One of Canada’s oldest independent cultural institutions, NSCAD University continues to be regarded as a principal centre for education and research in visual culture in North America. Part of our appeal is the ever-present relationship of the old to the new, and our convenient location in the heart of downtown Halifax’s waterfront district. Behind the Victorian façades of our main campus and the Alliance Atlantis Academy Building — both open 24 hours a day, seven days a week — students create some of the most cutting-edge images and objects being made anywhere on the continent. After an experimental foundation year, students gradually focus in order to become specialists in some aspect of art, craft, design or historical and critical studies. They are educated to think critically, to balance academic issues with practical concerns in the studio, and to explore how the visual arts give meaning to both individual and community life.
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Academic and campus services
Art gallery, art supply store, counselling, multimedia centre, photography services, print shop, visual communications workshop, wood and metal shops.
First-year student programs
Foundation is the first-year program for all students entering NSCAD without prior university credit. A prerequisite to further study, these two semesters are designed to lay the groundwork for a wide variety of artistic practices, principles, approaches and issues. While developing a broad base of experience in the visual arts, students explore the range of possibilities available in a professional artistic career. Foundation courses introduce the fundamentals for further study in art, craft, design and historical and critical studies: the visual vocabulary, tools and materials, practical skills and techniques, and critical thinking. After the foundation year, students are well equipped to decide where to focus the rest of their studies.
Information technology
Most departments maintain specialized computer facilities that aid students in the production of work specific to each area of study. The library, multimedia centre and design printshop also provide computer access to all students. Technology supports research and production through 3D computer modeling, digital jacquard loom, video/film/audio editing, illustration, graphic design, page layout, image making, animation, interactive programming, multimedia, word processing and Internet access.
Student assistance
NSCAD’s in-house scholarship and bursary fund totals approximately $125,000 per year. The fund is made up of more than 100 awards ranging from $500 to $6,000 in one calendar year. NSCAD also operates a financial aid program comprised of emergency employment, tuition grants, material (supplies) grants, emergency assistance and interim loans. NSCAD has a travel subsidy fund to assist students with travel expenses related to their studies.
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Student exchange programs
Students are eligible for exchange with three Canadian art colleges and 37 American institutions. In addition, there are formal exchanges with schools in 15 countries, including Portugal, England, Australia, Scotland, France, Japan, The Netherlands, Korea, Ghana and Germany. The college also offers an off-campus study program that allows students to devise individual plans of study within Canada or abroad. |
