Qualify for Special Funding

Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (VanArts)

570 Dunsmuir Street, Suite 600, Vancouver BC

Possible funding to those who qualify*

  • B.C. Access Grant
  • Loans
  • Grants
  • Bursaries
  • Scholarships

Programs

Programs offered at each campus may vary, so be sure to check other campus offerings for the course you are most interested in.

Creative Arts, Interactive, Sound Programs

  • Our Animation Course:

    The school's Character Animation diploma program at VanArts places your focus on character animation through body mechanics and performance, and strong foundation training in modeling, lighting, character building and art direction. We are the go-to school for training in industry-standard softwares MAYA for 3D and Toon Boom's HARMONY for 2D, with students in the 2D stream using modern 19-inch Yiynova tablets. Animation courses in story, visual language and life drawing support your development as a character animator, all guided by award-winning faculty with experience working at studios such as Disney, Dreamworks and Industrial Light & Magic.
  • The William Davis Centre for Actors' Study at VanArts has a strong team of experienced professional actors working directly with you to prepare you for the world of acting in the film and television industry. This is one of the most intensive acting programs - best suited if your desire is to push yourself and your skills to the highest level of creativity and professionalism. You will receive personal mentoring, small class sizes to ensure individual attention and focus, and the opportunity to collaborate with other faculties in photography, visual effects and animation production. Our faculty of Acting instructors have starred in regular, lead, and recurring roles on TV series & features such as The X-Files, Supernatural, Continuum, Motive, Bates Motel, Battlestar Galactica, Cut Bank, Final Destination, TRON: Legacy and many more.
  • VanArts' one-year Broadcasting program gives you a chance to hone your communications and storytelling talents for a mass audience. Working with industry professionals and guest speakers from Vancouver's media scene, you will be on the air every day on our campus radio station. Master the skills needed for TV news production, dive into the role of a Hootsuite Platform-Certified social media manager, and learn podcasting and viral video production techniques that top online influencers use to build their brand. Upon graduation, you will be ready to hit the ground running with hundreds of hours in real, hands-on broadcast media experience and a demo reel representing your diverse skills.
  • The Game Art & Design diploma program is a hybrid of traditional and digital art, right from foundation to specialization. Here you get to focus your craft in creating concept art and assets for the film, game and television industries, with an equal emphasis on art development for mobile gaming and 3D console games. The instructors in our game design courses are industry leaders who will educate you on best practices. They will prepare you for work in 2D/3D environments, character modeling, lighting, texturing, interface design and concept development. Get valuable feedback from and make connections with guest speakers and industry VIPs.
  • The Professional Photography program at VanArts is designed for you to master the technical, creative and business skills essential to life as a professional photographer. We offer the only intensive one-year program in Vancouver that focuses on business skills in addition to hands-on experience in the field and studio, all taught by successful working photographers. Your own MacBook Pro and software are included with tuition.
  • VanArts' diploma program in Visual Effects for Film & Television is the leading destination for training in a rapidly growing and booming work force. We have been recognized by SideFX Software as a certified Houdini Training Partner. In addition to HOUDINI, our Visual Effects program instructs students in other leading industry tools, such as MAYA and NUKE Your journey as a visual effects artist at VanArts is simple: master the tools, specialize in achieving visual and technical quality, and produce a professional demo reel based on what studio supervisors and recruiters want to see.

Technology, Networking Programs

  • As a leading centre for new digital media, Vancouver is the ideal place to study Web Development and Interactive Design. At VanArts, you will receive the city's only program which offers a 40-40-20 split between web design, programming and business development, all under the guidance of working professionals in the field. Through hands-on classes based on current and future trends for web and mobile development and design, you emerge fully equipped with the necessary skills and industry contacts to launch your career in this thriving industry. Here at VanArts we are proud to watch our graduates become fully-fledged developers over the course of the program. Our students work as UX designers for creative agencies, as front-end developers for tech companies and have gone on to launch their own successful freelance businesses.

Vancouver Campus

VanArts was founded in 1995 with Academy-Award winning animator/director Lee Mishkin as its founding program director. Recognizing the industry’s need for a skilled and specialized workforce, for 25 years VanArts has offered a variety of highly focused diploma programs designed to prepare students for work in specific areas of the media arts including Visual Effects Production, Game Art & Design, Character Animation, Professional Photography, Acting for Film & Television, Web Development and Broadcasting.
By developing a well-rounded curriculum of visual, media and performing arts, VanArts has created an educational environment that encourages collaboration between its programs of study. With a faculty and advisory board that draws directly from the relevant industries, VanArts provides its students with the foundation and mentorship necessary to launch a career. Many VanArts graduates are now successful, creative professionals with credits on major feature films, directorial positions, and successful freelance careers around the world.

Mission

Our mission is to unlock the creative and career potential within each student.

World-Class Faculty

All of our Department Heads and instructors at VanArts are top industry professionals with decades of experience. They are here because of their passion for teaching and desire to help you become a creative professional they can proudly work alongside.

* All student funding, whether made available privately or through various government branches, is only approved to those who qualify, by the original source of funding. There are many criteria that each candidate must meet to be approved. Schools can only inform you of what may be available.