College of Creative Arts ranked in global Top 100

Massey University’s Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts has been ranked in the Top 100 QS World university subject rankings for art and design for the fifth year in a row.

We are the only university in New Zealand to be placed in the world Top 100 for art and design, according to the 2021 results.

Former Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Claire Robinson says the College’s international ranking and position as the leading provider of creative arts education in New Zealand reflects its exceptional faculty, many of whom are highly regarded creative arts researchers and practitioners with well-honed connections to industry.

“Through our faculty and partnerships with industry, our students are able to converse and engage with meaningful projects, enhancing both their learning and our capacity to provide relevant, industry relevant programmes.”

The College, known as CoCA, has been accredited with Substantial Equivalency by NASAD, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design in the US, putting it on par with some of the top art schools in the world.

In addition, Wellington School of Design Ngā Pae Māhutonga, which celebrates 135 years of creative arts education this year, has also been ranked first in Asia Pacific by the International Red Dot Design Awards in both 2017 and 2019, reflecting the incredible talents of these emerging young designers. 

“We immensely proud of our alumni who continue to contribute to culture and enterprise around the world and to guide us towards creating a better future,” says Professor Robinson.

Notable alumni include Weta Workshop founder Sir Richard Taylor; fashion designer Kate Sylvester; political cartoonist Sharon Murdoch; musician Warren Maxwell and renowned artists Kura Te Waru Rewiri, John Drawbridge and Judy Darragh, plus many more.

The College of Creative Arts offers undergraduate degrees in Design, Fine Arts, Māori Visual Arts, Creative Media Production and Commercial Music, plus a suite of postgraduate degrees that include the Master of Design (concept design) in partnership with Weta Workshop, the Master of Creative Enterprise, and the only transdisciplinary Master of Fine Arts programme in art and design in the country.

The ranking results coincide with Massey University maintaining its elite ranking with QS as a 5+ Star university. The university also retains its 5+ Star rating in individual categories; teaching, employability, research, internationalisation, facilities, online learning, arts and culture, innovation, social responsibility, inclusiveness and a specialist criteria being Veterinary Science.