Emily Carr University of Art + Design has received approval from the province of British Columbia’s Degree Quality Assessment Board to offer our existing Master of Applied Arts (MAA) degree as a Master of Fine Arts (MFA).

The MFA designation best represents our program of study and practice that we have evolved over the past 10 years, and responds to the expectations of future students, employers, contemporary artists and practitioners. Our program will continue to be studio-based, practice-led, with a transdisciplinary approach and emphasis on critical examination and research in art and media.

Current MAA students will have the option to receive either an MAA or MFA designation upon graduation. Some recent alumni who hold MAA degrees and who wish to present their degree as an MFA will also be given that option once details are finalized.

Program Background:

The University has delivered graduate programs since 2006. The Jake Kerr Faculty of Graduate Studies carefully selects exceptional design, media and visual arts students to study in each program, emphasizing opportunities for synergy and collaboration among students, faculty and research labs and studios. The result is a dynamic program of study combining studio exploration in a professional context.

The Master of Applied Arts/Master of Fine Arts program is currently structured as follows:

• 60 credit hours over the course of 21 months for Resident, or 28 months for low-Residency students.

• Advanced Studio (6 credits), Research (3 credits), and Graduate Interdisciplinary Forum (3 credits) courses are required.

• A self-directed summer semester allows students to engage in meaningful research and professional practice as it relates to their individual work as an artist.

• Opportunity to become a teaching or research assistant, and work with a faculty member to acquire core skill set foundational to a teaching practice.