Program Highlights
The Bachelor of Performing Arts (BPA) program is unique in Canada.
Co-administered by Capilano University and Douglas College, nowhere else in the country have two academic arts institutions partnered to offer an interdisciplinary performing arts degree that has a commitment to collaboration and self-generation – elements which are crucial to young artists’ future success.
The program’s primary objective is real-world training. It is ideal for those who want to practice as a professional performing artist, arts manager, administrator or cultural entrepreneur, or those who wish to continue on to graduate studies in the performing arts.
The BPA is designed to address a gap in most performing arts education: serious consideration of how students will develop the means to put their training to use once they graduate.
Vancouver Film School (VFS) educational pathway
After completing a VFS Acting for Film & Television diploma (within the past five years), you can apply for the BPA program through the VFS to BPA block transfer agreement.
Through this pathway, students with a VFS Acting diploma will be awarded 75 credits towards the 87 credits required for entrance into the BPA program.
- Gain real-world performing arts creation and collaborative processes.
- Produce two production works with the cohort at two venues in Greater Vancouver.
- Develop entrepreneurial skills necessary to make a self-directed performing arts career feasible.
- Examine the historical and cultural context of the performing arts in Canada and around the world.
- Investigate, critique, and challenge the sociopolitical and cultural environment of the performing arts industry.
- Practical coursework in fundamental business skills, such as grant writing, founding an arts organization, and individual career development.
Admission Requirements
English language requirements
English is the language of instruction at CapU. All applicants are required to demonstrate competence in the prior to admission.
If English is not your first language or you’ve received your education in a language other than English, students must produce evidence of their English Language Proficiency.
Basic requirements
- Completion of a minimum 87 credits of 100-level or higher coursework as follows:
- 60 performing arts credits with a minimum GPA of 2.5
- 6 English credits
- 9 elective credits (non-performing arts)
- 12 additional upper-level credits
Program-specific requirements
- Interview/Audition
- Resume or CV
- Two reference letters
- Letter of intent
Additional information
- Resume or CV - include relevant artistic/arts experience
- Reference letters - from non-related individuals familiar with the applicant’s creative work
- Letter of intent - outline “As you see your future, what are the ways you can imagine working as an artist?
Admission Notes
If you are already a Capilano student, or you are thinking of choosing Capilano and you want to plan your coursework so that you can be eligible for admission to the Bachelor of Performing Arts program, you should speak with Academic Advising.
Program Requirements
Total program credits: 120.00