Dean Lastoria
New Students and Retention
Dean has worked at SFU for 18 years in various roles including Admissions, Operations, and Continuing Studies. He has advised Contemporary Arts students for… More
Undergraduate
Program entry for all levels is by audition, interview or portfolio in Spring. As of Fall 2013 all students applying for Dance, Film, Music, Theatre, or Visual Art BFAs will participate in an additional application process for entry into the School for the Contemporary Arts. Depending on the Area, the audition, interview or portfolio will occur in March or April. As our programs are cohort based, students usually start our programs in the Fall … those interested in January or May start dates should contact us for a review of the specific details.
The Early Admission deadline to apply to SFU for entry into School for the Contemporary Arts programs is February 28th 2013. You have until April 30th to apply to SFU, but most of our programs have secondary application deadlines prior to this. Please e-mail lastoria@sfu.ca if you are applying after February 28th.
1. The first step is to apply here:
http://students.sfu.ca/futurestudents.html
2. After you apply, here is the page for the "next steps" on getting into our programs and Information about audition, interview or portfolio:
http://www.sfu.ca/sca/index.php/future-students/undergraduate/admissions-next-steps-2013
You may also contact SCA if you want Information (ca@sfu.ca)
3. Let us know about your interest in our programs by filling out this form so we can keep you up to date with information to guide you to the next step of application.
Apply to SFU First
Apply to SFU First
Students must have applied to SFU prior to Audition/Interview/Portfolio. This does not mean that you must be admitted to SFU … you probably won’t be admitted yet and that’s OK. Shortly after you fill out the SFU Admissions form you will be given a 9-digit reference number (eg. 301222222) and will need that to take the next step in the process.
Grades
SFU Admissions will post a competitive GPA for admission each semester. The School for the Contemporary Arts will take students Audition/Interview/Portfolio into account in the application process and make recommendations to Admissions where appropriate. Our School expects students in our majors to maintain a 3.0 Program GPA during the course of studies at SFU. That is a B average in all Contemporary Arts (FPA) courses – please see the Calendar for all details on good academic standing.
Visit Us
Drop-in advising for future students on Saturday January 26th from 10-12, with a building tour at 9:00 and noon. Info Session February 2nd 1:00pm. Or contact lastoria@sfu.ca for an individual tour.
Dance
Entry is by audition. The next Auditions will be held on February 12th, April 19th and April 22nd 2013. It is a full day with class in the morning, and interview in the afternoon. Students who can’t come in person are invited to audition by video. Please contact Contemporary Arts for more information about the video.
Film
The process for Film is a questionnaire followed by an interview. The on-line questionnaire due date has been extended to March 11th.. The initial questionnaire will be followed by an interview for approximately half the students who have applied. After applying to SFU, please contact ca@sfu.ca for the link to the Film Questionnaire. For more information on the Film entry process and the program, please see our FAQ.
Music
Prospective Music students from high-school must complete a Music Theory Entrance Examination and a short questionnaire. The test takes only a half hour and we will have multiple sittings February through March. The test must be completed and the questionnaire submitted my April 5th. If you are from outside the BC Lower-Mainland we can send the test to teachers or counselors who would be willing to supervise a ½ hour test. If you have post-secondary music credit and extensive composition experience please contact the School for information on submitting a portfolio for a placement assessment. Music Info Session February 26th 6:00pm.
Theatre
Performance students will audition in person for entry and placement in the Theatre program. Auditions will be held on April 29th and 30th. Students from high-school or without post-secondary theatre courses will audition for entry into first year of the program in April. Students with post-secondary theatre transfer credit will audition in April for second year of the Theatre Ensemble.
Production and Design students will fill out an on-line questionnaire due March 4th (extended to March 11th) for high-school students and April 5th for students transferring from post-secondary wishing placement in the program.
Visual Art
Portfolios for Visual Art are due March 4th (extended to March 11th) for high-school students entering first year, and April 5th (extended to April 8th) for students transferring from post-secondary schools wishing placement in the program. First year student portfolios will be a series of online questions questions.
A great way to see our Visual Art students' work is at the student run 611 Forum named after the main Visual Art campus for 2nd-4th year students located at 611 Alexander Street a few minutes walk from our main School campus: http://www.611forum.com/
Staff Profile
Alumni Reflections
"The music program at Simon Fraser University is absolutely unique and absolutely the way of the future. Forward-thinking in the extreme, its finger is right on the pulse of the art world today: perfect for a learning creative mind. Its innovation is only matched by its openness – during my time there, I was only ever encouraged to dream big, and it's because of the motivation and inspiration from my wonderful teachers that I've accomplished what I have. The school is just 'different' – ask any artist and they will tell you that's a very, very good thing."
James O'Callaghan (BFA Music 2010) and Composer in Residence for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada
