Visual Arts Studio Certificate

Students in the Visual Arts at Thompson Rivers University can have the best of two worlds: courses can be counted toward a Certificate, a Diploma and toward a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Arts with a Minor in Visual Arts, or other university degrees at the same time. The Certificate gives students an introduction to current art practices, in 2D and 3D media, with emphasis on 2D design, drawing, painting, colour theory, printmaking, photography, 3D design, sculpture and ceramics. The Certificate is useful on a resume for job applications or entrance to academic programs that require some practical knowledge in visual arts.

Admission requirements

• BC Grade 12 or Adult Dogwood or Mature student status.
• English 12/English 12 First Peoples with a minimum of 73% within the last five years: OR Level 4, on the composition section of the Language Proficiency Index (within the last 2 years); OR Completion of English 0600; OR Completion of ESAL 0570 and ESAL 0580 with a grade of C+ or better

Other certificates

Literary and Art History Certificate (one year)

The Literary and Art History Certificate helps students understand the natural connection between the written word and art. So often these activities overlap and, by making a concentration of these subject areas through select courses, the student is offered the opportunity to see how it is that the ideas or creative impulse of the day, and not the medium, that often determines what is made. Students of art history will be fascinated to learn that, while there are romantic painters, there are also romantic writers, and some like William Blake do both. Their ideas come out of the social milieu of the day and it is through the study across disciplines that the student is able to gauge the breadth of these contemporary ideas.

Painting and Drawing Certificate (two semesters)

Students in the Visual Arts at Thompson Rivers University who prefer to work in 2D media can opt for a Painting and Drawing Certificate. The courses can be counted toward a Visual Arts Diploma and toward a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Arts with a Minor in Visual Arts, or other university degrees at the same time. The Certificate allows students to sample a diverse selection of core 2D media: painting, oil and acrylic; and drawing, which would also include practices such as life drawing, collage and assemblage to allow a solid grounding in contemporary 2D art practices. The Certificate is useful in a resume for job applications or entrance to academic programs that require a background in contemporary painting and drawing practices, or to move towards a career as a practicing artist.