Ontario College of Art and Design

About Ontario College of Art and Design

Student Services and Student Life

The university offers personal support services to its students, such as student unions, centre for students with disabilities, counselling, health and safety training, jobs on campus, and many different student associations. They also offer academic services, which include aboriginal student programs, IT support, career advising, technology and media services, and writing and learning centres. Incoming students are also provided a week-long summer orientation that helps them make a much smoother transition from secondary school to a university.

Many students in the university take advantage of student memberships that give them access to many fitness and recreational centres that are near the campus. OCAD is also a bicycle-friendly institution, with bike racks on both sides of the main entrance and at the city posts on both sides of its streets. There are also gyms that are easily accessible for the students. For those who are more of thrill-seekers, they can visit the park and have fun camping, cycling, and hiking. There are a lot more activities offered, and everyone can find something that will suit their interest and level of adventure.

Academic Programs

Typical courses offered by Ontario College are subdivided into four areas: Faculty of Art, Faculty of Design, Faculty of Liberal Studies and Alternative Programs. The two most common divisions are the Faculty of Art, where students can have the option of getting several majors to enroll in, such as: Integrated Media, Photography,Criticism & Curatorial Practice, Printmaking, and Sculpture/Installation, and Drawing & Painting, and the second one is Faculty of Design. Here, students can choose between Environmental Design, Graphic Design, Material Art & Design, Advertising, Industrial Design, and Illustration.

Notable Accomplishments

The school uses a learning environment that joins together an artistic, studio-based education with a scientific and critical analysis of their “genre.” This combination has led to remarkable and unexpected results, encouraging students to be more diverse and experimental with their work. Many inventions were the result of this, and some of the best innovations regarding design were a product of this institute.

Famous Alumni

There are many notable alumni from this university. Among the few are: Myfanwy Ashmore - conceptual artist, Yank Azman – actor, David Blackwood - Canadian artist, George Bures Miller - installation artist, Jack Bush - abstract expressionist painter, member of the Painters Eleven, Meryn Cadell - writer, performance artist, Franklin Carmichael - painter, member of the Group of Seven, Robin Cass - filmmaker, producer, Aimee Chan - graphic designer, Miss Hong Kong 2006, actress, George Dunning - artist, illustrator, Wallace Edwards – illustrator, Frank Faubert - politician, final Mayor of Scarborough, Ed Furness - comic book artist, ans Rachel Hayward – actress.

Toronto Information

Toronto is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth-most populous municipality in North America, and the 46th most populous in the world. As Canada's economic capital, Toronto is considered one of the top financial cities in the world.

Toronto's climate is moderate for Canada due to its southerly location within the country and its proximity to Lake Ontario. It has a humid continental climate, with warm, humid summers and generally cold winters, although fairly mild by Canadian and many northern continental U.S. standards. The city experiences four distinct seasons with considerable variance in day to day temperature, particularly during the colder weather season.

Toronto is a major scene for theatre and other performing arts, with more than fifty ballet and dance companies, six opera companies, and two symphony orchestras. The city is home to the National Ballet of Canada, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Notable performance venues include the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Roy Thomson Hall, the Princess of Wales Theatre, the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Massey Hall, the Toronto Centre for the Arts, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres and the Hummingbird Centre.