BA Art History and Visual Studies (Major) at University of Victoria

Programme overview

The BA in Art History and Visual Studies (Major) is offered by the Department of Art History and Visual Studies in the Faculty of Fine Arts. It studies visual traditions of world cultures, with work in the Legacy Art Gallery collections, the DIDO image database and the Fine Arts Interactive Media Lab.

Faculty: Faculty of Fine Arts | Department: Department of Art History and Visual Studies | Location: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

What you will study

AHVS 120 Exploring World Art, AHVS 121 Understanding Visual Communication, a Fine Arts co-requisite course, 200-level AHVS courses, Global Contemporary and Historical Art courses, and 3.0 units in Art and Social Change, Curatorial and Museum Studies, or Film, Media and Digital Arts. The Major includes 21.0 units of AHVS courses, 15.0 at the 300 and 400 level, with an Indigenous Arts course and a 400-level seminar.

Career pathways

Archivist, art director, curator, exhibit designer, heritage consultant, specialist librarian.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Art History and Visual Studies (BA): British Columbia and Yukon applicants need approved English 11 and three of Foundations of Math 11 or Pre-calculus 11, approved science 11, approved language 11, approved fine arts 11 and approved social studies 11/12, plus English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12 (minimum 73%), two approved academic 12 courses and one additional approved academic 12 or approved fine arts 12; estimated minimum admission average 80%. Alberta and Nunavut applicants need ELA 20-1 and three of Math 20-1 or 20-2, approved science 20, approved language 20, approved fine arts 20 and approved social studies 20, plus ELA 30-1 (minimum 73%), two approved academic 30/31 courses and one additional approved academic 30/31 or approved fine arts 30; estimated minimum average 80%. International Baccalaureate: full diploma with at least three Higher Level subjects and English HL or SL (minimum 3); estimated 27 points. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the courses you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Undergraduate entry points: September (fall), January and summer (May) entry; Engineering summer entry is for high school graduates only.

September entry: most degree programs January 31; Elementary Curriculum and Secondary Curriculum teacher education post-degree programs January 2; Indigenous Education ongoing; Public Administration diploma and certificate programs May 31. Early admission is possible for high school students who submit grades by early December. Late applications may be accepted where programs remain open.

January entry: Art History and Visual Studies, Computer Science, Computer Science and Health Information Science, Music (Bachelor of Arts) and all Humanities, Science and Social Sciences programs September 30; Health Information Science October 31; Public Administration diploma and certificate programs September 30.

Summer entry: Art History and Visual Studies, Computer Science, Music (BA) and all Humanities, Science and Social Sciences programs March 31; Engineering programs December 31 (high school graduates only); Public Administration diploma and certificate programs February 15.

Applications are submitted through EducationPlannerBC. The application fee is $89.50 if all transcripts come from institutions within Canada and $184.00 if any transcripts come from outside Canada.

Apply through the official page: https://www.uvic.ca/undergraduate/

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