Vancouver Island University offers Graphic Design: Bachelor of Design Degree (BA), a bachelor's degree in Applied Design programme in Nanaimo, Canada. The programme runs for 4 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 5,100 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Bachelor's Degree
Field:Applied Design
Duration: 4 years
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 5,100 / total
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The Bachelor of Design Degree in Graphic Design features lectures, studio classes, computer lab instruction, critiques, project work, portfolio development and a graduation show. You'll gain skills in the areas of design, communication, technology, and business. Upon graduation you'll be prepared for work in new media and web design, packaging, illustration, animation, advertising, marketing communications design, art and creative direction, and more.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: VIU's general admission requirements apply. Beyond them, every applicant to the Bachelor of Design in Graphic Design submits three things: a portfolio; a written statement of 100 to 300 words on your reasons and goals for wanting the programme, showing that you have researched the profession; and a resume including two reference letters.
The portfolio should hold 6 to 12 pieces, and VIU accepts a wide range of media — hand-rendered sketching in pencil or ink, painting, collage and mixed media, photography, 3D sculpture or prop building, writing such as essays, poems or blogs, digital work whether commissioned or not, jewellery, pottery, fabric and needlework, video and motion, websites and animation, sound and music, and sketch or process journals.
The degree is capped at 24 students, so meeting the minimums does not guarantee a seat. Transfer applicants go through the same admission process, and entry with advanced standing may be possible. Students from other programmes who want to take an individual course from the degree may be asked for a portfolio and other documentation, and screened for the hardware and software experience the course assumes.
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:Domestic (Canadian) applicants apply through EducationPlannerBC; Vancouver Island University sets no institution-wide equal-consideration date, and its admissions FAQ states deadlines vary by programme, with applications for most academic programmes opening 1 October in the year before a September start. VIU publishes no general closing date for that window; applicants are directed to each programme's own page for its own deadline. International applicants use the same portal; VIU publishes no international-specific institution-wide date either, and several health programmes (Practical Nursing, Nursing Unit Assistant) are stated as not currently open to international students. Each programme's own page carries its own Start Date, Deadlines, and Additional Application Details table for the 2026-27 cycle, and admission for programmes without a stated window is treated as ongoing/rolling until the intake fills. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
