Academic Advising Centre
This guide has been prepared with the information you need to successfully register for your first year at UFV. Please review the information provided on this page thoroughly before contacting your academic advisor with questions.
UFV's four-year Bachelor of Fine Arts program is dynamic and interdisciplinary. You gain the tools for various modes of artistic production through a curriculum that is sensitive to the social and political issues that affect today's creative marketplace. You will also enhance your education through interactive experiences such as gallery and performing arts tours, lectures by visiting artists and industry professionals, and exhibition and performance opportunities.
Develop the practical skills, critical understanding, and industry-related knowledge necessary to succeed as a professional artist with UFV's Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA).
Fine-tune your BFA to best match your educational and career goals as an emerging artist, designer, performer, writer, or critic. Earn a BFA by choosing a major in Graphic and Digital Design or Visual Arts, or by pairing two extended minors chosen Art History, Creative Writing, Graphic Design, Media & Communications Studies, Theatre, and Visual Art.
For creative individuals, a BFA degree is the perfect way to explore the possibilities of careers in the fine arts. In this 120-credit program, you gain an understanding of how creative practice and academic theory complement each other in today's artistic landscape. A BFA will prepare you not only to produce cultural commodities, but also to understand the complex and critical relationships between creative practice, the creative economy, and contemporary culture.
Depending on how you structure your BFA, you can find employment in a range of fields, including:
Alternatively, you may go on to pursue further education, or seek employment in other related industries such as business, entertainment, tourism, broadcasting, and more.
Creativity: We create opportunities for innovation, risk-taking, and embracing the unknown.
Balance: We create spaces conducive to mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness and resilience.
Inclusion: We create inclusive environments, valuing empathy, equity, and diversity.
Collaboration: We create in collaboration with others, based on mutual respect, recognizing the value of trust and cooperation.
Community: We create in order to advocate, to promote sustainability, and to build leadership capacity.
The School of Creative Arts is a centre for creative practice and interdisciplinary study. Our community embraces diverse perspectives while nurturing critical, artistic, and personal expression. We engage students through an integration of theoretical and practical training—cultivating a breadth of learning, from historical contextualization to technical competencies.
Build professional credibility and on-the-job skills through a work experience placement. Experiential learning in a work setting provides valuable real-world contact and helps clarify possible career directions. Opportunities range from full-time to just ten hours a week per semester.
The Co-operative Education option provides students with the opportunity to acquire paid, career-related work experience in conjunction with their studies, combining study semesters with four, eight, or twelve-month paid work terms. Placements are full time and available with regional, national, and global firms in varied industries. Explore the Centre for Experiential Learning and Career Education for more information.
A second option for work experience is an Arts practicum, in which a student is placed with a local industry partner for approximately 10 hours per week over the course of one semester. Placements are facilitated by our Arts Practicum Coordinator and can be taken at the 200-, 300-, or 400-level for 3-4 credits each. Contact Tamara.Courage@ufv.ca for more information or discuss with your Academic Advisor at your next advising appointment.
Watch the recorded planning session or read the guide below.
UFV’s BFA offers majors in Graphic and Digital Design and Visual Arts, and extended minors and minors in six disciplines related to fine arts: Art History and Visual Studies, Creative Writing, Graphic and Digital Design, Media and Communication Studies, Theatre, and Visual Arts. Graduation requirements can be met by completing the course of study for one major or for two extended minors. Extended minors and/or minors in these subject areas and in Business and Communications may be added at the student's discretion to either the major or a double extended minor program.
See calendar for current requirements. Here are program plans for the fall 2023 BFA degree options:
Students completing a Visual Arts major can expect to spend approximately $3,600 on materials over the course of the 120-credit degree program. Note that photography students will require access to a 35mm SLR camera.
Graphic and Digital Design majors require a MacBook Pro laptop configured as per GDD specifications. The cost ranges between $2,500 to $3,500 and is eligible as part of student funding for this program. Collaborative Mac studio spaces provide access to the Adobe OpenType collection of 2,400 fonts, scanners, and colour printing. Students should budget an additional $500 to $800 per term for books, supplies and a monthly Adobe CC subscription.
You can access a list of all approved and required courses for your program in two ways:
First time using MyGRADplan?
Visit MyGRADplan website to get login instructions and review tutorials. Specifically, you will want to learn about the 'What if' and 'Look ahead' features as they will be most helpful in your course planning.
Studying full time at 10 courses per calendar year, students can complete the program in four years. There is no deadline to complete, and credits don’t expire, so attendance can be customized to suit your lifestyle. Note, it is not possible to complete this program online or outside of typical work hours exclusively.
A typical approach for a first-year arts student is to take 3-4 courses to start, equalling about 9-12 hours per week in class. Students should expect to spend the same number of hours on homework as they spend in class weekly. For example, three classes will be approximately 20+ hours per week of schoolwork, both in and out of the classroom. If you are planning on getting a student loan, you must take at least 3 courses or nine credits of coursework in a semester. International students must study full time to meet the terms of their study visa.
Pick
3-4 courses per semester
Expect
9-12 hours per week in class
And at least
9-12 hours per week
for homework
The suggested course plans provides an example of a four-year degree completion. Note, degree studies at UFV are flexible, and students are not required to finish in a limited time. Use this plan to direct your course choices, building skills and meeting pre-requisites sequentially and in a timely way.
Please visit the UFV Course Descriptions page on the Academic Calendar and select the area of study to view more detailed course descriptions.
Visit the How to Register guide for step-by-step instructions on registration, including tutorial videos. On this page, you can also find links to information on important dates and fee payments.
Book an appointment with an academic advisor or email your questions to advising@ufv.ca.