Fine Arts Certificate
| Type | Part Time Full Time |
|---|---|
| Length | 1 year |
| Campus | Prince George |
| Delivery | In Class |
| Fees* |
Estimated at $3,425.01.
International Check fee schedule
*All fees are an estimate. |
| Starting Semesters | Fall 2026 |
Overview
The Fine Arts Certificate program is an intensive, foundation-level, one-year visual arts program that builds your studio practice, creative thinking, and technical skills while also introducing the professional and business side of being an artist.
Careers
A career is like a blank canvas. A year of fine-arts education will empower you to recognize and make the most of career pathways available to you.
Some fine arts graduates become artists working in any number of mediums. Full-time artists are usually self-employed and highly entrepreneurial. Many fine arts graduates also work as educators or instructors, either full-time or part-time.
Careers you might choose to pursue after include:
- Painter, Muralist, Illustrator
- Sculptor, ceramicist, printmaker
- Photographer
- Design (graphics, web, UI/UX, industrial, interior, fashion/textile)
- Film/TV production
- Cartoonist
- Arts educator/instructor
- Art critic/reviewer
- Art historian/theorist
- Conservation specialist
- Curator
- Gallery manager/art dealer
Take your second year at Emily Carr
CNC has an official block transfer agreement with Emily Carr University. Students who complete the Fine Arts Certificate with a 3.00 GPA or higher can transfer directly into their second year at Emily Carr in Vancouver.
You also have the option to apply for second-year status in a number of other post-secondary visual art programs throughout the province.
See bccat.ca for details.
What you will learn
The program is designed as a broad foundation in visual arts, combining hands-on studio courses, theory, and professional practices. Students will learn drawing and painting from observation using check measures; introductory art history and visual culture; and creative and critical thinking.
CNC emphasizes a studio-based, small-class environment taught by practicing artists and experienced educators. Regular critiques are conducted where students present and discuss their work and respond to other’s work, helping them articulate intent and accept constructive feedback. Assessment is based on artistic growth and engagement with both process and finished work.
The program also builds your research and writing abilities while introducing essential professional practices for today’s artists, including copyright, contracts, commissions, grant writing, and portfolio development.
Build your artistic foundation and prepare for a vibrant career in the visual arts.
Courses
Required courses
Typical Offerings
| Timing | Fall Only, Every Year |
|---|---|
| Locations | Prince George |
Description
Art history, a broad intellectual discipline, is central to the humanities. This introductory course examines, analyzes, and evaluates the major time periods, movements, and trends in visual arts (primarily painting, sculpture, and architecture) of both Western and non-Western civilizations from prehistory through the Late Medieval period. In addition to stylistic and structural components, students study historical, social, religious, political, technological, philosophical, and gender issues integral to the production and development of art.Typical Offerings
| Timing | Spring Only, Every Year |
|---|---|
| Locations | Prince George |
Description
TEST Art history, a broad intellectual discipline, is central to the humanities. This introductory survey course continues examining, analyzing, and evaluating the major time periods, movements, and trends in the visual arts of both Western and non-Western civilizations from the Medieval period to the present. In addition to the stylistic and structural components of art, students will study historical, social, religious, political, technological, philosophical, and gender issues integral to the production and development of art.Typical Offerings
| Timing | Fall Only, Every Year |
|---|---|
| Locations | Prince George |
| Requisites |
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Description
This intensive studio course introduces the methods, materials, and concepts of drawing, both as a visual language and for enhancing perceptual awareness. While investigating process and developing a critical vocabulary, students begin to translate immediate observations and ideas into two-dimensional form. In-class projects and assignments will encompass various aspects of drawing, while visual presentations and class discussion introduce students to contemporary and historical ideas of art and design. Evaluating and critiquing is discussed and incorporated into the course work.Typical Offerings
| Timing | Spring Only, Every Year |
|---|---|
| Locations | Prince George |
| Requisites |
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Description
This intensive studio course further explores the fundamentals of drawing explored in FINE 103. Exercises and projects are designed for students to continue work on perceptual and expressive drawing and hand/eye coordination. A variety of subject matter will be used, including live models. In-class projects and assignments will encompass various aspects of drawing, while visual presentations and class discussion introduces students to contemporary and historical ideas of art and design. Regular evaluations and critiques are part of the course work.Typical Offerings
| Timing | Spring Only, Every Year |
|---|---|
| Locations | Prince George |
| Requisites |
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Description
An introduction to various approaches to painting as a contemporary art practice where students learn the basic skills required to produce paintings. Assignments address topics related to formal, expressive, and historic/social issues of painting. Learners explore the language of materials pertaining to paint handling and surface as well as strategies of representation and development of imagery. Students will combine intellectual information with experimentation, sensory alertness, and practical paint mixing skills. In-class work and assignments will be reviewed in critiques.Typical Offerings
| Timing | Spring Only, Every Year |
|---|---|
| Locations | Prince George |
| Requisites |
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Description
This course will focus on the forms and techniques of Pacific Northwest Coast First Nations contrasting and comparing them to similar techniques used by other Canadian Aboriginal Peoples. These artistic techniques, both traditional and contemporary, will be used to create functional and aesthetic objects. Examples will be discussed linking the artistic forms to oral history and the clan structure of First Nations societies in the region. Technical hands-on instruction is balanced with access to First Nations traditional materials and studio-based art practises.Typical Offerings
| Timing | Fall/Spring Only, Every Year |
|---|---|
| Locations | Prince George, Mackenzie |
| Requisites |
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Description
Learners will further develop image-making skills and ideas about pictorial space in a digital environment, along with the historical and conceptual connections between digital technologies and contemporary art. Instruction will include the use of computer graphics software and hardware, digital input, image processing, and digital output. Content will also include computer concepts such as the relation of analogue to digital, bitmap and vectorbased images, resolution, and archiving work. Learners will create a digital portfolio of their work.Typical Offerings
| Timing | Fall Only, Every Year |
|---|---|
| Locations | Prince George |
| Requisites |
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Description
This is a course on understanding and using colour, focusing on colour applications for visual art and design, the principles of colour theory and visual perception, and the cultural dimensions of colour. Using colour, students work with acrylic paint to explore visual arts and design ideas and concepts. Through the study of cultural history, students increase their understanding of the role of colour in art and life. The course includes lectures, demonstrations, studio projects, and group and individual critiques.English choice
Typical Offerings
| Timing | All Terms, Every Year |
|---|---|
| Locations | Prince George, Quesnel |
Description
A study of grammar, composition, and style. A vigorous program of essay-writing plus a variety of writing assignments or exercises dealing with specific problems in essay-writing. Strongly recommended for students who wish to improve their writing skills.Typical Offerings
| Timing | All Terms, Every Year |
|---|---|
| Locations | Prince George, Quesnel, Mackenzie |
Description
ENGL 113 introduces students to the principles and practices of effective written and oral communications in English as applied in current academic, business, and technical contexts in university course levels. Instruction will emphasize grammar, punctuation, style, and presentation as important elements applied to a wide variety of writing and speaking situations: e-mail, letters, reports, and instructional and persuasive talks. Research strategies will be practiced.Typical Offerings
| Timing | Fall Only, Every Year |
|---|---|
| Locations | Prince George |
Description
A practical study for emerging graphic and fine artists of the varied activities and professional practices involved in making a career in the art world. Students will create an art portfolio (curriculum vitae, artist statement, biography); identify different kinds of art galleries (public, private, and artist-run); and market their work (events, social media, press releases). Topics covered include finance, business, teaching and public speaking, health and safety, and framing and documenting artworks.Entry Requirements
Fall 2027 Intake and Onwards
For applications to the Fall 2027 intake (September start), you must meet the following requirements:
Additional program-specific admission requirements
This certificate is not intended as an introduction to basic artistic practice. Prospective students must have demonstrable artistic ability together with foundational arts education (e.g. secondary school courses or private study) and/or prior practice in one or more relevant artistic disciplines.
Need help meeting these requirements? Check out our Academic Upgrading options.
Locations & Dates
CNC programs have varying lengths and start dates to meet your needs, and are offered across multiple campuses where possible. Don’t see the campus you’re looking for? Check back with us soon as this page is updated throughout the school year.
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Open for Applications |
Invest in your future
The estimated cost for this program is $3,425.01. (Supplies extra)These costs are an estimate. Student fees vary by campus. Check the for more details.
Books for this program can be purchased from the bookstore.
Paying for college
We're here to help. You can apply for scholarships and bursaries through CNC. We can also help you find loans and other funding.
Salaries and employment
Looking for a job? Check the student employment opportunities.
