Foundations in Design Certificate at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, Canada is a certificate in Applied Design programme. The programme runs for 1 year, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 2,500 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Certificate
Field:Applied Design
Duration: 1 year
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 2,500 / total
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Foundations in Design is a one-year (2-semester) certificate program that will develop your skills and your understanding of design as a career. Explore the diverse options open to the design professional, and grow your skills with hands on projects. This program gives you the opportunity to focus your studies in a creative environment lead by design professionals. Study fundamental design skills such as drawing, 2D and 3D design plus develop methods in the creative process essential to your success. Complete your year with a dynamic portfolio of work that will open the door to future studies in any number of design disciplines.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: The Faculty requirement here is KPU's undergraduate English Proficiency Requirement, set out in the university's own admission requirements. On top of it this programme asks for: an entrance package. Faculty members assess each applicant's suitability during selection, and KPU states plainly that meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. The department publishes what the package must contain and how to submit it at kpu.ca/design/find/admission-requirements. Seats are prioritised for students who stay on the prescribed programme plan. KPU's calendar page sets out these requirements without separating domestic from international applicants, so the same standard applies to both.
Application Details
Start Date:The University Calendar lists this programme's own start dates as Fall (September); it lists no Spring (January) and Summer (May) start, so those terms are not an entry point for it even though KPU runs them institution-wide. Under the Senate-approved 2026-27 schedule the Fall term runs 8 September to 17 December 2026.
Application Deadline:KPU classifies this as a Limited Intake programme: the number of seats is capped, applications are assessed against one another, and meeting the published minimums does not guarantee admission. The University Calendar lists this programme with Fall (September) as its only start, so only the window below applies to it; KPU's institution-wide Limited Intake timetable also covers terms this programme does not admit into. FALL (SEPTEMBER) INTAKE: applications open on 1 October of the previous year and the Limited Intake deadline is 1 March, so the Fall 2027 window runs 1 October 2026 to 1 March 2027; offers to domestic applicants (Canadian citizens and permanent residents) begin in November and offers to international applicants in late January. Some Limited Intake programmes close early when demand is high, and others extend the deadline when seats remain - the current extension list is at kpu.ca/admission/deadlines-extended. KPU notes that selected Limited Intake programmes may still consider domestic applicants after the term's final application date (1 July for Fall); international applicants get no such latitude, because KPU accepts nothing after those same dates. Applications open at 00:00 and close at 23:59 Pacific time. Both applicant types apply through EducationPlannerBC at apply.educationplannerbc.ca/kpu; the non-refundable application fee is CAD 40 for domestic applicants and CAD 120 for international applicants, and the confirmation deposit for a Limited Intake offer is CAD 500 domestic or CAD 5,000 international.
