General

Orientation Day

Orientation Day will contain a little bit of everything.

You’ll get to explore our modern campus, meet your lecturers and faculty, and get to know your future friends, plus some kai to sweeten the deal.

Orientation is COMPULSORY. If you haven’t filed your paperwork, you can’t come to class; but you can sort out any of your missing documents on the day. If you’re an international student, this includes visas and insurance.

This is a great opportunity to connect with your peers and staff, and to answer any questions you may have before you begin your studies. We look forward to meeting you there!

Not in Auckland? Join our Virtual Orientation on Monday 10th February. Otherwise, join us in person for our On-campus Orientation.

On-campus Orientation

On-campus Orientation

Your on-campus Orientation Day will be on either Tuesday 11th or Wednesday 12th February.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025: 

  • Bachelor of Creative Technologies (Game Art)
  • Bachelor of Software Engineering (Game Programming)
  • Bachelor of Software Engineering (Artificial Intelligence)
  • Bachelor of Information Technology

Wednesday, Feb 12, 2025: 

  • Digital Creativity Foundation
  • Bachelor of Media Design
  • Bachelor of Art & Design (3D VFX)
  • Graduate Diploma of Creative Technologies
  • Postgraduate Design courses
  • Creative Advertising

Meet us at our campus at 10 Madden Street, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland in the courtyard of Tīramarama Way. Please make sure you arrive on time for the mihi whakatau and welcome speech. You can find more information about our home here.

Your Orientation will begin with a mihi whakatau. 

A mihi whakatau is a formal Māori welcome ceremony conducted by the kaumātua (elders) of the tangata whenua (hosts). It is tikanga to be formally welcomed with a mihi whakatau, so you must be on time.

On-Campus Orientation – 11 February

For Game Programming, Game Art, IT and AI students

10:00    Arrival

10:30    Mihi whakatau

11:00    Morning tea

11:30    Meet Campus Services

12:30    Explore the campus!

Grab your goodie bag, get any outstanding documents sorted, get your ID card photo taken, take a campus tour and swing by the food truck.

14:45    Academic sessions for:

  • Bachelor of Software Engineering (Game Programming)

  • Bachelor of Creative Technologies (Game Art)

  • Bachelor of Information Technology

  • Bachelor of Software Engineering (AI)

16:00    All academic sessions end.

 

On-Campus Orientation – 12 February

For Foundation, Media Design, 3D Animation, and GradDip of Creative Tech students.

10:00    Arrival

10:30    Mihi whakatau

11:00    Morning tea

11:30    Meet Campus Services

12:30    Explore the campus!

Grab your goodie bag, get any outstanding documents sorted, get your ID card photo taken, take a campus tour and swing by the food truck.

14:45    Academic sessions for:

  • Digital Creativity Foundation Programme

  • Bachelor of Media Design

  • Bachelor of Art and Design (3D Animation & VFX)

15:45    Academic session for Graduate Diploma of Creative Technologies. All other academic sessions end.

Virtual Orientation

Virtual Orientation Info

Our Virtual Orientation will be held on Monday 10th February.

Even though this is a VIRTUAL session for online students, it will also be offered for face-to-face students who couldn’t attend the Orientation on campus.

Our Virtual Orientation will be run in two parts. Both these sessions will take place on Teams.

Part 1:

Students will be introduced to all the MDS available support, including Student Services, Counselling, Disability Services, Student Administration, Library, IT, and the Student Executive.

This first part has been designed to be interactive, with live Q&A sessions for each of the above departments so you’ll have the chance to ask questions in the chat.

Part 2:

You will have the opportunity to meet your Programme Directors and dive deeper into what to expect for the year in your chosen programme. You’ll also learn more about your timetable. Please note that your timetable may be different if you have Recognised Prior Learning, or if you’re doing a Graduate Diploma of Creative Technologies.

Virtual Orientation Timetable - 10 February

Access link: Join Orientation here 

14:30    Welcome 

14:35    Meet the Student Support teams 

15:00    Facilities & Policies 

15:20    Meet the Student Exec 

15:25    Pop quiz! 

15:35    Break 

15:45    Academic sessions for: 

  • Bachelor of Software Engineering (Game Programming) & Bachelor of Creative Technologies (Game Art) 
  • Bachelor of Information Technology 
  • Bachelor of Software Engineering (AI) 
  • Digital Creativity Foundation Programme 
  • Bachelor of Media Design 
  • Bachelor of Art and Design (3D Animation & VFX) 

16:45    Academic session for the Graduate Diploma of Creative Technologies

RSVP

How do I RSVP?

You can RSVP to Orientation Day HERE

If you have any questions, please contact reception@mediadesignschool.com

Course Materials

Course Materials

At MDS we want to ensure that you’re able to learn as flexibly and collaboratively as possible. In addition to the resources available on campus, like most top tertiary providers, we require our students to have access to their own hardware and software at home.

 

Before class starts, check what your device requirements are for your programme. For some, we suggest desktop set-ups at home, while others require the flexibility of a laptop. Make sure that whichever device you require meets your programme’s hardware and software recommendations. This system will help you adapt to work effectively in a range of professional settings, and so that your learning environment aligns with what you’ll experience in industry.

 

View the Course Material Lists to learn more about your programme’s specific requirements. We have included our hardware recommendations; however, you may already have a suitable alternative. Please read carefully and reach out if you need further clarification.

For relevant programmes, we will provide you with your own Adobe Creative Cloud Pro licence for the duration of your studies. This licence is free to you and connected to your Media Design School login allowing you to access over twenty of the latest Adobe software licences anytime, anywhere. 

ID Cards

Why do I need an ID card?

Your ID card provides you access to campus, printers, and more. Without an ID card, you won’t be able to enter campus after 5:30 pm and you won’t be able to use the elevators (except for level one). For many educational software licences, you’ll be required to prove your student status using your ID card too. Plus, your ID card is provided through StudentCard, which has a whole bunch of discounts that you can take advantage of!

How do I arrange my ID card?

If we do not have an image before 24 Jan 2025 your ID may not be ready to collect on Orientation. We will still accept images after this date. However, you won’t receive your ID card until around two to three weeks after submitting your photo.

Please send a suitable ID photo to: reception@mediadesignschool.com

Your Student ID card photo must be:  

  • A recent photo 
  • Full colour
  • JPEG, JPG, or PNG file format 
  • Between 500kb and 10MB 
  • Minimum 400 pixels wide x 300 pixels high 
  • Maximum 4500 pixels wide x 6000 pixels high 
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3 (proportion between width and height) 
  • A full-front view of your face (not tilted), head and shoulders. Your eyes must be open 
  • No sunglasses may be worn. Tinted prescription glasses may be worn, provided your eyes are still visible. 
  • No hats, head coverings or headbands (except for religious purposes)  

Checklist

Checklist for Orientation Day

Here’s a checklist to help you organise for the day:

  1. Checked your device specs?
  2. Read the Student Handbook?
  3. Checked out the MyLearn platform?