With its focus on the studio experience, Alberta University of the Arts is particularly well-known for its complement of art, design and craft programs. Undergraduates can choose from 11 degree areas, including painting, glass, sculpture, media arts and photography. Ten minors are available, including animation, comics and print media. AUArts also offers an M.F.A. in craft media with four areas of focus: glass, ceramics, fibre, and jewellery and metals.

“At Alberta University of the Arts, the study of art, craft and design is a search. It is an exploration of ideas, a celebration of creativity and an understanding of what connects us to the world,” says president Daniel Doz. “It is a way of seeing, a way of thinking about the tools and materials we use, the world we inhabit.”

Classes are small, and there is an emphasis on one-on-one instruction. The liberal arts are also well integrated, and first-year programs include courses on critical and creative practices and art history. The single campus building houses a professional art gallery, studios for fibre, glass, ceramics and jewellery, a metal shop, a foundry and a wood shop. Many programs also provide students with personal studio spaces in their third and fourth years. Perched on top of the city’s North Hill, adjacent to Calgary’s happening Kensington neighbourhood, the campus overlooks the Bow River and Calgary’s welcoming urban skyline. Downtown Calgary, with its galleries, museums and cultural events, is easily accessible via the CTrain, and the Rocky Mountains are only an hour away by car.