Visual Art Diploma

Visutal Art Diploma_students bronze pouring
Credential
Diploma
Duration

2 years 

Location
-Main Campus
The Program

All of your visual art instructors are professional practicing artists. We offer state-of-the-art studio spaces, fully equipped for ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing, and design.

The program offers you a concentrated visual arts foundation in a two year time span.

The first year emphasizes experience in drawing, painting, design, ceramics, sculpture, art history, and English. A broad range of visual experiences will help you form a visual arts vocabulary and master skills in composition and technical areas.

The second year of the program emphasizes creative growth, visual maturity in studio work as well as allowing you to experience open options to broaden your education.

Program Content

First year:

  • ART 101 Visiting Artists
  • ART 201/ART 203 Art History I and II
  • ART 231 Visual Fundamentals I
  • ART 233 Visual Fundamentals II
  • ART 241/ART 243 Drawing I and II
  • ART 251 Two Dimensional Studies- Painting I
  • ART 261 Three Dimensional Studies-Ceramics I
  • ART 281 Three Dimensional Studies-Sculpture I
  • One 3 credit elective from the following: COMM 210, COMM 150, ENGL (200 level)

Second year:

  • ART 101 Visiting Artists
  • ART 310/ART 311 Professional Practice I and II
  • ART 341/ART 343 Drawing III and IV
  • One 3 credit elective
  • One of the following courses:  CREA 110, COMM 250, or ENGL (200 level)
  • Two 3 credit university transfer level courses (preferably 300 level Art History)

Two electives from the following full-year studio courses:

  • ART 351/ART 353 Painting II and III
  • ART 361/ART 363 Ceramics II and III
  • ART 381/ART 383 Sculpture II and III
  • ART 391/ART 393 Contemporary 2D Strategies and Technologies I & II

Visit RDC’s Course Catalogue/Timetable to read detailed course descriptions.

Transfer Features

You may transfer up to 20 course equivalents taken at Red Deer Polytechnic to the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge, the Alberta College of Art and Design, NSCAD University, and the Emily Carr University of Art and Design. The Visual Art diploma program is also transferable to most other Canadian universities and art colleges.

Transfer requirements vary from one university to another. See the Alberta Transfer for detailed transfer policies.

    Admission Requirements

    A minimum mark of 50% in ELA 30-1 or ELA 30-2

    OR

    A minimum score of 250 on the Reading component, 250 on the Writing component and 5 on the WritePlacer Test.

    Note: Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency in addition to the program admission requirements.

    Graduation Requirements

    Students must pass all courses (25 courses, 65 credits) as specified in the Program Content section of the Academic Calendar, and achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 for the program.

    Related Careers
    • Studio artist
    • Illustrator
    • Exhibit designer
    • Curator
    • Photographer
    • Historian
    • Art Educator
    • Ceramicist 
    • Advertiser
    • Architect
    • Designer (product, costume, set, textile, industrial, graphic, lighting, environmental, etc.) 
    • Instructor
    • Special effects artist
    We understand that you still have questions about the programs.
    You can talk to us and we can help.