Thompson Rivers University

Thompson Rivers University (TRU) offers degree programs leading to a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) with majors and minors in both the fine and performing arts. There are also several diploma and certificate program options for students who want to develop specific skills.

The new Bachelor of Fine Arts-Visual Arts degree has been revised and is now a four-year program with an entry/exit option for diploma students prior to third year. Before students begin selecting specific courses in a chosen area of visual arts, they complete a series of "foundation" courses in their first year that provide a broad exposure to all visual arts disciplines.

The degree is built around a curriculum of conventional studio and art history offerings with the option to pursue a specialty in the area of gallery studies in the final two years. Students have an option to exit after two years and earn a diploma, while graduates of the diploma programs at other colleges and universities may ladder credits into the degree's third year.

TRU is equipped with extensive, new studio facilities for courses in ceramics, design, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking (etching, lithography and silkscreen) and sculpture, as well as directed studies in each of these studio areas. While instruction is offered in each of these areas, students are also strongly encouraged to work across these disciplines, especially in fourth year directed studies course offerings. Courses in these areas, along with historical, modern and contemporary art history and theory make up the core of the BFA degree.
The program facilities also include an art gallery for student, faculty and other exhibitions. Students are encouraged to submit work and propose exhibitions for scheduled displays at the gallery.

The gallery studies stream is developed for third- and fourth-year students who want to specialize in the area of gallery studies. Courses are offered in affiliation with the Kamloops Art Gallery and include gallery management, public art, curating and exhibition installation.

For students interested in the field of computer graphics and multimedia, graphic design and visual communications and digital prepress, the two-year Digital Art & Design Diploma represents another unique program option. Graduates of the Digital Art & Design Diploma and all similar diploma programs at recognized institutions both in Canada and abroad, will soon have the option to ladder their credits into several different degrees at TRU, including a Bachelor of General Studies degree, a new Interdisciplinary Studies degree now in the approval process, and the Bachelor of Design degree that allows students maximum flexibility to use distance education and to complete and transfer credits from other institutions.

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree provides options in both the visual and performing arts, including a full undergraduate major in theatre arts, with options in performance, history and criticism. Students in the BA degree can also complete two different certificates comprised of academic courses.

The BA degree allows students to complete a concentration in creative and performing arts. Students enroll in a range of both fine arts and theatre courses and choose a specific field of interest as either a major or minor in fine arts and theatre.

The full undergraduate program in theatre at TRU is the only program of its kind offered in BC outside Greater Vancouver and facilities on campus for the program include a new "black box" theatre.

The new Bachelor of Design degree is a highly flexible "open" program that allows students to bring up to 114 credits from other institutions, and to use distance education to complete the general academic, and history and theory of art course requirements. Each applicant is assessed on an individual basis for admission and credit transfer.

TRU offers international study and exchange opportunities through the full-time Study Abroad Centre on campus. Students can now choose options from almost 300 different universities around the world, including many in the U.S.