Year One Foundation Program in Arts - Transfer to Bachelor of Arts - History of Art, Design and Visual Culture (Optional Co-op)

When students join the University of Alberta’s Year One Foundation Program, they become U of A students from day one. They receive academic support that prepares them to enter a bachelor’s degree program in their second year, along with a “soft landing” to studying in Canada.

The University of Alberta’s Year One Foundation Program represents the first year of a four-year bachelor’s degree. It is designed for students who have course deficiencies and do not yet meet the academic entry requirements for their chosen degree program. Upon successful completion of the program, students progress directly into the second year without losing time on their path to graduation.

Why study this program? This program explores our visual world and its messages. Course topics range widely, from representations of sex and death in the Renaissance, to performing bodies in contemporary activist art, to China’s design revolution. Students will learn the practice of slow looking, how to pose original questions of art works, and how to engage in creative research projects, including faculty/student curatorial projects and pop-up exhibitions in public spaces.

This major can also be taken as part of a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) degree.

Why study at the University of Alberta? The Faculty of Arts boasts one of the most diverse Arts programs in Canada, offering top quality educational opportunities that prepare students for successful careers in every sector of society. With over 900 distinct courses in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts, students will find an academic pathway for them. Nationally and internationally recognized faculty members bring rich insights to the classroom through unique perspectives drawn from their research and advancement of human knowledge. Academic excellence, innovative problem-solving, and experiential learning opportunities beyond the classroom, such as Community Service-Learning and Arts Work Experience programs, will give students the tools to thrive in a diverse and increasingly complex workplace.