The purpose of this study was to develop a new and innovative approach to post-graduate education in the Creative Industries that is built around the needs and talents of individual students and that has as a primary outcome the commercialisation of student projects. This innovation looked at both the underpinning pedagogy as well as the commercialisation possibilities associated with student work, culminating in the development of a new Master of Creative Industries (MCI) that has been submitted for national accreditation in Australia. The study has been a collaborative project involving two senior staff members of JMC Academy (a major commercial provider of training for the creative industries in Australia), both of whom are candidates for the Professional Doctorate for Industry and the Professions at UNE. While both candidates have collaborated throughout the project in the development of the MCI, one of the candidates (John Martin Cascarino) had a particular focus on the teaching and learning aspects of the innovation while this candidate (George Markakis) had a particular focus on the business, marketing and commercialisation aspects of the innovation.

The MCI developed through this study aims to raise the standard of student project work to a level that, with the assistance of JMC staff and the guidance of industry mentors, is commercially ready at the time of graduation. As part of this innovation, JMC Academy is to incorporate a new company that will facilitate contractual agreements between students, industry and JMC while also acting as a distributor of student work.

With the major shift from traditional media consumption and an increase in platforms and distribution channels, the barriers to commercialising student work have been removed. Quality of content and delivery is still a pivotal factor: a strong pedagogic framework, good staff and the right industry mentors are necessary in ensuring that future graduates have every opportunity to succeed. The industry as a whole also has strong potential to benefit from having better skilled, more confident and more industry relevant graduates, as will the nation in developing a stronger reputation in the creative industries.

Due to time limitations for this course, the process of obtaining national accreditation from the regulating authority (the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency - TEQSA) is not yet completed. This means that JMC is not yet able to offer the MCI, and therefore cannot yet objectively evaluate its success. Nevertheless, based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback received during the project from staff, students and key industry representatives, there is strong evidence to suggest that the program will meet its goals.