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The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University) is a post-secondary art school located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

NSCAD offers Bachelor's degrees in Fine Art and Design, and a BA in Visual Arts. It also offers graduate degrees such as an MFA, an MA in Art Education, and an MDes including both a "Domestic" and "International" stream.

During the 1970s NSCAD was hailed as a cutting edge art school, which emphasized artistic innovation, and political art. Currently the university is forging relationships with galleries, museums and other cultural institutions in Canada and around the world.

NSCAD was founded in 1887 by Anna Leonowens of "Anna and the King of Siam" fame. It was originally called the Victoria School of Art and Design to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee.

One the notable artists to be associated with the school in its early years was Arthur Lismer, who was a member of the Group of Seven and spent several years as the school president.

In 1967, a young artist named Garry Kennedy was appointed President, and he immediately moved to remake the College from a sleepy provincial art school into an international hotbed of artistic activity. He invited many "art stars" to come to NSCAD as visiting artists, particularly those involved in conceptual art. Some the notables who made significant contributions during this period were Vito Acconci, Sol Lewitt, Dan Graham, Eric Fischl, Lawrence Weiner, Joseph Beuys and Claes Oldenburg and many more artists popular at that time.

In September 2006 alumnus David B. Smith (an arts administrator, educator, and artist) was appointed President of the university, following the resignation of President Paul Greenhalgh.

Under the direction of Kennedy, The Press of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design was established as a vehicle to publish books by and about leading contemporary artists. The Press was important in establishing the school's international reputation. Between 1972 and 1987, 26 titles by such artists as Michael Snow, Steve Reich, Gerhard Richter and Yvonne Rainer were published. Re-launched in 2002, The Press has once again become a source for the publishing of primary documents and scholarly works in the fields of contemporary art, craft and design.

NSCAD has existed under various names and locations.

• 1887 the Victoria School of Art and Design opens in the Union Building
• 1890 the school moves to Halifax Academy
• 1903 the school moves to the old National School
• 1925 the school is renamed the Nova Scotia College of Art
• 1957 the school moves to a four storey church hall on Coburg Road
• 1969 the school is renamed the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
• 1978 NSCAD moves to its current location in the Historic Properties buildings on Granville Street
• 2002 the school is renamed NSCAD University
• 2004 NSCAD expands into its second campus – the Alliance Atlantis Academy Building for film studies
• 2007 NSCAD expands into its third campus, the Port Campus, on the Halifax Waterfront at Pier 21

• Thomas Bezanson - pottery
• Luc Courchesne - interactive artist
• Thierry Delva - sculptor
• Thom Fitzgerald - film maker
• Hedwig Gorski - performance poet and artist
• Steve Heineman - ceramics
• Steven Holmes - curator
• Laura Kipnis - media critic
• Kelly Mark - sculptor, conceptualist
• Sarah McLachlan - singer/songwriter
• Lisa Moore - writer
• Chris Murphy - musician
• Graeme Patterson - sculptor
• Peter Soucy - comedian
• Andrew Scott - musician

• Craft
• Design
• Fine Arts
• Foundation
• Historical and Critical Studies
• Media Arts
• NSCAD University Press

• NSCAD University homepage

	Nova Scotia universities
Public universities
Acadia | AST | Dalhousie | King's | Mount Saint Vincent | NSAC | NSCAD | Saint Francis Xavier | Saint Mary's | Cape Breton | Saint Anne