Emily Carr University of Art + Design

Named after the legendary landscape painter of the Pacific Northwest, Emily Carr University of Art + Design is more than a world-class centre for fine arts education. The university offers undergraduate degrees in fine art, media art and design, as well as graduate degrees and certificate programs. Each concentration aims for a mix of in-studio learning and theory. A new ecological design practice minor teaches students how to conceptualize art in experimental ways, while keeping in mind the ecological impacts. Facilities include a visualization and motion-capture lab, sound-mixing studios and a wearables and interactive products studio. The school is one of the few institutions in Canada with full stereoscopic 3D film and animation equipment. 

Multiple gallery spaces allow students to curate and exhibit their work, while a 400-seat theatre hosts film screenings, speaker series and other events. The Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship provides resources for students to launch a variety of projects, from companies and products to curatorial initiatives and events. “Students have unique access to award-winning instructors, cutting-edge facilities and world-class programs to prepare them with job-ready skills and support them as they become the next generation of creative professionals,” says president Trish Kelly. The school boasts Western Canada’s only virtual production stage, a real-time special effects facility that gives students access to cutting-edge equipment and industry professionals. The campus is on the Central Valley Greenway, a 24-kilometre pedestrian and cyclist route. 

Campus Buzz: Communication design students lead a screening series celebrating film through risograph printing, where students design a layered digital stencil that they use to create film posters.

Quick facts

Tuition (includes compulsory ancillary fees)
 $6,027

Median Entering Grades
Arts: 67%, plus portfolio

Student Body
Undergraduates: Full-time: 2,027 | Part-time: 112
Graduates: Full-time:  98 | Part-time: 5
International Students: First-year: 23.7% | Graduate: 30.9%  

Housing Facts
Residence: Not offered

Standout programs

Critical and Cultural Practices: This program blends a liberal arts education with creative practice. In addition to courses in art history and design history, students study English, humanities, media history, social sciences and writing. 
New Media and Sound Arts: Students explore the intersections of technology and storytelling and gain conceptual and practical skills for producing innovative experimental research and projects. 
Animation: Students choose 2D and experimental animation or 3D computer animation. Both programs offer theory and practice with the latest tools.