SPAO offers an extraordinary and transformative experience.

We pride ourselves on offering the only 2-year photographic arts college diploma program in all of Canada. Every other 2-year photo-based program in Canada focuses primarily on commercial photography. SPAO launches artists’ careers who utilize photography as their medium. SPAO’s success is attributed to our small class sizes, individualized hands-on learning, along with student access to rare photographic techniques, equipment, and renowned experts.

Yes!

Whether you are a recent high school graduate, an accomplished visual artist, an international student or a retiree looking to pursue your creative passion, we want to support you. We value creative vision, dedication and community spirit over prior photographic experience.

All that is required for eligibility is proof of a high school diploma or SPAO can administer a 12 minute wonderlic test ($30 CAD).

Perfectly located within a dynamic urban village and a few minutes walk from Dow’s Lake, SPAO’s unique space is filled with a community of diverse and passionate creatives. SPAO students and staff work together on community projects and events, engage in exciting conversations over coffee breaks as well as keep one another motivated when things get tough. It’s a place where your ideas will come to life and where life-long friendships are formed.

Your SPAO faculty and mentors are respected industry professionals and experts in their field of focus. They are the recipients of numerous awards and their work has been featured in media, textbooks and exhibitions around the world.

Visit Our Team page to learn more about the experiences and qualifications of individual faculty members, or scroll down to view our faculty’s skillsets.

Once you complete the Photographic Arts and Production Diploma, you will have the skills and experience needed to begin your career as a photo-based artist, pursue a commercial photographic practice, and/or work within arts and cultural administration. Unlike other post-secondary educations that focus on image-making alone, we will teach you the skills and provide you the knowledge required in order to build an arts practice. Visit our Alumni Achievements page to see the most recent successes of our graduates.

We believe that the Photographic Arts and Production Diploma is your best chance at making your artistic dreams a reality.

Our tuition fees average approximately $7500 CAD per year, plus kit fees and optional fees. International students pay no additional fees. View our Prospectus and Fees document for a detailed breakdown of all student expenses.

We have a straightforward application that is designed to help us get to know you better. We want to learn about your goals and what you want to achieve.

STEP 1: Contact Information
Fill out your contact information.

STEP 2: Pay the Application Fee
Pay the $50 CAD application fee via Paypal. You don’t need a Paypal account since they provide an alternate account-free ‘Check Out’ option. You can also email admin@spao.ca for alternative payment options.

STEP 3: Show Us Who You Are
You’ll be prompted to answer a few questions about yourself as well as upload samples of your photography or artwork.

STEP 4: The Interview
After you’ve completed the questionnaire, you will be contacted to schedule an interview with a senior team member. You will use this interview opportunity to speak about your passion and the goals you hope to accomplish while at SPAO.

Click here to access the application for admission. We look forward to getting to know you!