Page 2 of 5, 62 Bachelor Programs in Art Studies in Canada for 2024

The BFA-Art Studio program provides you with the opportunity to pursue contemporary art production through theoretical and practical scholarship. Encompassing material, critical, and conceptual investigations, you work within an open studio context with faculty who are active artists and scholars. Develop your voice as an independent artist or arts professional through an intensive studio experience exploring technical, aesthetic, and theoretical studies necessary to pursue contemporary art.

Combine critical studies in art history and theory with extensive hands-on museum and gallery experience. Study visual, material and cultural production from a global perspective and develop a frame of reference for understanding imagery and material culture. Gain a deeper knowledge of historical and contemporary art practices through your studies and your work with the University’s extensive art collection of more than 16,000 objects, learning to manage and conserve artwork, and curate exhibitions.

In the Illustration program, you will learn how to produce images that complement the written word or stand on their own. You’ll be encouraged to express your individual artistic voice, while examining the world we live in.

In the Sculpture/Installation program, you will experiment with creating three-dimensional sculpture and installation work. You will learn the skills to create installations – works of art designed for public spaces. You will use the fabrication studios to explore hands-on and digital creation.

Learn the skills to bring your imagination to life in OCAD University’s new Experimental Animation program.

Study art history in the place art and design is made at Canada’s biggest art and design university. Our program is unique, in that you also get to take studio courses and make art and design yourself.

In the Photography program, you will learn skills from darkroom to digital photography. OCAD University has some of the best photography facilities in Canada and one of few schools with both a color and black and white darkroom.

Many of Canada’s most successful artists are graduates of this program – everyone from members of the Group of Seven and Ken Danby to Ivan Alifan, Elly Smallwood, Vanessa Maltese and Rajni Perera.

In this program, you’ll explore the creative possibilities of contemporary printmaking and publications. You’ll create innovative works in fine art print, books and independent publications in our studios with Relief; Letterpress; Intaglio; Screenprinting; Lithography; Digital media; Risography; Publishing facilities on campus. You’ll also work in the field outside the classroom. You’ll learn entrepreneurial skills through field trips, book fairs, exhibitions, print exchanges and professional partnerships.

In the Sculpture/Installation program, you will experiment with creating three-dimensional sculpture and installation work. You will learn the skills to create installations – works of art designed for public spaces. You will use the fabrication studios to explore hands-on and digital creation. The program includes studio courses that develop your imagination, critical and technical knowledge. You will also explore the creation and meaning of objects in courses such as contemporary practice and theory. This combination of practice and theory will make you ready to develop your creative research and exhibit your own projects. Your learning will include openness to many diverse cultural perspectives. At the end of this four-year program, you will earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

In the Photography program, you will learn skills from darkroom to digital photography. OCAD University has some of the best photography facilities in Canada and one of the few schools with both a color and black and white darkroom. You will benefit from studying photography at Canada’s largest art, design, and media university, where you will select electives from a wide range of creative areas. These include electives in Sculpture/Installation, Printmaking, and Drawing & Painting, among many others. Unlike some other photography programs, which focus on commercial photography, OCAD U’s Photography program is more artistic and experimental. The program emphasizes your artistic vision while encouraging you to explore a broad range of issues and styles. In the upper-year levels, you’ll gain real-world experience through a placement in the arts community or through an exhibition of your photographs. At the end of this four-year program, you will earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

In the Illustration program, you will learn how to produce images that complement the written word or stand on their own. You’ll be encouraged to express your individual artistic voice while examining the world we live in. You will work closely with faculty and practicing illustrators in traditional and digital techniques. This program will help you grasp communication art, while also learning the business skills required to work as independent freelancers. At the end of this four-year program, you will earn a Bachelor of Design degree.

Learn the skills to bring your imagination to life in OCAD University’s new Experimental Animation program. OCAD U has a long history of graduating successful animators in art and film including George Dunning who directed The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine and Richard Williams who was animation director for Who Framed Roger Rabbit. More recently, alumni include computer animator Trudy Elmore and emerging VR artist Jawa El Khash. Shary Boyle, who represented Canada at the Venice Biennale, has achieved great success with her mesmerizing performances using hand-animated imagery. In this program, you’ll develop a personal artistic vision and push the boundaries of animation as a contemporary art form. You’ll mix traditional and digital media using 2D, 3D, stop-motion, digital compositing and augmented/virtual reality. At the end of this four-year program, you will earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Criticism and Curatorial Practice at OCAD U is the first undergrad program in Canada to prepare artists to be critics and curators. Students in our program also get experience in the studio making art themselves. We believe that people who work in all areas of the art and culture world benefit from this hands-on experience. In this program, you’ll learn about professional practices in museums, galleries, and many other creative institutions. You’ll benefit from studying with artists, curators, writers, and designers. You’ll also learn how contemporary art and design productions and exhibitions reach the public. This exciting four-year program will earn you a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Study art history in the place art and design is made at Canada’s biggest art and design university. Our program is unique, in that you also get to take studio courses and make art and design yourself. The program emphasizes the expanded field of modern and contemporary art history, which includes design, photography, architecture, performance and new media, as well as painting and sculpture.