Communication, Art and Technology: International Year One (Cornerstone Entry)

Picture yourself sketching a brand identity one week and analysing how media shapes public opinion the next. This row is the Communication, Art and Technology stream of International Year One at Fraser International College (FIC), taught on Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus and entered through the Cornerstone route. Because Cornerstone adds a dedicated support semester at the start, the programme is planned across four terms, roughly sixteen months.

Your opening semester centres on three non-credit courses: CNQS101 Cornerstone Quantitative Survey, CNST101 Cornerstone Academic Program and CNSU101 Cornerstone University Life. Together they build study habits, confidence with numbers and a feel for campus life in Canada, and CNST101 takes the place of the usual Integrated Learning Skills course. From there you move into credit courses such as CMNS110 Introduction to Communication Studies, IAT102 Graphic Design and IAT100 Digital Image Design, alongside a literature course like ENGL112 Literature Now.

Every course follows an SFU design, and every instructor is approved by the university, so your year counts as genuine first-year study. You also use SFU facilities such as Bennett Library, the Student Learning Commons and SFU Recreation. After ten academic courses, a cumulative GPA of 2.50 opens the School of Communication or the FCAT double minors, while Interactive Arts and Technology asks for 2.60. Both schools run co-op streams at SFU for paid work terms.

Graduates of these SFU degrees move into roles such as graphic designer, UX/UI designer, public relations coordinator, social media specialist, animator and web developer. The Cornerstone route suits creative students whose English level sits a little below the Integrated threshold and who would welcome a slower, well-supported start before full academic study begins.