Fall 2025 First Year
As a first-year direct entry student, you’ll start with Foundation (100-level) courses in art, design and media to help you explore your interests.
- Use MyProgress in your MyEC account to map out the courses you need and schedule them by semester
- Choose Student Planning from the menu to get started.
- Here, you’ll key dates and requirements to help you navigate your first year successfully.

Key Dates
| Dates | Details |
|---|---|
| July 10 | Fall 2025 Registration opens at 8:00 am |
| Nov. 21 | Spring 2026 Registration opens (date to be confirmed) |
Fall Semester (15 credits)
A complete First Year consists of two academic core courses, two studio core courses, Creative Processes or Indigenous Presence and a studio elective – for a total of 30 credits. Below are the following courses you’ll need to enroll in for the Fall term on July 10.
HUMN 100 Academic Core (6 credits)Academic Core I
HUMN 100
Focusing on issues and modes of literacy and visual/textual analysis, this course helps students to develop the tools necessary for reflective and engaged looking, reading, thinking, and writing about art, media, design, and text. Analysis of both visual images/objects and texts from a variety of historical periods, from ancient antiquity to the 15th century, will be emphasized through shared case studies (from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe), keywords, and themes. Throughout, an integrated approach to the humanities will be prioritized, involving the development of critical thinking, writing skills, and class participation and engagement. Combining weekly lectures and smaller breakout seminar sessions for art, design and media, students will be exposed to the specificities of a Humanities curriculum (drawing from Art Media + Design History, Visual Culture, English, Composition and Rhetoric, and Cultural and Media Studies), and to the conceptual and practical skills necessary for further courses in Critical + Cultural Studies. Art from the past and present will be grounded in a broader context, with emphasis placed on processes of perception and the cultural meaning of images and objects. The point is to interrogate how representation, both through its production and reception, becomes politically activated, and to develop the critical and theoretical tools to begin to deconstruct and acknowledge this process.
Creative Processes
FNDT 108
This course explores creative process, the realms of imagination, and art and design practices within a social, cultural and personal context. Various media and methods of practice will be introduced. Group projects, individual assignments, critiques, discussions, research and studio sessions will provide students an opportunity to work through issues and ideas in producing as well as reading and viewing art.
No Course Found
No Course Found
Interdisciplinary Studio Core
FNDT 165
Foundation Core is an introduction to a breadth of conceptual, technical and disciplinary approaches that includes 2D, 3D and 4D disciplines. Exploring different forms of conceptual and material-based inquiry, this studio course focuses on the understanding and articulation of core values shared across contemporary art, design, and media disciplines. Foundation Core emphasizes practices and concepts that provide a solid platform for any of the degree-focused studio cores offered in the second semester.
3 credit courses = 3 hours per week of instruction | 6 credit courses = 6 hours per week of instruction.
Since HUMN 100 takes place on multiple days in the week, we recommend that you use this course as your Fall registration starting point and scheduleFNDT 165 and FNDT 108 or FNDT 115 around it.
NOTE: Fall courses will be available for viewing and planning on Student Planning starting June 12.
Foundation Forum (0 credits)
The Foundation Forums are discussions and lectures that feature artists and designers in our community, as well as addressing important aspects of curriculum at ECU. Forums will happen intermittently throughout the year in the Reliance Theatre.
During this series, you’ll hear from speakers, guest artists and designers discussing their creative practice to get you thinking about your creative process and inspire you. It will also cover Spring registration tips and procedures. More information about the forums will be made available throughout the semester.
Intensive Humanities Courses
Some students may be required to take Intensive sections:
HUMN 100: Academic Core IAcademic Core II
HUMN 101
Continuing with the development of modes of literacy and visual/textual analysis initiated in HUMN 100: Academic Core I, this course will prioritize how representation makes meaning, and how art, media, design, and textual practices participate in a broader social and political sphere. Analysis of both visual images/objects and texts from a variety of historical periods, from the 16th century to the present day, will be emphasized through shared case studies (from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas), keywords, and themes. Throughout, an integrated approach to the humanities will be prioritized, involving the development of critical thinking, writing skills, and class participation and engagement. Combining weekly lectures and smaller breakout seminar sessions for art, design and media, students will be exposed to the specificities of a Humanities curriculum (drawing from Art Media + Design History, Visual Culture, English, Composition and Rhetoric, and Cultural and Media Studies), and to the conceptual and practical skills necessary for further courses in Critical + Cultural Studies, as well as their subsequent studies as a whole. As students persist in building the skill set necessary for critical and contextual inquiry, emphasis will be placed on processes of visual perception, the cultural meaning of images and objects, and their many intersections with knowledge, power, and technology. Throughout, students will be encouraged to situate their own practice in relation to a broader history of representation, in order to articulate their own perspective on what it means to participate in cultural production.
Academic Core II
HUMN 101
Continuing with the development of modes of literacy and visual/textual analysis initiated in HUMN 100: Academic Core I, this course will prioritize how representation makes meaning, and how art, media, design, and textual practices participate in a broader social and political sphere. Analysis of both visual images/objects and texts from a variety of historical periods, from the 16th century to the present day, will be emphasized through shared case studies (from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas), keywords, and themes. Throughout, an integrated approach to the humanities will be prioritized, involving the development of critical thinking, writing skills, and class participation and engagement. Combining weekly lectures and smaller breakout seminar sessions for art, design and media, students will be exposed to the specificities of a Humanities curriculum (drawing from Art Media + Design History, Visual Culture, English, Composition and Rhetoric, and Cultural and Media Studies), and to the conceptual and practical skills necessary for further courses in Critical + Cultural Studies, as well as their subsequent studies as a whole. As students persist in building the skill set necessary for critical and contextual inquiry, emphasis will be placed on processes of visual perception, the cultural meaning of images and objects, and their many intersections with knowledge, power, and technology. Throughout, students will be encouraged to situate their own practice in relation to a broader history of representation, in order to articulate their own perspective on what it means to participate in cultural production.
These include an additional Academic Foundation seminar to offer you extra support. If you are required to take an Intensive section, we will contact you at your Emily Carr University email by late-June.
You are required to enroll in Intensive Humanities, unless you meet the following criteria:
- You have completed four years of full-time study in English, and have completed a senior level English Literature course with a minimum percentage grade of 80; or Grade Point Average 3.33; or a letter grade B+; or International Baccalaureate grade 4 (Standard or Higher Level); or Advanced Placement grade of 3; or GSE/A-Level grade of B. An example of a ‘senior English Literature course’ is British Columbia’s English 12.
- Or you have studied in English and graduated from a recognized post-secondary diploma or degree program
Spring Semester (15 credits)
We will provide you with information through workshops, the Foundation Forum and emails on course selection and the spring course registration process in October.
You can then register for the following spring courses on November 21:
HUMN 101 Academic Core II (6 credits)Academic Core II
HUMN 101
Continuing with the development of modes of literacy and visual/textual analysis initiated in HUMN 100: Academic Core I, this course will prioritize how representation makes meaning, and how art, media, design, and textual practices participate in a broader social and political sphere. Analysis of both visual images/objects and texts from a variety of historical periods, from the 16th century to the present day, will be emphasized through shared case studies (from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas), keywords, and themes. Throughout, an integrated approach to the humanities will be prioritized, involving the development of critical thinking, writing skills, and class participation and engagement. Combining weekly lectures and smaller breakout seminar sessions for art, design and media, students will be exposed to the specificities of a Humanities curriculum (drawing from Art Media + Design History, Visual Culture, English, Composition and Rhetoric, and Cultural and Media Studies), and to the conceptual and practical skills necessary for further courses in Critical + Cultural Studies, as well as their subsequent studies as a whole. As students persist in building the skill set necessary for critical and contextual inquiry, emphasis will be placed on processes of visual perception, the cultural meaning of images and objects, and their many intersections with knowledge, power, and technology. Throughout, students will be encouraged to situate their own practice in relation to a broader history of representation, in order to articulate their own perspective on what it means to participate in cultural production.
Foundation Studio Elective (3 credits)
And one of the Core Studio courses (6 credits) below that is specific to your major:
FNDT 173 Core Studio in Visual Arts (6 credits)Core Studio in Visual Arts
FNDT 173
This studio course expands on the foundational vocabulary, materials, and techniques of contemporary visual art with a specific emphasis on drawing, painting, and sculpture. Through interactive presentations, group discussions, and constructive critiques, students will delve deeply into the essential concepts and materials that underpin artistic practices. Through critical analysis and reflection, students will explore the utilization of these artistic concepts and principles, contextualized within social, historical and contemporary frameworks.
No Course Found
Core Studio in NMSA + Photo
FNDT 175
Core Studio in Communication Design
FNDT 180
Core Studio Industrial Design
FNDT 181
Core Studio in Interaction Design
FNDT 182
Core Studio in Film + Screen Arts
FNDT 184
Core Studio in Animation
FNDT 185
Please note:
- Critical + Cultural Practice students can pick any of the above Core Studio options to fulfill this requirement.
- Undeclared (UNDL) students should choose an above Core Studio option and a Spring studio elective from two different subjects based on your intended major and an alternative option.
Prior/Transfer Credits (15 credits)
If you have completed courses at another recognized college or university, you will be evaluated for transfer credit. Approved transfer credit will be entered in your program evaluation on MYEC after we have received your final official transcripts. If you have previously taken courses at Emily Carr University, these will also be displayed in your program evaluation. Contact our Academic Advisors if you have any questions about transfer credits and prior studies.
Second Year Courses (15 credits)
If you’ve completed the prerequisites for second year courses (typically completion of 21 first year credits), you may be able to register in 200-level courses while still in First year. However, you will have to speak with an Academic Advisor in order to proceed.
Need more help?
Contact Academic Advising or, if you need help paying tuition or fees, contact Career/Student Payments at Financial Services.
Email and phone support for registration is available on registration release days from the start of registration until 2:00 pm, and during regular office hours for the rest of the term. We are not able to accommodate walk-in support on registration release days. Contact us by email and phone at: reghelp@ecuad.ca or 604-844-3876.