Year One Foundation Program in Arts - Transfer to Bachelor of Arts - Art and Design (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? The BFA degree program encourages students to develop their personal creativity and teaches them multiple possibilities of expressing aesthetic, theoretical and cultural issues in their visual representations. Students can specialize in painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, or study a combination of these four disciplines. Courses in the history of art, design, and visual culture complement studio programs and provide a lively intellectual cross-fertilization of theory and practice.

Students will develop their ability to use their technical, formal, and critical thinking skills to explore contemporary issues through visual art. They'll also learn to see the world more clearly while they build their drawing and painting skills; investigate video, installation, and public art; learn traditional printmaking techniques and combine them with the latest digital technologies; or sculpt with welded steel, clay, plaster, and anything else they can imagine. Courses in the history of art, design, and visual culture complement studio programs and provide a lively intellectual cross-fertilization of theory and practice.

Students must submit a portfolio to meet the academic requirements to be offered a spot in the program.

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.