Comics & Graphic Novels, Certificate

Program at a glance

Credential

Certificate

Area of Study

Arts & Humanities

Study options

Full-time

Work experience

None

Open to International

Yes

Length

One year

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At a glance image

pen drawing of aliens in a spaceship surrounded by doodles

Unique in the Canadian post-secondary public school system

Start in September!

This program teaches visual storytelling, a language composed of interconnected words and pictures. With the broad and diverse skill-set you will acquire, you can create comic books, graphic novels, web comics, and comic strips in any genre, as well as storyboards for gaming, film, video, and animation!

Five students sit in a circle on the grass

Telling your stories

Comics & Graphic Novels employ visual storytelling, a compound language of words and pictures. Visual storytellers create narratives of every imaginable genre including fiction, non-fiction, and creative non-fiction, and their broad skill-set is applicable to comic books, graphic novels, comic strips, web comics, and edutainment comics. This unique program addresses the specific needs of creators to understand, learn, and demonstrate their skills as visual storytellers.

As a graduate

As a graduate of this certificate program, you may choose to become a freelance comic book or graphic novel creator, working with established publishers or connecting directly with your audience online and at comic conventions. You'll have produced an impressive portfolio to demonstrate your abilities to publishers, clients and prospective employers, and may also pursue career opportunities in gaming, animation, graphic facilitation, illustration, or advertising.

If you'd like to continue your studies, you can stay at Camosun to pursue related programs, including the Diploma in Arts and Science Studies.

Choose your career path

Unique in the Canadian post-secondary school system, the one year certificate program in Comics & Graphic Novels was created for students who have a desire to learn the language of visual storytelling. The program focuses on skills-based training for six primary career paths, including the creation (both in print and online) of:

comic books
comic strips
web comics
graphic novels
storyboards
edutainment comics

What you'll learn

Current students wanting information about your program, go to student planning in myCamosun.

Program outline

For more details, including courses, please see the program outline in the Academic Calendar.

Program outline

In this one-year certificate, you will take two academic terms. Courses include creative writing, character design, structural drawing, perspective drawing and more.

You'll develop a wide range of visual storytelling skills, including scripting, storytelling layout, pencilling, inking, lettering, and colouring techniques (both traditional and digital), life drawing, character design, and perspective. You will also learn the essentials of publishing to help manage your career as a visual storyteller, and on graduating you will have created and published a full-colour comic book to exhibit at a comic arts festival.

Tuition and fees

Estimated tuition fees

Effective from September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2023

Comics & Graphic Novels, Certificate

$12,561* (domestic)
$15,540** (international)

*Figure is approximate. Tuition estimate is for the entire program based on 5 academic courses for 2 terms. Tuition fees vary depending on the individual course fees for the classes you select.

**International tuition estimate is based on 5 academic courses for 2 terms.

Financial assistance

You may need to find more than one source of funding to help pay for your education and living costs while attending college. Check out sources of money you don't need to pay back as well as those that need to be repaid.

Financial Aid & Awards

Curriculum & courses

Admissions

Effective date: September 2020

Ready to get started? Get your application in for the September intake.

When you apply you will need to submit proof that you meet the following admission requirements.

Tip: Where a letter grade is specified, you must have proof of that grade or higher.

One of:

C+ in English 12
C in English 12 Camosun Alternative

Statement/portfolio*
Please submit all components together via email to Lois Fernyhough. An applicant statement of approximately 500 words, describing:

yourself
what kind of stories you want to tell
which authors and illustrators have influenced you
what attracted you to this program
anything else relevant to your interest in visual storytelling as an art form and career path

A portfolio of 5-10 pieces of work (stories, scripts, sketchbook drawings, examples of graphic art, blogs, web pages, photographs, etc.) that support what you have told us about your interest in visual storytelling. Your portfolio can be provided as JPGs, PDF, or a link to a URL.

*review of submissions is non-competitive

For more details, including courses, please see the program outline in the Academic Calendar.

Apply Today

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Our teaching staff

Camosun College is fiercely proud of the excellent quality of its instruction. Our teaching staff are experienced, inspiring and supportive of our students' individual journeys.

Lois Fernyhough

Chair, Communications

In addition to developing communications courses for the Communications department, Lois currently teaches CMNS 100 (Introduction to Communication), C ...