.
In this webinar, we will be talking to you about the possible pathway options from Victoria University Polytechnic to Victoria University for this course.
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Meet your panel
- Diana Rector, Pathways Coordinator - Admissions
- Dr. Robert Bell, Senior Lecturer / Course Chair - Bachelor of Music
- Scott Murray, Manager Pathways and Retention at Victoria University.
Chenali
And joining us is Diana Rector, Pathways Coordinator for Admissions, Dr. Robert Bell, Senior Lecturer and Course Chair for Bachelor of Music and Scott Murray, Manager Pathways and Retention at Victoria University.
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Acknowledgement of Country
Chenali
Before we start, I would like to acknowledge my Country and pay my respects to the custodians of the land we live, work and study on today. And I would also like to pay my respect to the elders, past, present and emerging.
Chenali
So as a student who's completing or already completed a program at VU Polytechnic, why transfer to university? There's a few reasons. You would have an easier transition to university from TAFE where you can enhance and expand your scope of knowledge. You also have a wider range of career options and would be able to get your degree in a shorter period of time as you will be granted credits for your previous study. This also means you'll finish off with two qualifications. And most importantly, you'll be studying in our award-winning block model.
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- Why transfer to university?
- Easy transition to university from TAFE
- Enhance and expand your learning
- Wider range or career opportunities
- Obtain a degree in a shorter period of time with credits
- Two qualifications
- Victoria University Block Model.
Chenali
At Victoria University, we have revolutionised tertiary education with our award-winning block model. The block model allows students to focus on one subject at a time, rather than juggling multiple subjects over a six-month period, like at other universities. And is offered to students in all years of our undergraduate degree.
With the VU Block Model, you'd be fully focused on each subject. If you are fascinated by one particular subject, you can immerse yourself in it and enjoy all that subject has to offer. And if you don't enjoy it, you will be pleased to have it finished in only four weeks without having to wait until the end of the semester to know your result. Up next is a brief video to show what your year is going to look like while studying under the block model at Victoria University.
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VU Block Model
- The first university delivering undergraduate degrees using a block model of teaching.
- 1 subject at a time
- 87% pass rate^
- 40% distinction or above^
- Under 35 students in a class
- Results within 3 days
The VU Block Model video plays
Instructor
We've been teaching the same way for hundreds of years now but the world around us has changed and along with it, employer and industry needs. So at VU, we changed the way you learn with our Australian first VU Block Model.
Traditionally, you juggle the demands and deadlines of four units at once.
Instead, the VU Block Model has you focus on one unit at a time.
Each semester will be broken into four blocks which run for four weeks.
You focus on one unit in each block completing all your assessments before moving on to the next.
So instead of this
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Traditional university, with a diagram showing 4 units running at the same time each semester.
Instructor
the VU Block Model looks like this
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diagram with text on screen
The diagram shows VU Block model with 1 unit following the other each semester.
Instructor
VU Block Model gives you greater focus by studying just one unit at a time in smaller more collaborative classes and provides flexible study options to suit your lifestyle.
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Improved student success
Instructor
With the introduction of Block Model, students success is soaring.
More students are passing first year and second year too
and over 40% of students are now enjoying grades at or above distinction levels.
VU students more engaged and satisfied with their uni experience.
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- Pass rate 13% up arrow first year
- Pass rate 90% up arrow second year
- 40% distinction level
- 82.2% overall student experience
Instructor
Employers have also noticed the difference ranking VU graduates in the top 10 of more than 40 universities for work readiness.
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Top 10 for work readiness
Instructor
And more than 90% of graduates are ranked highly for employability.
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90% ranked highly
Instructor
So when you study with the VU Block Model, you know it's proven to give you the support and skills you need to succeed.
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The New Way To Do Uni
VU logo
(this video is shown on the VU Block Model page)
Chenali
Once you successfully complete your diploma you may be eligible for a guaranteed pathway to the mentioned bachelor-level courses at Victoria University. What it means by a guaranteed pathway is that you have a confirmed entry to a course once you meet all the admissions criteria stated in the conditional offer letter.
As you can see, once you successfully complete the Advanced Diploma of Music Industry, you may be eligible for the listed credits once you transition into the Bachelor of Music. You also have the option of going into the Bachelor of Music via completion of a Foundations at VU. Certain bachelor-level degrees might also have additional admissions criteria to be met, which will be listed on the course web page.
I would now like to hand over to Diana, who is the Pathways Coordinator for Admissions, to talk to you about the admissions process relating to pathways.
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Your pathway to university
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Pathway course (Code, Credit):
Advanced Diploma of Music Industry (CUA60515, 96)
Foundations at VU (JYAC, 0)
VU course:
Bachelor of Music ABMC
*Please refer to the VU and VUP course pages on the website for additional information
Diana Rector
Pathways Coordinator – Admissions
Thank you Chenali.
So what is a pathway conditional offer? A pathway conditional offer means you have a guaranteed place into an eligible pathway course upon successfully completing your current course and meeting any additional admissions criteria that may be required for the course. So what is the conditional offer process?
New conditional offers currently go out twice a year, in approximately May and October. At the same time as new offers are sent, acknowledgement emails are also sent to those that are previously accepted their pathway conditional offer. These emails are sent to your student email account. Information regarding next steps in the pathway process are also provided in both emails. I'm now going to talk a little bit about the full offer process.
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Admissions – pathways
What is a conditional offer?
- A pathway conditional offer means you have a guaranteed place (and in some cases with advanced standing) upon:
- successfully completing your current course
- meeting any additional admissions criteria for the higher education course (if required).
Conditional Offer process
- New offers sent – twice a year.
- Accepted offer acknowledgements sent – twice a year.
- Once offer accepted:
- completion in your current course is monitored
- additional entry requirements for the higher education course are validated (if required).
Diana
Once successful completion in your current course is confirmed, we process your offer as well as the eligible advanced standing. From there, you will be sent your ‘Enrol now’ email with your full offer into the Bachelor for the next available admissions intake.
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Admissions – pathways
Full offer process
Once completion and any additional entry requirements are confirmed:
- the offer is processed
- eligible advanced standing is processed
- full offer ‘Enrol in your Pathway course’ email into the Bachelor is sent for the next available admissions intake.
Diana
To enrol into the Bachelor, you need to simply follow the prompts within the email, log into your, MyVU portal, accept the full offer and enrol into available units. Please be aware that students receive pathway full offer emails at different stages as successful completion is confirmed and pathway full offers are made right up until classes commence for each intake period.
If you ever have any questions about your pathway full or conditional offer, please email Pathways. And we're always happy to answer your questions.
Thank you Chenali.
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enrolling into a higher education course
Follow the prompts within the email:
- log into your MyVU portal
- accept the offer
- enrol into available units.
- more information?
Email: [email protected].
Chenali
Thank you Diana. I would now like to hand over to Dr. Robert Bell, who is the Senior Lecturer and Course Chair for the Bachelor of Music to speak to you about industry insights and a bit more about this course.
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Dr Robert Bell
Senior Lecturer/Course Chair - Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music video plays
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Music
Dr. Robert Bell
Lecturer, College of Arts and Education
Robert
Hi, I'm Dr. Robert Bell, senior lecturer in music and course chair at VU. What's unique about studying music at VU is that we're a contemporary popular music course with a big focus on creativity and originality. Someone actually described us as being the place, sort of the birthplace of original bands. And so a lot of songwriters, composers and people creating their own music come to study with us because we foster a real underpinning philosophy of I guess creativity, originality, innovation.
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State-of-the-art Facilities
Robert
Our courses are run out of Kindred Studios in Yarraville. We've got performance spaces, Mac labs with all the professional music software, plenty of rehearsal rooms, professional recording studio. So we're immersed in a community/industry setting with a lot of other creative artists on site with our students.
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Courses
Robert
There's a range of courses at VU that suit musicians of all levels of experience and prior training. So if you're keen but don't have a lot of experience and you're just out of school, then the TAFE programs, the Certificate IV, the Advanced Diploma, those kind of areas are probably the best place to start.
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The VU Block Model
Robert
The workload is more manageable. The fact that they're getting assessed and they get feedback and they can gauge their progress on a really regular basis really works for them.
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Leading Industry Partnerships
Robert
Getting your foot in the door in the music industry in Melbourne, it's a huge industry with a lot of people working in it. So we have a booking agency where you can sign up and even as a student or as a recent graduate get paid work doing VU events, corporate events, music festivals, local venues and that kind of thing.
Our students will get work through the booking agency and through Kindred. Some of them work as Kindred staff or they'll hook in with the filmmakers, the web designers, the recording studios, the other musicians. Work opportunities and networking opportunities come out of simply being in that place. We've got really good relationships with a number of the local festivals that have gone on through the Western suburbs and throughout Victoria.
So whether it's the Ballarat Biennale, the I think it's called the Arts Industry Festival, which runs out of Williamstown each year. The Big West Festival. Even International Jazz Festival, Fringe. Those kinds of things. So yeah, there's that whole sort of local festival circuit. City of Maribyrnong have awesome to us and we do a lot of gigs in the Footscray area and the Maribyrnong area with them.
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Leading Industry Partnerships
Robert
We prepare our students in a range of ways by coaching them in the ins and outs of the music industry and music business. A really important part of studying at university is building that network of contacts. It's one of the big reasons that music students come to uni is because there's 150 other people all working with you immediately. It's a built-in network and that's a really cool thing that you don't get through studying online, at home or just watching YouTube videos.
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Choose VU
Robert
So why VU? We're the only university in Melbourne that specialises in contemporary popular music. The other reason to come to VU is the sense of community, the supportive nature, the networking. We have students who make lifelong friendships out of this. Guaranteed, every teacher will know your name all the time when you come and study here.
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The New Way To Do Uni
Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
Chenali
Thank you, Robert. Last but not least, I would like to hand over to Scott who is a Manager, Pathways and Retention to speak to you about VU Employ and opportunities at VU.
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Scott Murray
Manager – Pathways and Retention
Scott
Thanks very much Chenali.
One of the key services that we offer at VU, which will help many different pathway student decide on whether or not to take up their pathway opportunity is VU Employ. VU Employ is our careers service and we offer career advice through email, consultations, one-on-one appointments with a qualified careers consultant, a range of different resources, including the VU Employ Collaborate space, Careers Toolkit and the VU Employ Career Directory, a range of different programs offered throughout the year, including Talent Connect Mentoring, Beyond VU and GVIP, as well as a huge calendar of events, including fairs and expos, industry events and a range of different workshops.
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VU Employ services
- Career advice – email support
- Consultations – career chats (15 minutes via phone), career counselling (45 minutes via Zoom)
- Resources – VU Employ Collaborate, Career toolkit, VU Employ career directory
- Programs – Talent Connect Mentoring, Beyond VU, GVIP
- Events – career fairs and expos, industry events, workshops.
Scott
VU Employ can help you with the decision-making in transitioning to higher education and what you need to consider. We can assist you in identifying values, skills, interests and personal situation when deciding what it is that you want to study. Work with you in exploring the different course options that are available. Provide the tools to research whether or not the study path will lead to strong job opportunities after graduation or beyond. And explore the different job opportunities available after you complete your HE degree.
VU Employ can:
- help you with the decision-making and transitioning to higher education study and what you need to consider
- assist you in identifying values, skills, interests, and the personal situation when deciding what to study
- work with you in exploring the course options available
- provide the tools to research whether the study path will lead to strong job opportunities after graduation
- explore those job opportunities available to you after you complete your HE degree.
Scott
This is one of many different opportunities available to VU students. These include VU Learning Hub, which is staffed by a dedicated team of staff and student mentors. The study abroad program, financial advice, VU Vollies, which is our volunteer program, student mentors in the library, leadership opportunities, wellness and counselling services, as well as huge range of different student clubs and societies.
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Opportunities at University:
- VU Learning Hub
- study abroad
- financial advice
- VU Vollies
- student mentors in library
- leadership opportunities
- wellness counselling
- student clubs.
Scott
If you have any questions about anything that we've spoken about today, for admissions information, you can email [email protected]. For specific course information, contact [email protected] and if you'd like to book a one-on-one appointment with a careers consultant, you can simply email [email protected]. We'd like to thank you very much for listening to this webinar.
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Questions
For admissions information: Email - [email protected]
For course information: Email - [email protected]
For VU EMPLOY appointments: Email - [email protected]
The New Way To Do Uni
Victoria University