Become an award-winning digital artist at this Metro Vancouver university

Technology has given creative people incredible power to tell stories that transport us to other worlds, inspire us, and challenge us. From captivating visual effects, to blockbuster movies and video games, digital artists are leaders in creating our virtual culture. Combined with the right entertainment arts education, the opportunities to become the next award-winning digital artist are endless. This is especially true in Vancouver, as major studios set up offices in our red-hot digital industries.

Apply your creativity at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) and its new entertainment arts programs. With experienced professionals teaching you the skills to be successful in visual effects, animation, or game development, you will leave career-ready in two years or less.

These professionals include Amanda Morgan, one of KPU’s visual effects instructors, who brings nearly a decade of experience from major motion pictures into the classroom, including key work on box-office hits such as Sully and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. As an industry insider, Amanda believes we are experiencing a prominent growth period. “There are more job opportunities than artists qualified to fill them,” Amanda says. “With notable companies opening new offices, the need for talented artists will remain.”

That need for talent drives Amanda’s passion for teaching next-generation digital artists to be successful in a studio environment, with lessons that go beyond technical skills. “While knowing how to utilize the software is important, it’s just as important to understand how to be part of a team working towards a collective vision,” she says. “KPU entertainment arts students are prepared for all aspects of industry work to help them make that transition to working artist as smooth as possible.”

With experienced professionals to guide you, KPU students are supported in their transition to the entertainment arts industry through opportunities not available anywhere else. In collaboration with the Centre for Entertainment Arts, KPU students can benefit from studio internships, mentorship opportunities, as well as a graduate showcase attended by industry leaders, all of which support our KPU entertainment arts graduates to find employment within the industry.

In addition to other benefits students gain from a university-level education, KPU students have access to student awards and financial services, a peer wellness program, and opportunities for international students to begin their studio work experience in Canada through the post-graduation work permit program.

KPU’s collection of programs prepares you to work in the popular types of entertainment arts. From building new realities through art and programming in the advanced game development program, to creating virtual worlds with the advanced 3D animation and 3D modelling program, or enhancing stories with computer-generated graphics with the visual effects program, a KPU entertainment arts education leaves no opportunities unanswered. KPU even offers a foundation in entertainment arts certificate, where you can gain introductory skills to become an entry-level digital artist, and will offer an advanced 2D animation production program in January 2024.

Realize your potential to become the next award-winning digital artist and explore an entertainment arts education at KPU: where thought meets action.