BA in Visual Art in Nanaimo Canada | Vancouver Island University

Chart your artistic journey and thrive in an inspiring setting where you'll receive the mentorship and resources to discover your true creative potential.
Enroll in VIU's Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts program to collaborate with peers and engage in a distinctive hands-on, cross-disciplinary curriculum guided by working professional artists. As part of this Bachelor of Arts degree, you can select Visual Arts as your primary or secondary focus, pairing your art studies with diverse electives or complementary majors.
Vancouver Island University enables undergraduate students to pursue Visual Art as either a Major or Minor within a four-year Bachelor of Arts program. Both pathways allow students to enhance their Visual Art degree with courses from other fields such as Business, Marketing, Theatre, Biology, History, Psychology, Anthropology, Education, Sciences, Media Studies, and Creative Writing.

The BA Major provides comprehensive training in studio arts alongside academic coursework. Students can customize their degree with various electives or pair this Major with a Minor in another field - an approach that may align with specific career aspirations and improve job market competitiveness. Both options improve prospects for employment or graduate studies while developing technical abilities, analytical skills, visual interpretation, and career flexibility.

A BA Minor in Visual Art can be combined with another Major or Minor, making it ideal for students exploring multiple professional directions.

During the first two years, both the Major and Minor in Visual Art focus on diverse artistic media and techniques while establishing conceptual frameworks rooted in modern art and art history. The final two years expand into interdisciplinary studies, current artistic practices, and cultural theory.

Important: All students taking Art or Design studio courses through VIU's Art and Design department must complete compulsory safety training before accessing department facilities. Required safety gear must be purchased from the VIU Campus Store and used as specified by the department.