Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

located in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within

downtown Toronto Downtown Toronto is the main central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Str ...

. The university is a

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

institution which operates three academic faculties, the Faculty of Art, the Faculty of Arts and Science, and the Faculty of Design. The university also provides

continuing education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...

services through its School of Continuing Studies. Established in 1876 as the Ontario School of Art by the

Ontario Society of Artists The Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) was founded in 1872. It is Canada's oldest continuously operating professional art society. When it was founded at the home of John Arthur Fraser, seven artists were present. Besides Fraser himself, Marmaduke M ...

, the institution was the first school opened in Canada dedicated to

art education Visual arts education is the area of learning that is based upon the kind of art that one can see, visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, de ...

. The institution was renamed twice in 1886 and 1890 before it was granted a provincial charter and renamed the Ontario College of Art (OCA) in 1912. The institution was known as the OCA until 1996 when it was renamed the ''Ontario College of Art and Design''. The institution was granted university status in 2002 and was empowered to grant certain

academic degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including unde ...

s. ''University'' was adopted as a part of the institution's name in 2010, to reflect its change in status. In 2020, the university was empowered with full degree-granting authority from the

Government of Ontario The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor� ...

. In 2021, there were 4,600 undergraduates and 390 graduate students enrolled at the university. As of 2022, the university holds an association with over 25,000 alumni.

History

The institution was established by the

in 1876 as the Ontario School of Art, whose objective it was to provide professional artistic training, and further the development of art education in Ontario. The Ontario Society of Artists passed the motion to "draw up a scheme" for a school of art on 4 April 1876, and the first Ontario School of Art opened on 30 October 1876, funded by a government grant of $1,000. The school opened at 14 King Street West with an initial enrolment of 14 students.

Thomas Mower Martin Thomas Mower Martin (1838–1934) was an English-born Canadian landscape painter dubbed "the father of Canadian art" Life and work MartinRobert Harris taught at the school as did William Cruikshank, who also served as president from 1884 to 1886. In 1882, the provincial

department of education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

assumed control over the institution and relocated the school to the

Toronto Normal School The Toronto Normal School was a teachers college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1847, the Normal School was located at Church and Gould streets in central Toronto (after 1852), and was a predecessor to the current Ontario Institute for ...

building. In 1886, the school was relocated to another location on

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and

Yonge Street Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. Once the southernmost leg of provincial Hi ...

, and renamed the Toronto Art School. The Ontario Society of Artists resumed its sponsorship of the institution in 1890 and relocated the institution to 173 King Street West, occupying the upper levels of the Princess Theatre building, and shared the premises with the Art Museum of Toronto. The society reopened the school as the Central Ontario School of Art and Industrial Design.

20th century

In 1910, the school was relocated to 1 College Street as a result of the Princess Theatre's demolition. In 1912, the institution was granted a charter by the province and incorporated as the Ontario College of Art (OCA) and was relocated back to the Toronto Normal School. The new charter granted the institution the authority to issue

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

George Agnew Reid George Agnew Reid (also known as G. A. Reid) (July 25, 1860 – August 23, 1947) was a Canadian artist, painter, influential educator and administrator. He is best known as a genre painter, but his work encompassed the mural, and genre, ...

was named the school's first principal. Reid designed the first building owned by the college, a purpose-built two-storey building fronting onto Grange Park. The building was the "first building in Canada built specifically for the education of professional artists and designers." The college relocated to the new property in 1921. As a part of Reid's wider efforts to have visual arts accepted as a part of the province's education system, Reid had pushed for the OCA to become a

constituent college A collegiate university is a university in which functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Historically, the first collegiate university was the University of Paris and its first college was the C ...

of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

so OCA students could obtain degrees. However, the potential amalgamation was never pursued. Ontario College of Art - 1931

In 1945, the school established a design school, broadening its education mandate. By the 1950s, the institution had expanded beyond its campus, operating classes in

Port Hope, Ontario Port Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Toronto and about west of Kingston. It is located at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County. ...

, and assuming control of the William Houston Public School (presently part of

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

's Glendon Campus). In 1957, it expanded opened its first expansion to its main building. In 1971–72,

Roy Ascott Roy Ascott FRSA (born 26 October 1934) is a British artist, who works with cybernetics and telematics on an art he calls technoetic by focusing on the impact of digital and telecommunications networks on consciousness. Since the 1960s, Ascott ...

radically challenged the pedagogy and curriculum structure of the college. In 1974, the institution established its

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

foreign exchange program, where a building in

was leased to house studio spaces for students in the program. The program was staffed by the institution's faculty members until the program's cancellation in 2017. The main campus was significantly enlarged during the 1980s. From 1979 to 1997, the institution also held classes at the

Stewart Building Stewart may refer to: People * Stewart (name), Scottish surname and given name *Clan Stewart, a Scottish clan *Clan Stewart of Appin, a Scottish clan Places Canada * Stewart, British Columbia *Stewart Township, Nipissing District, Ontario (hist ...

, a building located north of the main campus. The institution remained the Ontario College of Art until 1996 when it was renamed the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD). The name change was intended to raise the institution's media and industrial profile, as well as better position it for a transition from a diploma- to the degree-granting institution. In the following year, the university entered into a partnership with

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

to provide OCAD students with the opportunity to obtain an Open University degree.

21st century

In 2002, the provincial legislature granted university status to OCAD along with the limited authority to confer bachelor's degrees in fine arts and design in its name. In 2007, OCAD was given limited authority to confer

graduate degree Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and struc ...

s and accepted its first cohort of graduate students the next year. In 2008, the college was granted membership into the

Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada Universities Canada (french: Universités Canada) is an organization that represents Canada's universities. It is a non-profit national organization that coordinates university policies, guidance and direction. Formed in 1911, as the Association ...

. In 2009, the university began to provide

services.

The institution saw changes in its pedagogy early into Sara Diamond's tenure as OCAD's president (2005 to 2020). She emphasized academics over studio time, increasing the independence of the academic deans and requiring full-time instructors to hold a graduate degree. There was some controversy as two faculty members resigned over the changes. Diamond also changed the curriculum to reduce the amount of classroom time versus studio time, increased the academic rigour the program, and pushed for digital media and design research classes. In 2010, the institution was renamed the Ontario College of Art and Design University. In the same year,

Tom Traves Thomas Donald Traves (born 1948) is a Canadian academic professor and administrator. He was the 10th President of Dalhousie University, serving from 1995 to 2013. He was appointed for a one year term as Interim President of Brock University on Octo ...

, then president of Dalhousie University in Halifax, conducted a confidential review of how OCAD was managed. He found that the number of senior faculty and administrators was excessive. Diamond adopted most of his 30 recommendations, including increased Decanal autonomy. OCAD University was awarded full degree awarding powers including

honorary degrees An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

on 1 July 2020 by the

Campus

Art Museum from the CN Tower (8030204612)

The university's campus is spread across several buildings within

. The university is interwoven with the surrounding urban area, with no major entrance markers delineating the university campus from its surroundings. Buildings at the main campus are situated within two areas, a northern cluster built in the Grange Park neighbourhood around McCaul Street between Dundas and Queen Street, and a southern cluster in the

Entertainment District An entertainment district is a type of arts district with a high concentration of movie theaters, theatres or other entertainment venues. Such areas may be officially designated by local governments with functional zoning regulations, as well as ...

built around Richmond Street West. In addition to the main campus, the university also operates a

satellite campus A satellite campus or branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college that is physically at a distance from the original university or college area. This branch campus may be located in a different city, state, or countr ...

East Bayfront East Bayfront, or the East Bayfront Precinct, is an emerging neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is currently undergoing a transformation from industrial use to mixed-use as part of Waterfront Toronto's plans to create a residential and ...

. The northern cluster includes the Main Building (including the George Reid Wing and the Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design), the Annex Building, the Rosalie Sharp Pavillion, 49-51 McCaul Street, and 74–76 McCaul Street. The George Reid Wing and 74–76 McCaul Street are both designated buildings under the ''

Ontario Heritage Act The ''Ontario Heritage Act'', (the ''Act'') first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage ...

''. The latter building is rented out by the university to a privately-run art supply store. The southern cluster is made up of three buildings, 205 Richmond Street West and 230–240 Richmond Street West. The former building was acquired by the university in 2007, while the latter two interconnected buildings were acquired the following year. In addition to university facilities, 230–240 Richmond Street West also holds spaces leased to

WeWork WeWork Inc. is a provider of coworking spaces, including physical and virtual shared spaces, headquartered in New York City. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated of space, including in the United States and Canada, in 756 locatio ...

. In 2020,

Sun Life Financial Sun Life Financial Inc. is a Canadian financial services company. It is primarily known as a life insurance company. Sun Life has a presence in investment management with over CAD$1.3 trillion in assets under management operating in a number o ...

and BentallGreenOak acquired a 50 per cent ownership stake in 230–240 Richmond Street West from the university. The university is considered a commuter school, as the university does not operate a student housing service or have any student residences on its campus. However, the university does operate other student facilities like a student centre opened at 51 McCaul Street in 2007.

Academic buildings

Academic buildings used for academics and teaching includes the Rosalie Sharp Pavilion and the Main Building. The Main Building is made up of several components including the George Reid House and the Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design. The Rosalie Sharp Pavillion is located adjacent to the Main Building and is named after Rosalie Sharp, an alumna of the university. In 2016, the pavilion underwent extensive renovations as a part of the university's Creative City Campus project. Designed by Toronto-based architecture firm Bortolotto, the renovated exterior for the 2.5 storey pavilion incorporated a stainless steel facade scrim design that acts as "gateway" into the university campus. The pavilion houses the university's Experimental Learning Centre and the Centre for Emerging Artists and Designers.

Main Building

Ontario College of Art Grange 1922 newspaper ad

The earliest component of the Main Building, the George Reid House, was opened in 1921 and was designed by

, an alumnus and principal at the Ontario College of Art. The George Reid House was the first building in Canada built specifically for art education. The building was designed in a

Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Geor ...

to match The Grange manor adjacent to it. On 17 January 1957, the first extension to the Main Building was opened, a

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

extension known today as the A. J. Casson Wing. Two more extensions to the building were subsequently added in 1963 and 1967, the former adding the Nora E. Vaughan Auditorium, and the latter adding two additional floors and an atrium into the building. Sharp Center for Design by Alsop Architects (9159988965)

Sharp Center for Design by Alsop Architects (9159988965)

In 2000, funding was secured from Ontario’s SuperBuild program to build a fifth extension to the Main Building. Through

Rod Robbie Roderick "Rod" George Robbie, (September 15, 1928 – January 4, 2012) was a British-born Canadian architect and planner. He was known for his design of the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 67 and Toronto's Rogers Centre (SkyDome). Biography and ...

of Robbie/Young + Wright Architects,

Will Alsop William Allen Alsop (12 December 1947 – 12 May 2018) was a British architect and Professor of Architecture at University for the Creative Arts's Canterbury School of Architecture. He was responsible for several distinctive and controversia ...

of Alsop Architects was made aware of the project and was eventually selected in 2002. A joint venture was formed between the two firms and the new extension, now known as the Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design, was completed in 2004. The design, which came out of a process of

participatory design Participatory design (originally co-operative design, now often co-design) is an approach to design attempting to actively involve all stakeholders (e.g. employees, partners, customers, citizens, end users) in the design process to help ensure t ...

, consists of a box four storeys off the ground supported by a series of multi-coloured pillars at different angles and is often described as a tabletop. The $42.5-million expansion and redevelopment has received numerous awards, including the first Royal Institute of British Architects Worldwide Award, the award of excellence in the "Building in Context" category at the Toronto Architecture and Urban Design Awards, and was deemed the most outstanding technical project overall in the 2005 Canadian Consulting Engineering Awards. Further renovations to the Main Building began in 2016, as a part of the Creative City Campus project, which saw the building's floor space expanded by .

Library facilities

OCAD University Library is the academic library system for the university. In 2011, OCAD University's library collection held 65,928 print monograph volumes, 76,089 electronic monograph volumes, 4,421 film and video materials, 3,284 electronic serials, 827 audio materials, and over 455,000 graphic materials. Most of the print collection is specific to visual art and design. The library operates three facilities, the Dorothy H. Hoover Library, The Library Learning Zone, and the University Archives. The former two facilities are both located within the Annex Building, with the Dorothy H. Hoover Library relocating there in 1999, and The Library Learning Zone opening in the same building in 2009. The University Archives is located at 230 Richmond Street. The Dorothy H. Hoover Library is open to the public, whereas access to the Library Learning Zone and University Archives is restricted to OCAD University students except during public events and exhibitions. The Dorothy H. Hoover Library is a general study and research library for art and design and was renamed after OCAD U Library's first head librarian in 1987. The library offers several proactive information literacy programming to support academic research. The library also operates an exhibition program to provide support for studio practice. The Library Learning Zone is a studio-based study space and work area. Opened in 2009, The Learning Zone was created to fill the need for informal community spaces and study areas, as the campus has no student residences. The design for the space was based on the Learning Zone at the

University of the Arts London University of the Arts London is a collegiate university in London, England, specialising in arts, design, fashion and the performing arts. It is a federation of six arts colleges: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, Chelsea Coll ...

. OCAD University Library is a member of four library consortiums including the

Art Libraries Society of North America The Art Libraries Society of North America (also known as ARLIS/NA) was founded in 1972. It is an organization made up of approximately 1,000 art librarians, library students and visual resource professionals. Activities ARLIS/NA organizes activ ...

and the

Ontario Council of University Libraries The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) is an academic library consortium of Ontario’s 21 university libraries located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Formed in 1967, OCUL member institutions work together to maximize the expertise and r ...

Galleries

OCAD University operates seven galleries and spaces that exhibit art from students, faculty members, and other artists. These include the Ignite Gallery, The Great Hall, The Learning Zone, and the Open Space Gallery. The Open Space Gallery is also used to exhibit projects from graduate students and faculty. Some galleries provide priority access to certain students, with graduate students given priority to the Graduate Gallery, and the Ada Slaight Gallery being used primarily by criticism and curatorial practice students to apply their education. The Onsite Gallery is the university's public gallery that primarily exhibits Indigenous art, as well as other pieces that examine different issues in Canada and other parts of the world. The gallery was opened in September 2017. The gallery was initially established as the OCAD Professional Gallery in 2007, before changing its name to the Onsite Gallery in 2010. In addition to galleries maintained by OCAD University, the university also has a partnership with Partial Gallery to showcase and sell art from students and graduates.

Off-campus facilities

In addition to its main campus in Grange Park and the Entertainment District, the university also operates a satellite campus at 130 Queens Quay East in East Bayfront. The waterfront campus was opened to the public in 2018 and occupies of leased space in a multi-use building that includes offices and residential condominiums. The campus houses OCAD U CO, a

business incubator Business incubator is an organization that helps startup companies and individual entrepreneurs to develop their businesses by providing a fullscale range of services starting with management training and office space and ending with venture c ...

operated by the university. The building forms a part of a larger complex, the Daniels Waterfront—City of the Arts, which also holds

George Brown College George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three campuses in downtown Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Like many other colleges in Ontario, GBC was chartered in 1966 by the government of Ontario and ...

's waterfront campus.

Sustainability

The Sustainability Committee is a sub-committee that is charged with creating and implementing sustainable operating practices throughout the university's facilities. In 2009, the university, along with the other members from the

Council of Ontario Universities The Council of Ontario Universities (COU) provides a forum for Ontario’s universities to collaborate and advocate in support of their shared mission to the benefit and prosperity of students, communities and the province of Ontario. A membershi ...

, signed a pledge known as ''Ontario Universities Committed to a Greener World'', to transform its campus into a model of environmental responsibility.

Administration

OCAD University is a publicly funded university. The university operates under a bicameral system with a board of governors and a senate empowered by provincial legislation, the ''Ontario College of Act and Design University Act''. The Act was last amended in 2010 when the institution adopted its present name. The 2010 amendments also formalized the role of the

university chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

, as well as converted the former academic council into the academic senate and broadened its duties. The university's board of governors is charged with the management of university affairs and making major operational decisions. The board has 18 members, including six individuals appointed by

and two members elected by OCAD University alumni. Eight members are drawn from the existing community at OCAD, with some being faculty members appointed by the Senate, and others being elected by staff and student representatives. The senate is responsible for the educational policies of the university. The Senate is primarily made up of faculty members, although it also includes representatives from the university's administration, as well as the undergraduate and graduate student body. The chancellor serves as the titular head of the university and is primarily charged with the conferment of degrees. The chancellor is appointed by the board of governors to a four-year term. The university has named five chancellors, the last being Jamie Watt, who began their four-year tenure on 1 January 2022. The board of governors is also empowered to appoint the university present, who acts as the chief executive officer for the university and on the board's behalf with respects to the institution's operations. By virtue of their office, the president is also the chair of the senate. Ana Serrano is the current president of the university, having assumed the position on July 2020.

Academics

OCAD University is a comprehensive art, design and media post-secondary institution. The university's academic year has two terms, Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer, with each term containing two semesters. The former term runs from September to April, while the latter runs from May through August. The university is organized into three faculties, the Faculty of Art, the Faculty of Arts and Science, and the Faculty of Design. As of 2022, the three faculties offer 18 undergraduate programs and seven graduate programs. Graduate programs are coordinated through the School of Graduate Studies. In the 2020–21 academic year, the university had an enrolment of over 4,100 full-time undergraduate and graduate students. In the same year, there were 2,345 people enrolled in an OCAD University School of Continuing Studies course. In the 2020–21 academic year, the university's faculty included 151 full-time members, and 294 part-time faculty members. In 2020, the university reported a six-year graduation rate of 59 per cent with its September 2014 cohort. In 2018, the university conferred 670 bachelor's degrees and 89 master's degrees. Undergraduate degrees conferred by the university includes

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

Bachelor of Design A Bachelor of Design (B.Des. or B.Design) degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree in the field of design awarded for a course or major that generally lasts three or four years. It is the undergraduate equivalent of the Master of Design, ...

, and

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

. Graduate degrees issued by the university include

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

Master of Design A Master of Design (MDes, M.Des. or M.Design) is a postgraduate academic master degree in the field of Design awarded by several academic institutions around the world. The degree level has different equivalencies; some MDes are equivalent to Master ...

, and

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

. Quality control of academics is maintained by the Ontario University Council on Quality Assurance. The university holds membership in several national and international post-secondary organizations, such as the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design and

Universities Canada Universities Canada (french: Universités Canada) is an organization that represents Canada's universities. It is a non-profit national organization that coordinates university policies, guidance and direction. Formed in 1911, as the Association ...

Reputation

In the 2022 ''

QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...

'' for the subject of art and design, OCAD placed 101–150 out of 230 universities.

Research

As of 2022, the university operates over 20 research centres and labs, including the INVC Research Centre, the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC). The latter is a research centre focused on inclusive design and coordinates the Inclusive Design Institute. During the 2020–21 academic year, the university received over $7.2 million in contributions for research purposes. As of 2022, four faculty members from the university are

Canada Research Chair Canada Research Chair (CRC) is a title given to certain Canadian university research professors by the Canada Research Chairs Program. Program goals The Canada Research Chair program was established in 2000 as a part of the Government of Canada ...

s. Three chairholders are part of the

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada, CRSH) is a Canadian federal research-funding agency that promotes and supports post-secondary research and traini ...

, while the other is a part of the

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada, CRSNG) is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering rese ...

. In the 2019–20 academic year, the university received 24 research awards and $690,625 in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The university is a part of several research networks and joint-research projects, including the Centre for Innovation in Information Visualization and Data-Driven Design, and the Inclusive Design Institute. The former is a research project led by

in partnership with OCAD, the

, and other private sector partners to develop a new design, analytics and visualization techniques for new computational tools. The latter organization serves as a hub for research into inclusive designs for

information and communications technology Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computers, ...

. The Inclusive Design Institute serves as a hub for research into inclusive designs for

. The institute is coordinated by the IRDC and is headed by Jutta Treviranus, an OCAD University faculty member. The institute has eight partner post-secondary institutions, and is headed at OCAD University's campus. In addition to research centres and labs, the university also supports two

s, the Imagination Catalyst and the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre. The Imagination Catalyst is coordinated through the Digital Futures Implementation office, which provides incubator support for students, alumni, and faculty, and was established in August 2011 through the merger of the Digital Futures Accelerator and the Design Incubator. The Mobile Experience Innovation Centre is another incubator with a focus on applied research in

mobile technology Mobile technology is the technology used for cellular communication. Mobile technology has evolved rapidly over the past few years. Since the start of this millennium, a standard mobile device has gone from being no more than a simple two-way pa ...

Admissions

The requirements for admission differ between students from Ontario, students from other provinces in Canada, and students based outside of Canada, due to the lack of uniformity in marking schemes between provinces and countries. In addition to academic requirements, the university also requires applicants whose

first language A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...

is not English to present proof that they are proficient in the English language. The university's undergraduate admission process includes an interview, an essay, and a portfolio submission. In 2017, the university reported a retention rate of 92.2 per cent of first-year students that advanced to their second year.

Student life

In 2021, the university's student body included over 4,600 full-time and part-time undergraduate students, as well as 390 full-time and part-time graduate students. At the start of the 2020–21 academic year, the student body was primarily made up of Canadians, with approximately 74.7 per cent of all OCAD students holding Canadian citizenship. Many domestic students receive financial aid through the federal Canada Student Loan program, and the provincial

Ontario Student Assistance Program The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) ''( French: Régime d'aide financière aux étudiantes et étudiants de l'Ontario (RAFEO))'' is a provincial financial aid program that offers grants and loans to help Ontario students pay for their ...

. In the 2019–20 academic year, approximately 67 per cent of first-year full-time undergraduates received some form of financial aid. In that year, the average amount received from each recipient was $6,830. The university's student body population is represented by the OCAD Student Union (OCADSU), which is a member organization of the

Canadian Federation of Students The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) is the largest student organization in Canada, representing over 530,000 students from across Canada. Formed in 1981, the stated goal of the Federation is to represent the collective voice of Canadian st ...

. Services provided by OCADSU include academic advocacy, legal services, and student grants. In addition to OCADSU, several cultural, social, and recreational student groups are officially registered with the university.

Insignias

The institution used a logo as early as 1903 to serve as a visual identifier. Since that time, the institution has used at least nine logos. The present logo was introduced in 2011, coinciding with the institution's name change to ''OCAD University'' in 2010. The 2011 logo was designed by

Bruce Mau Design Bruce Mau D.Litt. (born October 25, 1959) is a Canadian designer and educator. He began his career a graphic designer and has since applied his design methodology to architecture, art, museums, film, eco-environmental design, education, and conc ...

and uses Gotham typeface.

Notable people

Several individuals are associated with the university either as alumni, or members of its administration or faculty. As of 2022, there were over 25,000 OCAD University alumni worldwide. Alumni can join the OCAD Alumni Association, an independent group of OCAD graduates. Several alumni and faculty members have gained prominence in the field of visual arts and design. This includes several members from the

Group of Seven The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental political forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non-enumerated member". It is official ...

, including

Franklin Carmichael Franklin Carmichael (May 4, 1890 – October 24, 1945) was a Canadian artist and member of the Group of Seven. Though he was primarily famous for his use of watercolours, he also used oil paints, charcoal and other media to capture the Ontari ...

, A. J. Casson,

A. Y. Jackson Alexander Young Jackson LL. D. (October 3, 1882April 5, 1974) was a Canadian painter and a founding member of the Group of Seven. Jackson made a significant contribution to the development of art in Canada, and was instrumental in bringing toget ...

, Franz Johnston,

Arthur Lismer Arthur Lismer, LL. D. (27 June 1885 – 23 March 1969) was an English-Canadian painter, member of the Group of Seven and educator. He is known primarily as a landscape painter and for his paintings of ships in dazzle camouflage. Early life ...

, J. E. H. MacDonald, and

Frederick Varley Frederick Horsman Varley (January 2, 1881 – September 8, 1969) was a member of the Canadian Group of Seven. Career Early life Varley was born in Sheffield, England, in 1881, the son of Lucy (Barstow) and Samuel James Smith Varley the 7th. He ...

; as well as several members from the

Painters Eleven Painters Eleven (also known as Painters 11 or P11) was a group of abstract artists active in Canada between 1953 and 1960. They are associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement. History Since the 1920s, artists in English Canada had been h ...

, including

Jack Bush John Hamilton Bush (March 20, 1909 – January 24, 1977) was a Canadian abstract painter. A member of Painters Eleven, his paintings are associated with the Color Field movement and Post-painterly Abstraction. Inspired by Henri Ma ...

and

Harold Town Harold Barling Town, (June 13, 1924 – December 27, 1990) was a Canadian abstract painter. He is best known as a member of Painters Eleven a group of abstract artists active in Toronto from 1954-1960. Town coined the name of the ...

. Other notable alumni and faculty members from the institution include

Barbara Astman Barbara Astman RCA is a Canadian artist who specializes in a hybrid of photography and new media, often using her own body as object and subject, merging art and technology. Early life Astman was born in Rochester, New York, the second of three ...

, Aba Bayefsky, J. W. Beatty,

David Blackwood David Lloyd Blackwood (November 7, 1941 – July 2, 2022) was a Canadian artist known chiefly for his Intaglio (printmaking), intaglio prints, often depicting dramatic historical scenes of Newfoundland outport life and industry, such as shipw ...

David Bolduc David Bolduc (1945–2010) was an abstract artist who used colour and central imagery in his paintings, inspired by artists such as Jack Bush. Critics suggest that he and artists such as Daniel Solomon formed a bridge between the second and thi ...

, Dennis Burton, Ian Carr-Harris,

Charles Comfort Charles Fraser Comfort, LL. D. (July 22, 1900 – July 5, 1994) was a Scotland-born Canadian painter, sculptor, teacher, writer and administrator. Career and biography Early life Born near Edinburgh, Scotland, Comfort moved to Winnipeg in 1 ...

Graham Coughtry Graham Coughtry (June 6, 1931January 13, 1999), was a Canadian modernist figurative painter. Biography Coughtry was born in Saint-Lambert, Quebec, on June 8, 1931. He learned to paint at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts School, then attended ...

, Greg Curnoe,

Ken Danby Ken Danby, D.F.A. (6 March 1940 – 23 September 2007) was a Canadian painter. Danby is best known for creating highly realistic paintings that study everyday life. His 1972 painting '' At the Crease'', portraying a masked hockey goalie defe ...

Allan Fleming Allan Robb Fleming (7 May 1929 – 31 December 1977) was a Canadian graphic designer best known for having created the Canadian National Railway logo, designing the best-selling 1967 Centennial book ''Canada: A Year of the Land/Canada, du ...

Richard Gorman Richard Gorman (December 20, 1935 – August 6, 2010) was a Canadian painter and printmaker. He was known for his magnetic prints which he created using ink covered ball-bearings manipulated with a magnet held behind the drawing board and for hi ...

, Fred S. Haines,

Yvonne McKague Housser Yvonne McKague Housser, (1897–1996) was a Modernist Canadian painter, and a teacher. Early life and education Yvonne McKague was born in Toronto in 1897 to Hugh Henry McKague and Louise Elliott. She studied at the Ontario College of Art (OCA) ...

, Charles William Jefferys, Burton Kramer,

Nobuo Kubota Nobuo Kubota D.F.A. (born 1932) is a Canadian multimedia artist. Life Kubota grew up with a strong Japanese focus in his home and with an early interest in the writings by Jack Kerouac and D. T. Suzuki. These two factors partially explain his ...

Isabel McLaughlin Isabel McLaughlin, (10 October 1903 - 26 November 2002) was a Modernist Canadian painter, patron and philanthropist. She specialized in landscapes and still life and had a strong interest in design. Biography Born in Oshawa, Ontario, McLaughl ...

Lucius Richard O'Brien Lucius Richard O'Brien (or L. R. O'Brien as he was known) (15 August 1832 – 13 December 1899) was an influential 19th-century Canadian oil and watercolour landscape artist. Life and career Lucius O'Brien was born in Shanty Bay, Upper ...

, John Scott,

Michael Snow Michael Snow (born December 10, 1928) is a Canadian artist working in a range of media including film, installation, sculpture, photography, and music. His best-known films are ''Wavelength'' (1967) and '' La Région Centrale'' (1971), with the f ...

Lisa Steele Lisa Steele D.Litt. (born 1947) is a Canadian artist, a pioneer in video art, educator, curator and co-founder of Vtape in Toronto. Born in the United States, Steele moved to Canada in 1968 and is now a Canadian citizen. She has collaborated ex ...

, and Colette Whiten.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ontario College Of Art and Design Art schools in Canada Universities and colleges in Toronto Universities in Ontario Educational institutions established in 1876 Will Alsop buildings Art museums and galleries in Ontario Museums in Toronto 1876 establishments in Ontario