Undergraduate programs at AUArts

Degrees designed for creative futures.

At AUArts, choosing your undergraduate degree means deciding how you want to engage with creativity, culture and the world. 

Whether you see yourself as an artist or craftsperson, a designer, or a creative innovator working across industries, there’s a path that fits your goals.

Degrees at a glance

Bachelor of Creative Industries

Undergraduate program

In the BCI program, you'll major in Applied Creative Industries, while experimenting across other program concentrations.

Develop practical skills in artistic creation, digital innovation, project management and cultural  leadership, learning through hands-on studio work, entrepreneurial training and industry partnerships. 

Explore BCI
Bachelor of Creative Industries
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Bachelor of Fine Arts

Undergraduate program

In this degree, you’ll major in Studio Art and focus on one or two concentrations, including: 

Animation, Ceramics, Drawing, Fibre, Glass, Jewellery & Metals, Media Arts, Object Design & Fabrication, Painting, Photography, Print Media and Sculpture.

Focus on artistic experimentation, studio practice and personal expression.

Explore BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
A young artist wearing a patterned headscarf, dangling earrings, and a paint-splattered denim shirt is intently painting on a large red canvas. They hold a paintbrush with precision, leaning in as they apply details. The studio space is filled with easels, artwork, and various art supplies, reflecting a creative environment.

Bachelor of Design

Undergraduate program

When you enter the BDes program, you’ll major in Visual Communication Design (VCD) and follow one of two streams:

Graphic Design & Advertising or Illustration.

Engage in creative problem-solving, real-world impact through purposeful design and industry standard practices.

Explore BDes
Bachelor of Design
A focused student in a design classroom, working on a laptop with a notebook and sticky notes nearby. The modern learning environment features computers and engaged peers in the background, highlighting a collaborative and creative atmosphere.

What to expect.

Students gathered in a contemporary gallery space, attentively listening during an art critique or presentation. The diverse group, dressed in casual and expressive styles, reflects a creative and collaborative learning environment at Alberta University of the Arts.
  • Build the foundation in your first year, then dive deep into your chosen area(s) of study.
  • Mix and match required and elective courses from studio, non-studio and hybrid options for a true multidisciplinary experience.
  • Develop your creative voice through course work, projects, exhibitions, critiques and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
  • Engage in studio practices, critical thinking and creative exploration placed in social and cultural contexts.
  • Build creative, entrepreneurial and digital skills, while exploring how they impact industries and culture.
  • Graduate with a portfolio of work and experience to launch your career.
Tuition & fees Academic calendar

Which program is right for you?

If you want to...

Focus on artistic experimentation, studio practices and personal expression.

Check out BFA

Engage in creative problem-solving through purposeful visual communications.

Check out BDes

Combine artistic creation with entrepreneurship and industry skills.

Check out BCI

Still not sure?

Meet our recruitment team one-on-one to get more information.

Connect with our recruitment team

Our faculty

A smiling woman with short, wavy brown and gray hair wears large, clear-framed glasses and dangling earrings. She is dressed in a bright, floral-patterned blouse with orange, pink, and yellow colors. The background is dark, making her face and colorful clothing stand out.

Dr. Sarah Alford

Currently my research and practice stem from my studies in nineteenth-century natural philosophy and the ways in which botanists coped with the rapid influx of plants into Britain by promoting and inventing a new and unstable pre-Darwinian taxonomy, the Natural System, through the wide-spread dissemination of botanical illustration.

Dr. Sarah Alford
Brian Flynn

Brian Flynn

My latest bodies of work continue my interest in social constructions and my family’s ties to politics in Ireland. 

Brian Flynn
Laurel J.jpeg

Laurel Johannesson

Laurel Johannesson studied at the University of Calgary, the University of Saskatchewan, and the Royal College of Art in London.

Laurel Johannesson

Why choose AUArts?

Students gather in AUArts’ main hall during orientation, chatting under a large Alberta University of the Arts banner.

Join a passionate, collaborative community of artists, craftspeople and designers. Learn from practicing faculty who are active in Calgary’s arts scene. Work in world-class studios with access to amazing facilities. Share your work through on-campus exhibitions and events.

Overlapping film exposures of orange, red, and white flowers creating a layered, dreamlike floral image.

Apply to AUArts today!

Start your application View all programs Connect with our team