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The extended essay is an optional course for students wishing to further develop and polish an original argument toward publication in a journal, exhibition catalogue, or other professional venue. This course may be taken only with the permission of a supervising faculty member.

This is a rundown of the Fall 2024 fees (they tend to go up a bit each year). The application fee is $110 for applicants with Canadian transcripts, $150 for applicants with international transcripts. If accepted into the program, a deposit of $250 is needed to secure your place. It is a per-term fee schedule, not per-unit. Please note: international students pay the same tuition as domestic students.

These are the 2024 Fall Term fees in CND:

• All terms:
  • U-Pass BC Transit pass Fee $184.00
  • GRAD Student Athletic Fee $86.64
  • GRAD Student Activity Fee $77.68
  • GRAD Student Services Fee $52.01
  • GRAD Tuition T2202A $2107.43
  • Graduate Graduation Fee $12.00
• Fall Term Only:
  • Grad Health Plan Dental $290.00

  • Grad Health Plan Medical $210.00

• 1st Fall Term Only (For international students only)
  • International Medical Guard.Me Insurance $281.00 (This is a temporary insurance before the BC Provincial MSP basic medical insurance is setup. Please see the International Medical Insurance information at these links:
    • Fees
    • International & US Graduate Students

Fall Total International: $3,300.76 + $75 Per Month BC MSP Health Fee

Fall Total Domestic: *3,019.76

Spring Total: *$2,458.09 (+ $75 Per month BC MSP Health Fee is only for International Students)

In the Spring and Summer Terms, students are not charged for the Graduate medical and dental plans because they are an annual fee, so roughly: *$2,458.09 CND for the other two terms of the year. Living expenses are separate.

More details on tuition and fees can be found on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

International students pay the same tuition rate as domestic students.

For infomation about the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, please visit SFU's International Student Advising and Programs page HERE.

SFU and SCA are not waiving application fees at this time.

Information on housing can be found here:

• Housing Options
• Off Campus Housing

There are awards you don’t apply for, like entrance scholarships and fellowships, and awards you do apply for, like SSHRC, as well as a great number of other scholarships and awards. See this useful .

MA Students are eligible for:

• external awards (MA SSHRC: $17,500: application deadline: December 2021—Cdn. citizens and permanent residents only)
• teaching assistantships (~$2500-$5000/semester)
• research assistantships
• internal awards (GFs @ $3500/semester; special entrance awards of $2000)
• travel and research funds ($500-1500)
• MAs only: funds for public programs (up to $1000)
• private awards: see Grad Studies and SCA MA websites
  • Graduate Grants PDF
  • Gaming Grants PDF
  • Associations Canada: Search Examples PDF

Yes. As international students have two additional costs, the SFU Teaching Support Staff Union () of which all TAs are members, can provide support for these costs while graduate students are working. More details can be found .

International applicants will not be required to complete an English-language test if they have completed a degree at an institution where the language of instruction and examination was in English in a country where English is the primary language. All University Graduate English proficiency requirements can be found on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

The Duolingo English Test (DET) has been approved on a provisional basis, effective Summer 2024 through to the Fall 2026. The minimum required score for the DET is 130 overall with a minimum of 120 in each section. 

All applicants must meet the Graduate English proficiency minimum requirements. Please note, meeting the minimum scores does not guarantee entrance into the SCA grad programs.

The SCA Graduate programs do not require GRE results.

Due to the high volume of applicants, Staff and Faculty are not able to review application materials. The review process is part of the application process.

MA students do not need to be matched with a supervisor upon admission. Students are assigned an interim Supervisor for the first two terms. Two co-supervisors are established in the Summer term who are the readers of the extended essay.

Yes, but only if an applicant is selected for an interview. The program selection committee reviews all applications in an initial round of assessment. Successful applicants from this initial assessment are then contacted for an interview.

Due to the high number of applications each year, SCA does not accept applications past the application deadline.

At this time, the SCA will not be granting deferrals for starting the following year.

Yes, we have a waitlist for this program.

4 full-time semesters.

Approximately 10 to 11 students per year.

No. All SCA Graduate programs start in the Fall Term.

A few things! Students get interdisciplinary training in studies of the arts. A focus on practical training prepares students for careers in the arts. Studying in an art school in downtown Vancouver, they are immersed in the contemporary art scene.

No, it’s a coursework-based MA. Students develop a single research project through several courses, getting the equivalent of a MA thesis without the thesis.

Students can do a practicum with a local arts organization to develop skills like arts management, grant writing, communications, curating, programming, archiving, and production. They have the opportunity to share their research with the public by curating an exhibition or other public event, with funding. They gain publishing experience editing the CMA Journal. Intense professionalization: students learn to publish articles, present in public, develop their public profile, and apply for jobs and funds.

No. All course credits for each SCA Grad program are to be taken during the span of the program.

No, SCA Graduate courses are in-person only.

Please see the SFU Return to Campus Website HERE.

SCA Undergraduate courses can be taken with permission from the instructor. However, credit for these courses will not count towards your graduate degree. Many students opt to sit in the class or audit the course instead.

Unfortunately, graduate-level SCA studio classes are reserved for the MFA and PhD programs. However, it might still be possible to take undergraduate studio courses for audit with permission from the instructor.

For the purposes of lowering costs and saving paper, unofficial transcripts may be uploaded to an application for review. If an offer of acceptance is given, all official sealed transcripts will be required.

It is preferred that samples of writing be related to the arts as this is a writing-focused program. Acceptable samples include senior undergraduate essays or other academic writing and published articles of approximately 2000-3000 words.

Yes, SCA will consider non-academic references from professionals; however, it is preferred that there is at least one academic reference.

It is best to meet the requirements of the University prior to submitting all of the application material. As many official transcripts will not have been received within the application period, a condition of receiving the official transcripts will likely be included in the letter of offer as detailed HERE.

As soon as possible, but definitely by July, before enrolment opens. Many conditions will prohibit enrolment in classes until they have been met.

Due to the high volume of applicants, Staff and Faculty are not able to provide feedback on applications.

Careers in the arts: curating and programming, arts writing, festivals, galleries, artist-run centres, arts administration, and arts advocacy. MA students also go on to do PhDs in studies of the arts.

There is usually an in-person information session each November. For the last couple of years, we have hosted our information sessions online. If you have missed the latest information session, you can request a link to the video archive of it from the Graduate Program Coordinator at sca_gpa@sfu.ca.