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North America

Art Schools in Canada

36 researched institutions with a campus here, offering 173 art and design programs. This is the research done to date, not a complete list of every program.

By province

Cities with several researched institutions

Programs by award and subject in Canada

174 programs

How results are ordered: alphabetically by institution, or by most recently checked when you choose that sort. There is no price ranking, because tuition in different currencies, fee categories and bases (per year, per credit, whole program) is not comparable. A program appears under a subject only through a verified link (dedicated degree, major, concentration or documented pathway). A value we could not verify is shown as “not published”, never as “no”. Items marked Sponsored are paid placements; they never change verification or order. Online programs are not counted as physically located in a state or city, and an institution’s location does not tell you whether it enrols students from your country.

About art education in Canada

How art education is organised

Art and design in Canada is taught in universities, specialist art and design universities (for example OCAD University, NSCAD University, Alberta University of the Arts) and some colleges with degree consent. Studio programs usually lead to a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Bachelor of Design (BDes) or Bachelor of Arts, and graduate studio programs to an MFA, MDes or MA; art history is mostly a BA, MA and PhD. French-language universities in Quebec use titles such as baccalauréat en arts visuels, maîtrise and doctorat. Education is a provincial and territorial responsibility, so entry rules, fees and degree-granting oversight differ by province.

Source: cmec.ca/299/Education-in-Canada-An-Overview/ind

Qualification structures

Names and levels are local to Canada. Similar names in other countries are not interchangeable.

BFA and BDes (four-year)
Specialist art and design schools such as OCAD University and NSCAD offer four-year BFA and BDes degrees, with admission usually based on a portfolio. Source
BA, BFA and MFA in universities with fine arts faculties
Concordia University's Faculty of Fine Arts offers BFA majors, a thesis-based MFA in Studio Arts, MA and PhD programs in art history and art education. Source
Quebec baccalauréat and maîtrise
In French-language Quebec universities, undergraduate degrees are baccalauréats of about three years (90 credits), for example the baccalauréat en arts visuels et médiatiques at UQAM, followed by a maîtrise. Source
Low-residency graduate study
Memorial University's Grenfell Campus describes its visual arts MFA as a blended, low-residency program with two on-campus intensives over about two years. Source

Bodies that matter, and what each one does

Accreditation, validation, education authority and qualification registers are different roles. Do not read a listing by one body as evidence from another.

Provincial and territorial ministries of education
Responsible for the organization, delivery and assessment of postsecondary education in each province and territory.
Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance (OUCQA)
Quality assurance framework for Ontario universities, listed by CICIC among Ontario quality assurance bodies.
Universities Canada
Describes how quality assurance works across Canadian universities.

Languages and admissions

Teaching languages. enfr

Admissions and portfolios. Undergraduate studio programs typically require a portfolio and academic transcripts, with deadlines and portfolio rules set by each school; art history programs usually admit on academic record. Check each program page, because admission can be paused (for example some MFA intakes are paused at individual universities). Source

Official study information

Country information last reviewed 23 October 2026. 3 sources consulted.