Dawson College offers Diploma in Visual Arts, a diploma in Visual Arts programme in Westmount, Canada. The programme runs for 2 years. Tuition for international students is CAD 7,575 per semester.
At a glance
Degree:Diploma
Field:Visual Arts
Duration: 2 years
International tuition: CAD 7,575 / semester
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Visual Arts is a two-year pre-university Diploma of Collegial Studies (DEC) at Dawson College focused on building technical and conceptual skills in painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and new media. Alongside studio practice, students learn to recognize and interpret artworks from different historical periods and develop critical thinking through applied problem-solving. The program is built around core studio courses supported by general education and complementary courses, with access to dedicated studio spaces, a visual arts library and a computer lab. Field-based learning includes visits to exhibitions and meetings with practising artists, curators, conservators, art educators and art therapists. The program suits students who want to develop a personal studio-based art practice and build technical skill across multiple media before continuing their studies. Admission requires a Secondary V diploma and submission of a portfolio. Graduates go on to university programs in visual or studio arts, art history, art education, art therapy, design or photography, or pursue work in studio art production, conservation, advertising or communications.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Requires a Quebec Diploma of Secondary Studies (DES), or an academic background judged equivalent to the DES. No specific secondary-school courses or minimum grades are listed on the programme page; instead, admission is conditional on submission of a portfolio, with full guidelines published on the programme's dedicated admission-requirements page. English-language proficiency is not addressed on the programme's own pages and defaults to Dawson College's general policy: applicants whose mother tongue or secondary-school language of instruction was not English must submit TOEFL iBT (minimum 4), IELTS Academic (minimum 6.0 overall), PTE Academic (minimum 50), or Duolingo (minimum 95-100 overall). The application deadline is March 1.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Domestic and international applicants apply directly through the Dawson College Application System rather than SRAM. Applications for Winter 2027 opened 22 September 2026 with a deadline of 1 November 2026; however, international students are not eligible to apply for the Winter semester unless they already hold a valid CAQ/CSQ and Study Permit naming Dawson College, given Quebec's study-authorization processing times. Fall admission's standing deadline is 1 March, though Fall 2027 application dates were not yet posted as of September 2026 (Fall 2026 closed on 1 March 2026 with no late applications accepted). Admission is not described as rolling; these are firm deadlines. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
