Online full-time programs are offered as either Daytime, or a combination of Evenings and Saturdays. Check your program Dates and Times to see what the program commitment will be.
Make September 2025 your time to shine. Apply on us and get your $150 application fee back*. See details.
Humber’s Visual and Digital Arts diploma program offers you the opportunity to develop a well-rounded skillset applicable to a broad range of visual arts disciplines. At the Art Commons, Humber’s dedicated studio facilities, you will learn to plan and produce effective visual material and facilitate modes of interactive expression and communication.
Fusing traditional media and current digital tools, including Adobe Creative Cloud, you will develop skills in painting, drawing, illustration, digital art, photography, video, installation and interactive art. While honing your creative potential and expanding your artistic network, you will gain knowledge about anatomy, colour, composition, figurative expressions, art history and social collaboration. Through in-studio practice and special topics courses, you will ideate and collaborate on critical issues in art and society including a range of social justice, access and equity-oriented projects. Throughout the program, you will participate in collaborative, interdisciplinary projects with your peers and industry partners while gaining opportunities to exhibit your work, take part in special projects and join in critiques. With its focus on experiential learning and critical thinking, this program is an excellent launching point for more advanced creative pursuits.
Work-integrated learning opportunities prepare you for your future career. You will apply what you’ve learned in class and in real-world environments through a wide range of academic, community and industry partnerships. These work-integrated learning opportunities may include field experiences, professional practicums and co-operative education.
A field experience offers students an opportunity to engage in intensive experiences related to their field of study or career goals to build their skills, knowledge and abilities. Field experiences may be paid or unpaid.
Programs requiring a professional practicum offer practice-based experience or work hours for a professional license or certification. Students work under the direct supervision of an experienced professional. Placements are unpaid.
Students in co-op programs gain experience through paid work terms in their field of study that become progressively more complex as their skill level increases.
Students in co-op programs gain experience through paid work terms in their field of study that become progressively more complex as their skill level increases. The co-op portion of this program is optional.
If you would like to learn more about work-integrated learning at Humber, visit WIL AT HUMBER
The newly constructed Humber Art Commons was designed to foster creative collaboration and experimentation. The flexible space allows Art Foundation students to conceptualize, create, and exhibit work all in the same place.
Launched as a live lab, the Art Commons building provides students with a creative space to explore and discover new techniques. Located at Lakeshore Campus on Lakeshore Blvd, the building acts as a hub for art students. The open concept allows for a modern studio space flooded by natural light. The space has been modelled on the general concept of transformability. Four large multi-purpose rooms on two floors can be turned into any kind of collaborative space depending on need.
Take a 360 degree tour!
For mobile and tablet users, open the video in the YouTube app. For optimal viewing experience use Firefox or Chrome. Currently Safari does not support 360 videos.
Watch the video and discover how Noni Kaur inspires her students to think outside the box and create more than what they think they are capable of.
Watch the video to find out how Humber prepared Mac for the professional aspects of being an artist.
Watch the video to discover how the Visual and Digital Arts program at Humber helps students explore their creativity and express their ideas.
Watch the video to see how the In Situ event was an immersive and interactive evening that showcased music, photography, performance, dance, improv, mime, spoken word, mural and graffiti art, installation art, design and more by some of the GTA’s best emerging artists!
Steve Cober is a multidisciplinary designer and technologist. With a background in media arts, his experience spans product, experience, environmental and game design for clients such as Kellogg's, Visa, Nintendo and Disney. Steve co-founded Magic Pony, a creative hybrid synthesizing the signature elements of a retail store, exhibition space, and design studio to create a cultural hub and creative incubator in Toronto. In partnership with artists, corporations and cultural institutions, Magic Pony collaborated on over 100 art exhibitions, culminating with This Is Not a Toy, a retrospective of designer toy culture co-curated by Pharrell Williams. Most recently, he joined Secret Location as creative director for Waking Wonderland, a large-scale immersive entertainment project based on the works of Lewis Carroll.
His research explores the intersection of emergent narrative, participatory art and innovations in digital-physical technologies. He lectures in entrepreneurship, illustration, interactive design, using prototyping and ideation as the catalyst for learning and collaboration.
Marc Colangelo is a visual artist specializing in representational works of portraiture, figurative compositions and dream imagery. Areas of instruction and expertise are figure drawing and painting, artistic anatomy, and composition.
Noni Kaur is an award-winning international contemporary artist and educator based in Toronto, Canada. As a Singaporean woman of Punjabi descent, her identity is by its own nature intersectional. The works she creates explore her cultural history and how particular materials are adapted or transformed through use in different spaces/environments. Her installations are immersive, multi-sensory experiences that bridge the gaps between gender, culture, the body, and the non-human world.
Cole Swanson (BA Studio Art, MA Art History) is an artist and educator based in Toronto, Canada. He has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across Canada and throughout international venues in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. He is a two-time national fellowship winner through the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute for his research on miniature painting, fresco, and natural pigment production in Jaipur, India. His current artistic practice includes a multidisciplinary study of the complex relationships shared between humans and other organisms. Working in painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, and sound art, Swanson has created exhibitions in partnerships with scientists, ecologists, community groups, and social activists in order to confront critical questions in art, nature, and society today.
Swanson has performed many professional roles within the arts and has held positions in curatorial work, museum and gallery administration, and post-secondary education. As full-time professor and program co-ordinator for the Art Foundation and Visual & Digital Arts programs at Humber College, Swanson has developed and taught courses in painting, material methods, art history, collaborative and experimental art, and professional practice. Alongside Professor Anne Zbitnew, Swanson is a founding member of Art in Access, a research initiative that seeks to expand opportunities for community members faced with physical, social, and cultural barriers to art education. Swanson also held sessional teaching positions in the Faculty of Art, Ontario College of Art and Design University in painting, colour theory, and material processes.
Swanson has appeared as author and subject of numerous publications and catalogues, and has guest lectured at academic and arts institutions throughout Canada and abroad. He has been featured in print, video, and academic publications, and his recent work on Toronto's double-crested cormorant colony was profiled on The Nature of Things with David Suzuki (2020).
Swanson has received financial support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, the Musagetes Foundation, and the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute. His work appears in private and public collections throughout Canada.
Carolyne Topdjian is an interdisciplinary writer and educator whose work explores existential issues of aesthetics, consciousness, and identity. With a background in visual art theory and practice, she received her PhD in Social and Political Thought from York University and has since published numerous scholarly essays and stories. Her latest novel, The Hitman’s Daughter, is forthcoming from Agora Books in January 2022. You can find her at carolynetopdjian.com.
Tobias Williams is an artist and educator based in Toronto, Canada. He holds an MFA from York University. He recently completed an educational residency with the Toronto Public Library as part of the Innovator-in-Residence program and worked with STYLY VR as the head lecturer of the 2022 NEWVIEW SCHOOL in Toronto. Currently Tobias works as an instructor at OCAD U and Humber College. His work has been shown both locally and internationally including exhibitions at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin as part of Transmediale, Material Art Fair in Mexico City, The Brandscape in Toronto and the AGM in Mississauga.
Tobias’s art and research practice uses XR, 3D rendering and animation to explore the relationship between art, society and technology. Recent projects of his have focused on topics such as the history of Blockchain, the influence of platform based algorithms on contemporary visual culture and the ontology of virtual art spaces.
Propel your resume and life story to the next level by taking advantage of the global opportunities offered at Humber. Gain academic credit, develop highly valued employability skills, and create connections with people from all over the world through our many offerings: Summer Abroad, Semester Exchange, Humber Global Summer School, and many other opportunities!
To learn more, please visit Humber Global, or contact Jennifer Cleary at Jennifer.Cleary@humber.ca.
Although the Information Age has created an explosion of career opportunities for visual and digital artists, the competition is keen. It is an exciting career that encompasses creativity, challenges, new insights and dynamic ways of critical thinking. But employers agree that professional drawing and painting skills reinforced with fine art principles and critical-thinking skills will distinguish an applicant from the crowd.
Enjoy exciting entry-level positions in the visual, graphic and media arts industry with your newly acquired skillset. Use your creative and technical skills as an illustrator, contemporary artist, concept artist, advertising layout artist, storyboard artist, digital illustrator, visualizer, artist representative, gallery or artist supply assistant, graphic artist, photographer’s assistant, or art teaching assistant. Be self-employed as a freelance artist, illustrator or art instructor in an arts and crafts association or organization. Many of our graduates also pursue higher education within media studies and the visual arts, given that they will be equipped with a comprehensive portfolio to showcase their acquired skills.
Program Availability
START | DELIVERY | LOCATION | STATUS |
---|---|---|---|
Sep 2025 | Lakeshore | Open |
START | DELIVERY | LOCATION | STATUS |
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Sep 2025 | Lakeshore | Open |
Humber is a publicly-funded institution and does not have a public-private partnership. International students graduating from Humber or Humber’s International Graduate School (IGS) are eligible to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit.
International Students in Canada who apply for September 2024 start could be eligible for an automatic scholarship*. Apply now
Please note the new International Admissions Process and Provincial Attestation Letters. Read the update
START | DELIVERY | LOCATION | STATUS |
---|---|---|---|
Sep 2025 | Lakeshore | Open |
Humber is a publicly-funded institution and does not have a public-private partnership. International students graduating from Humber or Humber’s International Graduate School (IGS) are eligible to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit.
International Students Out of Canada can Apply through Humber International
Please note the new International Admissions Process and Provincial Attestation Letters. Read the update
Block-based: Students select a pre-set weekly schedule of courses that best meets their needs. Block-Based schedules may include in-person, hybrid and online courses.
Course-based: Students create their own schedule of courses from among in-person, hybrid and online options.
Condensed Week - Courses requiring students to come to campus are scheduled over 2-3 days per week. Online courses are scheduled on other days.
Online - Courses are scheduled only online and may be delivered asynchronously, where students study independently or synchronously, where students attend the online class on a specified time and day.
Twilight - In-person, online synchronous and hybrid courses are generally scheduled after 3:00pm.
Twilight-Online: Online synchronous courses are generally scheduled after 3:00 pm.
Flexing Creative Muscles at Nuit Blanche
Wed, October 02, 2024
Humber Polytechnic’s Lakeshore Campus will again serve as a hub for the popular contemporary art event Nuit Blanche.
Alumnus Views Life Through the Lens
Thu, September 12, 2024
Photography grad John Narvali is a strong supporter of Humber Polytechnic.
New Humber Cultural Hub to Fuel Creativity and Passion
Tue, July 30, 2024
Humber students will be learning and creating in the innovative Humber Cultural Hub (HCH) starting this September.
Emerging Writers Dazzle in Flash Fiction Contest
School for Writers
Thu, July 18, 2024
The winners of the Bachelor of Creative and Professional Writing’s (BCPW) annual Flash Fiction Contest have been announced.
No news at this time.
Every attempt is made to ensure that information contained on this website is current and accurate. Humber Polytechnic reserves the right to correct any error or omission, modify or cancel any course, program, fee, timetable or campus location at any time without prior notice or liability to users or any other Person.
Apply through OCAS between June 14 - July 19, 2024 and be registered full-time on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 and receive a $125 credit equal to the domestic application fee.
To qualify, get started by filling out the APPLY ON US form.
*This promotion is open to domestic applications for the September 2024 program intakes only. Offer not valid for existing applicants or applications.
International Students with a valid Study Permit or Letter of Introduction (LOI)* can receive a Waiver Code to cover the $100 September 2024 application fee.
A Humber education is second to none, benefit from:
Sign Up to be notified of upcoming recruitment events and activities.
Applications to Humber are made through ontariocolleges.ca. Be sure to submit your application by July 15, 2024 to receive your Application Fee Credit. Applications for September will remain open as long as the program availability status shows Open.
To check program availability refer to the Campus/Availability listing on Humber’s program pages, search by availability, or ontariocolleges.ca.
To see where you are in the admissions process, visit the Admissions Road Map.
If you’re an international student, you can apply directly to Humber via our International Centre.
Call 416-675-3111 or email enquiry@humber.ca. If you have already applied, be sure to check your application status on myhumber.ca.
Domestic applicants can book a one-on-one advising appointment with an admissions representative.
Contact the International Centre for information about full-time programs (including the International Graduate School), how to apply and to follow up on your submitted application.
Speak to the Program Co-ordinator about the course curriculum, projects and career options.
Marc Colangelo, program co-ordinator
416.675.6622 ext. 3505
marc.colangelo@humber.ca
Book a campus tour to take a closer look at what it's like to be a student at Humber.
Find out more about the student experience and everything that Humber has to offer Future Students.
for more info on Humber, including programs, special events and more!
Find an employer willing to sponsor you as an apprentice.
Contact the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to register as an apprentice.
Work with your employer approximately one year before attending Humber.
If you’re in high school – grade 11 or 12 – you can earn co-op education credits through work placements in some skilled trades.
Applications to Humber are made through ontariocolleges.ca. Be sure to submit your application by the equal consideration deadline of February 1. You may apply after February 1, however, post-February 1 applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis depending on the availability of the space in the program.
To check program availability refer to the Campus/Availability listing on Humber’s program pages, search by availability, or ontariocolleges.ca.
To see where you are in the admissions process, visit the Admissions Road Map.
If you’re an international student, you can apply directly to Humber via our International Centre.
Get help narrowing down your program options or book a one-on-one pre-enrolment advising appointment with one of our Recruitment Officers.
Book a virtual appointment with a Student Mobility Advisor learn more about getting Transfer Credit(s) for previous post-secondary experience, Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR), and Pathways options.
Admission selection is based on the academic criteria indicated. Meeting minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee admission.
Admission selection is based on the following three requirements:
To be eligible for admission, you must possess the following:
or
or
An applicant is considered a mature applicant if they have not completed secondary school or other postsecondary school, and will be 19 or older as of the first day of classes. Humber will invite you for testing to demonstrate that you meet all listed course requirements.
An applicant is considered a mature applicant if they have not completed secondary school or attended postsecondary studies, and will be 21 or older as of the first day of classes. Mature applicants for degree programs will be required to meet course requirements at the U/M level or equivalent.
An applicant is considered a college transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a college-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or college courses and grades to determine program eligibility.
An applicant is considered a college transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a college-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or college courses and grades to determine program eligibility. Applicants must have an overall minimum grade point average (GPA) of 65 per cent in the program. Applicants are required to disclose and provide academic transcripts for all course work completed at the postsecondary level.
An applicant is considered a university transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a university-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or university courses and grades to determine program eligibility.
An applicant is considered a university transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a university-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or university courses and grades to determine program eligibility. Applicants are required to disclose and provide academic transcripts for all course work completed at the postsecondary level.
All applicants whose first language is not English must meet Humber’s English Language Proficiency Policy.
Canadian citizens or permanent residents with international education are required to provide a credential evaluation. Note, for international High school education course by course evaluations, ICAS must be used. For international post-secondary education, a WES evaluation must be provided. In situations where you expect to apply for transfer credit, it is recommended that a course by course WES evaluation is completed.
Admission equivalencies for Humber depend on your country of study. Please enter your location or choose detect my location to see the requirements for your country below.
Once you have been accepted, and have confirmed your offer, you may need to complete a further set of requirements related to your program (Post-Admission Requirements).
Details and Specifications | Minimum Specs | Recommended Specs |
---|---|---|
Processor | Laptop - Intel i5 (Quad 4) | Laptop - Intel i7 (Quad 4 or higher) |
OS | Windows 10 (PC) OS 10.15 (Mac) or Mac OS |
|
Memory | 16GB RAM | |
Storage | Hard drive 250GB | SSD (Solid State Drive) preferable |
Other | Tablet, Creative Cloud software licensing, Art Supplies - Cole Swanson working with supplier to see if a kit can be created for purchase |
Speak to the Program Co-ordinator about the course curriculum, projects and career options.
Marc Colangelo, program co-ordinator
416.675.6622 ext. 3505
marc.colangelo@humber.ca
The 2024/2025 fee for two semesters was:
Fees are subject to change.
Fees by Semester
Domestic Fees International FeesSemester 1 | 2024-2025 Fees |
Tuition | $2,788.75 |
Compulsory Ancillary Fee | $444.09 |
Compulsory Student Union Fee | $66.00 |
IGNITE Health and Dental Insurance Fee | $111.12 |
Enhanced Student Experience Fee (Optional) | $20.00 |
Program Ancillary Fee | $565.00 |
Co-op/Placement | $0.00 |
Total | $3,994.96 |
Semester 2 | 2024-2025 Fees |
Tuition | $2,788.75 |
Compulsory Ancillary Fee | $444.09 |
Compulsory Student Union Fee | $66.00 |
IGNITE Health and Dental Insurance Fee | $111.12 |
Enhanced Student Experience Fee (Optional) | $20.00 |
Program Ancillary Fee | $0.00 |
Co-op/Placement | $0.00 |
Total | $3,429.96 |
Semester 3 | 2024-2025 Fees |
Tuition | $2,788.75 |
Compulsory Ancillary Fee | $444.09 |
Compulsory Student Union Fee | $66.00 |
IGNITE Health and Dental Insurance Fee | $111.12 |
Enhanced Student Experience Fee (Optional) | $20.00 |
Program Ancillary Fee | $0.00 |
Co-op/Placement | $0.00 |
Total | $3,429.96 |
Semester 4 | 2024-2025 Fees |
Tuition | $2,788.75 |
Compulsory Ancillary Fee | $444.09 |
Compulsory Student Union Fee | $66.00 |
IGNITE Health and Dental Insurance Fee | $111.12 |
Enhanced Student Experience Fee (Optional) | $20.00 |
Program Ancillary Fee | $0.00 |
Co-op/Placement | $0.00 |
Total | $3,429.96 |
Semester 1 | 2024-2025 Fees |
Tuition | $7,977.79 |
Compulsory Ancillary Fee | $444.09 |
Compulsory Student Union Fee | $66.00 |
IGNITE Health and Dental Insurance Fee | $111.12 |
Enhanced Student Experience Fee (Optional) | $20.00 |
Program Ancillary Fee | $565.00 |
Co-op/Placement | $0.00 |
Total | $9,184.00 |
Semester 2 | 2024-2025 Fees |
Tuition | $7,977.79 |
Compulsory Ancillary Fee | $444.09 |
Compulsory Student Union Fee | $66.00 |
IGNITE Health and Dental Insurance Fee | $111.12 |
Enhanced Student Experience Fee (Optional) | $20.00 |
Program Ancillary Fee | $0.00 |
Co-op/Placement | $0.00 |
Total | $8,619.00 |
Semester 3 | 2024-2025 Fees |
Tuition | $7,977.79 |
Compulsory Ancillary Fee | $444.09 |
Compulsory Student Union Fee | $66.00 |
IGNITE Health and Dental Insurance Fee | $111.12 |
Enhanced Student Experience Fee (Optional) | $20.00 |
Program Ancillary Fee | $0.00 |
Co-op/Placement | $0.00 |
Total | $8,619.00 |
Semester 4 | 2024-2025 Fees |
Tuition | $7,977.79 |
Compulsory Ancillary Fee | $444.09 |
Compulsory Student Union Fee | $66.00 |
IGNITE Health and Dental Insurance Fee | $111.12 |
Enhanced Student Experience Fee (Optional) | $20.00 |
Program Ancillary Fee | $0.00 |
Co-op/Placement | $0.00 |
Total | $8,619.00 |
*Plus Mandatory Health Insurance fee once per academic year: Fall start - $420 Winter start - $280 Summer start - $140
Approximately $750 - art supplies; $230–$350 - digital tablet (for third/fourth semesters); access to a digital camera (third semester).
Understand the costs associated with coming to Humber and explore resources available from first year to your final year on Student Fees and Financial Resources.
Find out more about scholarships and bursaries that you may be eligible for, visit Student Scholarships. International students can visit International Student Scholarships.
Bursaries are available for Certificate, Diploma and Degree programs primarily based on financial need, visit Humber Bursaries.
Find out more information about external scholarships and bursaries, visit External Awards.
Humber offers a variety of bursaries and scholarships for Indigenous students, visit Indigenous Student Awards.
Humber Pathways include:
Humber Pathways include:
Below are a few examples of pathways into this program. For more information on a pathway, click the Details button. To see all of your possible pathway options, click the View All Pathways link underneath the table.
Additional information will be made available to students from their program before the beginning of the Winter term. Courses with in-person requirements will likely also have online components. The delivery mode of some courses is still being determined. Humber may need to change plans for in-person learning, subject to government and public health directives and/or additional health and safety considerations.
You can find a complete list of programs with downloads including program and course details at Current Student Resources
Students in programs marked as online/in-person will have a combination of those two types of delivery. Additional information will be made available to students from their program in the first week of June. Courses with in-person requirements will likely also have online components. The delivery mode of some courses is still being determined. Humber may need to change plans for in-person learning, subject to government and public health directives and/or additional health and safety considerations.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
Produce creative life and representational drawings and paintings, illustrating volume, proportion, perspective, mass and texture with descriptive lighting.
Create representational digital drawing, paintings and illustrations, using application software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Painter.
Assess the artistic merit of artwork using an analysis of the creative application of established principles of design and composition.
Construct pictorial compositions using visual perspective to achieve accurate proportional relationships.
Light compositions to reveal three-dimensional form.
Create figurative pictorial compositions, using principles of human and comparative anatomy.
Critique technical principles of composition in representational drawing, painting and illustration, through analysis of rendering.
Prepare and present a traditional and creative art portfolio containing both original work and computer generated reproductions.
Research and create reference materials to support successful completion of a work of art.
Reproduce, with fidelity, colour as encountered in nature, mixing traditional and digital media.
Develop a career plan and self-promotion skills suitable to the digital media industry, using materials such as a résumé, cover letter, contact list, e-portfolio.
Develop and present a digital art project proposal and manage the project, using effective oral and written communications skills.