Program Details

We live in a time of rapid change. Those in creative professions are often the best equipped to adapt and innovate in response. An education in Art and Design cultivates curiosity, invites innovation, and inspires change, equipping you to respond to the world’s greatest questions and deepest needs.

To be an artist is to actively question, to learn how to struggle and overcome, and to reframe how we think about the world’s greatest problems. To be a designer is to seek out creative solutions to these problems, especially the ones the rest of the world has given up on. Those equipped with tools from both art and design are uniquely positioned to be on the front lines of culture, having both the capacity to reveal new insights and address them directly.

Our program guides students through four years of technical, conceptual, and creative development: 

First Year:  Visual Foundations
Second Year:  Skills Mastery
Third Year: Integration of Theory & Practice
Fourth Year: Capstone Project 

Program Highlights

  • Learn directly from professional visual artists, designers, researchers, exceptional educators, and committed Christians.
  • Join a vibrant creative community with a strong focus on mentorship.
  • Gain real professional experience through on- and off-campus applied learning opportunities.
  • Experience art through on-campus galleries, featuring work from visiting artists, faculty, and students.
  • Showcase your work in student exhibitions through every year of the program, including solo exhibitions for honours students.
  • Integrate your Christian faith with your creative practice.
  • Immerse yourself in the arts and culture of the world’s most vibrant cities through travel studies.
  • Choose a program pathway that works best for you, including a major, minor, concentration, and honours.

Design

  • Develop your ability to design logos, brands, publications, websites, and app interfaces for real-world contexts.
  • Develop practical proficiency in industry-standard Adobe software.
  • Develop skills in typography, photography, illustration, UI/UX, branding, and digital design.
  • Develop professional design workflows and processes for complex real-world scenarios.
  • Develop the flexibility to work with a broad range of clients and audiences.

Visual Art

  • Develop your skills and push your limits in drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, installation, animation, intermedia, and digital art.
  • Develop your ability to make, evaluate, and talk about your own work through studio projects, critiques, research, and discussion.
  • Visit galleries and engage with contemporary artists to understand how art connects to culture and current issues.
  • Build a strong foundation of creative, technical, and critical skills that can support further study or a career in the arts and creative industries.

Art History + Theory

  • Learn how to look at and interpret art, from historical works to contemporary visual culture.
  • Explore how art reflects and responds to culture, politics, religion, economics, identity, and social change.
  • Develop skills in research, writing, visual analysis, and critical thinking.
  • Understand the ideas and contexts behind the images, objects, and visual media that shape the world around you.

Honours Thesis Project

  • Take on a major independent project in art, design, art history, or art education with guidance from a faculty mentor. Honours projects may take the form of a solo exhibition, substantial research paper, or major design project that brings together the skills you have developed throughout your degree.
  • Develop the ability to plan, research, create, and complete a substantial project independently.
  • Graduate with a significant body of work that can help demonstrate your abilities for further education or professional opportunities.

Admissions Requirements

Art + Design BA Program

There are no admissions requirements unique to the Art + Design BA program. Email Alysha Creighton for more info.

Art + Design BA Honours Program

Prospective honours candidates apply at the end of second year; admission is also possible in third or fourth year. Admission is determined by portfolio application, adjudicated by Art + Design faculty. Alongside a strong portfolio, a 3.0 grade point average is required.

Email Alysha Creighton for more info.