The SCA's Master of Fine Arts program provides advanced, professional interdisciplinary training in a university setting for artists in and across the fields of dance, film, music, theatre, and visual art.
The program develops student's individual artistic practice, creativity, interdisciplinary research, technical skill and critical awareness of art's relationship to contemporary society. Several kinds of artist thrive in this program: those who have a strong background in a single discipline and value the stimulation of an interdisciplinary environment; those whose studio practice fuses two or more disciplines; and those who want to develop the theoretical or scholarly context of their practice.
For information about applying to the program, please follow the links at the Future Students section of our site.
MFA students work closely with faculty members. Our faculty consists of nationally and internationally recognized dancers and choreographers; filmmakers, videomakers, and screenwriters; composers; directors, actors, and a dramaturge; visual artists; and historians and theorists.
MFA students normally pursue a five-semester program of original research and studio work, culminating in a graduate artistic project supported by an essay and documentation. The program is full-time, normally takes two years, and requires students to be in the Vancouver area.
Please see the MFA Handbook for detailed information about the MFA program.
MFA candidates complete a minimum of 35 units, including 25 of course work, and a project which is the equivalent of 10 units. Normally, this project is an art presentation accompanied by appropriate documentation with an oral defence.
CA 811 – Interdisciplinary Graduate Seminar I (5)
Critical study of contemporary issues in the fine and performing arts, with emphasis on concerns common to diverse artistic disciplines and the interaction between art and society. Students with credit for FPA 811 may not take this course for further credit.
CA 812 – Interdisciplinary Graduate Seminar II (5)
Continuation of CA (or FPA) 811. Students with credit for FPA 812 may not take this course for further credit. Prerequisite: CA (or FPA) 811.
CA 813 – Interdisciplinary Graduate Studio (5)
A selected topics studio course with an emphasis on interdisciplinary artistic projects. Students with credit for FPA 813 may not take this course for further credit. Prerequisite: CA (or FPA) 811.
CA 883 – Studio in Fine and Performing Arts I (5)
Intensive studio work, concentrated in a particular art discipline, but with opportunity to involve interdisciplinary materials and techniques. Students with credit for FPA 883 may not take this course for further credit.
CA 898 – Master of Arts Graduating Project (10)
CA 885 – Studio in Fine and Performing Arts II (5)
Continuation of CA (or FPA) 883. Students with credit for FPA 885 may not take this course for further credit. Prerequisite: CA (or FPA) 883.
CA 887 – Selected Topics in Fine and Performing Arts (5)
Study of particular artistic techniques or issues. The topic varies from term to term. Students with credit for FPA 887 may not take this course for further credit.
CA 889 – Directed Study in Fine and Performing Arts (5)
Applicants should have an undergraduate degree in visual culture, art history, cinema studies, performance studies, cultural studies, communications, literary studies, or other degrees focusing on the arts. Applications with Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees that include substantial scholarly studies will also qualify.
All applicants who submit complete applications will be notified of their status by the end of March. Candidates accepted into the MFA program will begin their courses in September.
Please be sure that your mailing and e-mail addresses are current, as you will be notified of application results by e-mail and by letter.
The only hardcopy documents we need to receive are your official sealed transcripts, please submit everything else online.
1. On-line Application for Graduate Studies.
ALL CANDIDATES MUST COMPLETE AN ON-LINE APPLICATION
If you have not submitted the online application, you will not be considered for the program. All graduate program applications are processed through the Dean of Graduate Studies office. In order to use the online application system, you will need to pay an application fee of $90 CAN (students with Canadian transcripts) or $125 CAN (students with international transcripts) by credit card (MasterCard or Visa). The online application includes a checklist of the documents that you will need to submit to us to support your application. This checklist will be updated online as we receive your documents. Please refer to the online checklist to ensure that all documents are received. NOTE: Due to the number of applications, it is not possible for us to monitor every applicant's checklist closely.
2. Official sealed Transcripts of all post-secondary education. Sealed transcripts should be sent directly to the address below by the academic institution. Non-English language transcripts must include an official English translation.
SCA Graduate Program Assistant
SFU School for the Contemporary Arts
Goldcorp Centre for the Arts
149 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 1H4
3. A Curriculum Vitae.
4. An Artist's Statement indicating your background and the nature of your creative practice, including primary discipline and any interdisciplinary interest. Your goals in pursuing a Master's degree at Simon Fraser would also be of interest to the committee.
5. Three short scenarios (150-200 words each) of Artistic Projects you might undertake during graduate study. These will not necessarily evolve into your major project, but should indicate the creative directions you wish to pursue and your conceptual clarity.
6. A Portfolio of your work, including a list which prioritizes the viewing/listening order of materials. You may upload video, audio, images, or PDF documents (less than 10 Mb each). Unfortunately, we are unable to accept physical media (DVDs, CDs, etc.). For works that involve a creation and production team, please make your role (Director, Choreographer, etc.) clear.
7. A sample of Academic Writing. Acceptable samples include senior undergraduate essays or other academic writing, published articles, and grant applications.
8. Three (3) Letters of Reference from (preferably) academic or professional sources. Letters can be uploaded online directly by each reference. He or she will receive login information and instructions for uploading his or her letter once you have named him or her as a reference.
We do not have a template for reference letters; your referees can use their preferred format.
9. International students: English is the language of instruction and communication at SFU. The School for Contemporary Arts requires English proficiency as outlined on the Dean of Graduate Studies website. Please note that we must receive test results directly from the testing agency. Copies of documents sent directly by students will not be accepted.
The CMA Journal is a newly established open-access, student-run, peer-reviewed journal, publishing the best of graduate and postgraduate essays, artworks and experimental content, created and run by SCA MA students.
MORE INFO: CMA Journal
As the location for yearly student exhibitions, SFU Galleries' Audain Gallery at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts extends the pedagogy of the SCA. Through exhibitions, seminars, panels, artist talks, studio visits, and working directly with visiting artists, the programing and activities of the Audain Gallery offer our undergraduate and graduate students a unique opportunity to participate in high-profile, internationally focused and engaged artistic practices.
Audain Gallery
Simon Fraser University
Goldcorp Centre for the Arts
149 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6B 5K3
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, 12–5pm & Thursday, Friday, 12–8pm
E: audaingallery@sfu.ca
P: 778.782.9102
For an archive of past SCA exhibitions at the Audain Gallery, please click here.
The SCA's Audain Visual Artist in Residence program brings artists and practitioners to Vancouver who have contributed significantly to the field of contemporary art and whose work resonates with local and international visual art discourses.
E: avair@sfu.ca
For an archive of past Audain Visual Artist in Residence guests, exhibitions, and projects, please click here.
The program is generously funded by the Audain Foundation Endowment Fund.
With approximately four talks per term, the free and public 611 Talks series at the Alexander Studios, which is organized by the SCA Visual Art area, features curators, international and local artists, both distinguished and emerging, and other cultural producers presenting on their practices, projects, and ideas. The series is a productive occasion for working artists and students to discuss their methods and concepts and to explore the contexts and theories of contemporary art while also engaging with visual culture in a broader way.
For an archive of past 611 Talks guests, please click here.
Peter Dickinson: peter_dickinson@sfu.ca
Graduate Program Assistant: sca_gpa@sfu.ca
Graduate General Regulations
MFA Handbook
SCA Academic Calendar
Community Research Ethics Policy
CMA Journal
Graduate Journal List (updated 2019)
Graduate Grants PDF
Gaming Grants PDF
Associations Canada: Search Examples PDF
Sabine Bitter
Henry Daniel
Peter Dickinson
Arne Eigenfeldt
Judith Garay
Kyla Gardiner
Steven Hill
Sky Hopinka
Rob Kitsos
DD Kugler
Claudette Lauzon
Cole Lewis
Laura U. Marks
Melanie O'Brian
Denise Oleksijczuk
Christopher Pavsek
Elspeth Pratt
Eldritch Priest
Judy Radul
Simone Rapisarda
Sabrina Schroeder
Owen Underhill
Ker Wells
Wladimiro A. Woyno R
Jin-me Yoon
FTI