Spend a semester immersed in the lively creative scene of Paris! The SAI semester program at PCA is geared toward students interested in art and design, and is open to students both with and without previous experience. Visiting students select from a variety of art and design concentrations, usually aligned with their major, and select any elective courses from the array of art, design, management, and humanities offerings for a total of 12 - 18 US credits.
Application open until: April 15, 2025
Apps accepted on a rolling basis
Application Requirements
Complete online application
Personal statement (300-500 words)
Official transcript
Portfolio (see Academics)
Passport scan (photo page)
Digital photo (passport style)
EU privacy consent form
Highlights
- Design your ideal schedule
- Take part in art and design events around Paris
- Study alongside some of the most creative young artists in Europe
Program Dates
Late August 2025 – Mid December 2025
Eligibility Requirements
Age: 18+
Academic Year: Sophomore (2nd year) or above.
Please note: The Course Schedule below is provided for informational purposes only. It is based on the previous term’s offering at PCA and may not reflect the final list of fall classes.
Cumulative GPA:* 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale)
* contact SAI if you don’t meet requirements
Communication Design
Design Management
Fashion Design
Fine Arts
Foundation
Interior Design
Liberal Studies
Photography
This year-long course is designed to improve critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. Students learn to understand the inherent argument and logic of a text, to think more systematically and critically, and to write more effectively by developing skills in the structure, grammar, and mechanics of writing. Students also work toward the more focused goal of situating design and art practices within larger intellectual, historical and philosophical frameworks by exploring the indissoluble connection between ideas and the products of human culture. This is achieved by introducing students to texts representing and describing various methodologies applicable to art and design, which can then be used to critique and analyze visual and material artifacts.
This course is open to students who have already had some exposure to the French language because they have taken short courses, or because they have interacted with French speakers. However, these false beginners still need to master the basics. Students will start their study with topics and grammar necessary for successful daily interactions with a strong emphasis on oral production. As the course progresses, they will delve into themes dealing with French culture and life in Paris. This course meets the Liberal Studies Humanities requirement.
French for Paris is a course open to beginners who would like to expand their knowledge of French culture and develop their listening & speaking skills. The course will cover specific themes relating to everyday life in Paris, its history, its culture and the arts. Emphasis will be placed on phonetics (rhythm, intonation, liaisons, silent letters & some specific French sounds) as well as everyday vocabulary and exchanges. Different subjects will be developed over the semester: cultural life in Paris, French cinema, French and Francophone cuisine, as well as music. Students will be able to engage in short conversations, and will practice describing themselves and their environment along with their studies and artistic practice. Visits in French will be organized. Conscientious completion of homework and class participation is emphasized; a website has been specially designed to accompany students throughout the semester (readings, targeted grammatical exercises, podcasts, phonetics, etc.) Class will be conducted in French. This course meets the Liberal Studies Humanities requirement.
French Language and Culture is a course open to anyone who has some knowledge of French and would like to improve their listening & speaking skills. The course will cover specific themes such as Paris and its architecture, French cinema, French artists and artistic movements, as well as professional life in Paris. Students will develop key vocabulary in order to be able to communicate orally in French in everyday life situations, as well as in professional settings. Using a variety of materials, students will learn how to tell a story, make a description of their work and practice, talk about a personal experience or project, and give their opinion. Four museum guided tours in French will be organized during the semester. Conscientious completion of homework and class participation is emphasized; a website has been specially designed to accompany students throughout the semester (readings, targeted grammatical exercises, podcasts, phonetics, etc.) Class will conducted in French. This course meets the Liberal Studies Humanities requirement for PCA undergraduate students.
This course investigates the visual history of fashion, focusing on the last 100 years especially from the early 1900s to the present day, and with a particular focus on primary sources available in the museums and archives of Paris. Weekly units explore historical European fashion trends their details, silhouettes, fabrics and embellishments in their original social, political, economic, aesthetic and spiritual contexts. Influences and parallel developments in other countries are also covered in this class, as are connections between the fashion industry, theatre, film, and the fine arts. Students are introduced to research practices and encouraged to reflect on design and style choices rooted in fashion history while also doing their own in depth research and presentations based off of physical visits to Paris’ exhibitions, museums, and libraries.
This course will explore, analyze and compare Japanese, Scandinavian, North American, South American and Mediterranean architectures. Students will work toward the more focused goal of situating design and architecture practices within larger intellectual frameworks by exploring the indissoluble connections linking ideas and the products of human culture. This is achieved by introducing students to texts representing and describing various and critical methodologies applicable to architecture and design, which will be used to critique and analyze visual materials. Students will learn to understand the inner argument and logic of a text, to think more systematically and critically and to write more effectively.
This course aims to develop skills in perception, comprehension, and appreciation of various visual art forms. It fosters the ability to closely analyze visual materials and explore the range of questions and methods used to examine and interpret artworks. Moreover, the course emphasizes understanding art as a visual language and encourages students to express their understanding verbally, both orally and in writing. The course is structured around four thematic modules that correspond to specific geographical locations and major art historical periods. These modules do not provide comprehensive surveys of the art of each culture or era. Instead, they concentrate on specific themes and objects to enhance our understanding and appreciation of visual art forms.
This interdisciplinary course explores the rise of visual media, communication and information, within the context of a broad cultural shift away from the verbal and textual toward the visual, which has taken place since the advent of photography and cinema in the late 19th century, through the birth of television, to the present proliferation of digital media worldwide. We will consider the critical practices of looking, historicizing and interpreting that have accompanied this ‘visual turn’. Our readings will primarily address the theoretical foundations of the study of visual culture, which is understood to incorporate a variety of visual media and visual technologies: painting and sculpture, scientific imagery, material culture, the internet. If everything can be visual culture, what remains of traditional notions of medium specificity? What critical tools must be invented to analyze visual events from a visual cultural perspective? The relationship between the visual arts and visual media, especially with respect to the ‘global’ contemporary visual landscape, will be a focus of this course.
Paris Inside/Out is a one-credit course consisting of visits to art & design exhibits, as well as meetings with artists, artisans and designers in Paris. The course will use a wide approach by including a variety of artistic fields, thus allowing students to draw inspiration from any discipline. The course will be held every week in a different location in Paris. Students are free to participate in as many visits as they wish, however a minimum of 5 visits are required to pass the course. For each visit, students will create a personal work within a given set of constraints. At the end of the semester, students will be asked to present to the class a personal work inspired by one of the visits during the semester.
Conceived as an introduction to the history of photography, this course will focus mainly on the first half of the 20th century. The movements and aesthetics characterizing that period will be examined through the work of various international photographers. Arranged thematically while following a chronological progression, it will approach each theme in connection with a major photographer whose singularity will help understand the particularities and issues of the subject and put them into perspective. As a product of light and chemistry, photography has always been determined by technical parameters. We will address these parameters and see how they shaped the history of the medium and what we can learn from them today. Since its invention, photography has had an ambivalent status, regarded by some only as a way of recording or copying things, while others considered it as an actual means of artistic creation. This constant dichotomy between document and art will constitute the common thread of this course. We will look at it with a critical eye, examining photographs through all the stages of their life, from the moment they were taken to the moment they were printed, published, exhibited or discovered by others. In doing so, we will be able to examine how the status of these photographs often changed during the various stages of their history, going from mere documents to renowned works of art. Based mostly on the observation and comment of photographic images, this course aims to start a discussion and foster debate on photography, its specificities and the way they were developed and used in the first half of the 20th century.
This course will focus on different multi-page documents design, with a particular emphasis on magazines and books (in printed and digital form). Students will acquire the skills to create continuity and variety across a range of pages, present different kind of information in context or appropriate formats, and develop an identity through the pages.
The course provides the fundamental skills of graphic design. Students will become familiar with the visual vocabulary that builds the graphic design practice, through practical projects. Exploring the basic elements (form, color, type, image and their interconnections) and experimenting on different media and at different scales, the students will become familiar to the graphic design process and the visual problem solving.
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This year long studio is aimed to reinforce the skills acquired in sophomore year, through the development of more complex and global projects. The progression from the design of components to the design of systems is emphasized during the course, encouraging bridges between fields that are traditionally considered separated or in opposition (i.e. digital and analogue fields). The purpose of the class is to train the ability of developing a narrative, exploring and embracing different media and scales.
This course develops the design methodology and technical skills to produce time-based linear narratives, animations, television graphics, opening credits, music videos, etc. The integration of sound and image is central to the development of motion graphics projects. After Effects and Final Cut are the principal programs taught in this class, along with the language and tools of motion graphics. Students learn to develop concepts and storyboards before commencing their final drafts.
For decades, typography has been everywhere. As the art of visual language, typography is inherently communicative. Spoken language is ephemeral and intangible. When written, language is captured in a visual and spatial form, permanent and concrete. Students discover the domain of typography, gain familiarity with typographical language and terms, and learn to work with typefaces for printed matters and digital use. The course will recall the history of typography, from the tradition to contemporary uses and students are introduced to digital typesetting and page layout software.
This junior laboratory/technology studio course focuses on the design process and technical background required for designing effective interactive experiences, with an emphasis on design methodology for evolving systems. HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Flash, and Web 2.0 CMS will be introduced along with specialized web design, imaging and animation tools. Students will design and mock up websites. The second semester delves further into notions of interface design, information architecture and web infrastructure.
This course will explore the responsibilities and accountability of businesses and managers with regards to ethical behavior. Why should companies behave ethically? How can managers create organizational cultures that support ethical behavior in all employees? The course will explore the nature of the ethical dilemmas managers can face and review the legal and regulatory climate in which companies must operate. This includes an overview of organizational structures, internal auditing, corporate governance, codes of ethics and internal stakeholder issues such as product quality, customer satisfaction, supply chain issues, employee wages and benefits, and local community and environmental responsibilities. How can managers embrace transparency in operations, be accountable to critics, internal and external, while balancing the needs of stakeholders from shareholders to NGOs.
Information Design concerns itself with the direct and accurate communication of data and is a core communication design skill. This course is involved with both the theory and application of information design principles and applies students’ knowledge and vocabulary of visual organization to a sophisticated understanding of information design and data visualization, culminating in user research projects. Automated data visualizations using Processing programming language will be also part of the course.
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the principles and practices of financial statement analysis. The course therefore assumes only minimal knowledge by most students of financial accounting and finance. Primary emphasis is placed on mathematical problems and concepts relevant to financial and operational business applications, including regression, forecasting, sampling and statistical analysis. This course also lays the groundwork for more advanced study in finance and international business transactions in the fourth year.
Pre-requisite: Marketing, Economics 1 & 2, Strategic Design Management or equivalent(s).
This course is designed to study the impact of global economic models upon domestic economies. Issues explored include the impact of business on migrating populations, environmental movements, social climates, new technologies, and international trade agreements.
This course explores what is design management and gives an overview of topics and issues central to the subject, with an emphasis on understanding the basic skills required to become a design manager/strategic designer and the kinds of careers and futures design managers and entrepreneurs may enjoy. Why should we pay attention to design and why/how can we integrate design to coherent business strategies are other issues addressed in this course.
Retail involves a subtle mix of knowledge including but not limited to changing consumer behaviors and purchasing culture, e-commerce, costumer relation, retail environment, location, display, retail marketing, branding, expressing corporate strategies and objectives, logistics and supply chain. In this course, students gain an understanding of the principles of retailing.
Pre-requisite: Foundation core studios - Semester 1 is prerequisite for semester 2.
This course introduces the 3D form, fabrics and basic garment construction. Through the practice of draping muslin on the mannequin, fabrics workshops and analysis students learn how 2D materials become 3D forms. The foundation of pattern shapes: bodices, skirts, sleeves, and collars are covered as are essential technical skills and garment assembly techniques. Weekly briefs encourage intensive 3D research and exploration of a variety of methods and techniques. The course initiates a flexible, experimental and critical approach towards materials, volumes, and shapes from which design concepts emanate in an individual, personal, problem-solving process.
Pre-requisite: Semester 1 is prerequisite for semester 2.
This course teaches students how to generate and develop various highly individual design concepts related to specific, identified market levels and product segments. Different principles of collection work and collection concepts are applied to set project briefs. Methods of presentation in relation to the fashion design portfolio enhance appropriate visuals for the fashion design process. Observational fashion, design, and trend research sketchbooks form part of this course, as well as external project briefs, which are reviewed and assessed by professionals from the French fashion and clothing industry (e.g. Designer Critic Project).
This class focuses on digital tools for fashion design and fashion illustration. Students use Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign to prepare concept boards and collection concepts completed with scanned sources and original artwork. Exploring a variety of digital design and presentation methods, students will focus on developing new design concepts for defined niche markets; project briefs will involve research and style analysis of a French couture house or a European luxury brand. Applying digital communication and presentation skills, students will develop a new contemporary vision for an innovative product range and their own graphic identity presented in a professional PowerPoint presentation.
This course teaches fashion hand drawing techniques mainly from live fashion models; first it will focus on body proportions, body details and body movement to later concentrate on the stylized fashion figure, allowing students to synthesize and create their own ideas. Students will analyze the behavior of the fabric on the body, how different types of clothing hangs and reacts to movement. Volume and perspective will be a subject of study through lights-shadow and forth-shortening techniques, which help students to situate their fashion figures in the space and prepare them to design clothes as soft sculptures, a bridge from 2D to 3D.
Students will analyse in this course social, societal, cultural, artistic, ethnic and historic ideas with a focus on a statement driven development of a collection. Referential work and encounter historic and iconic influences are important elements to develop creative abstraction in designs and emphasis on authentic and personal designs. In this course students learn to analyze and use properties and principles of materiality to make design decisions informed by sustainable practices and take responsible decisions. Students will experiment a variety of design ideation methods to encounter innovations and develop a new vision.
Pre-requisite: Sophomore core studios - Semester 1 is prerequisite for semester 2.
Junior Design Studio integrates draping and pattern making as a means of achieving the students own designs and realizing them as finished garments. Focus is on the process of executing a design concept from its 2D form, including layout, cutting, construction, fitting, and finishes. Through technical projects, students continue to develop their skills. In the second semester students follow professional sample procedures to develop a garment from an original design under the direction of the instructor and a external designer critic. At the end of the semester they produce a 3 look collection that serves as preparation and practice for collection line-up and time management.
Students observing and understanding the basic pattern development for garment. In this course the focus is on understanding of professional pattern making, metric pattern cutting, and drafting skills. They learn about the architecture of garments and the technical implications of flat construction for the fit and construct basic patterns for skirt, dress, shirt, trousers. This development of the slopers are an excellent base for the students to explore and learn pattern manipulation through specific projects. Observing and exploring the adjustments to change the basic pattern towards individual design through the master plan and the manipulation. Student develop pattern in 2D and construct a 3D garment.
This course increases students knowledge of natural and synthetic fibers, fabrics, and materials as well as the range and application of textiles to the special requirements of clothing production. Students will learn the basics of hand and machine sewing, understanding how to properly manipulate the textiles to create proper garments and accessories with proper finishing methods. Students are given an overview of the textile and fiber markets, including fiber identification, knowledge of yarns, and fabric constructions. The historical background of different textiles is examined as well as contemporary developments and the changing values assigned to different textiles.
This required Junior studio provides a highly-intensive introduction to video production. The fall course is an investigation of the moving image as an art form. Students will revise the basics of the language of film by further developing methodology and technical skills necessary to produce their own videos and animations. Throughout the course, students will be exposed to artists working in the field and will consider filmmaking and animation in relation to Fine Arts. Students will participate in all aspects of digital, time-based media production including concept development, storyboarding, shooting, editing, screening of final works and DVD authoring.
This course takes an experimental approach to printmaking, promoting open dialogue with old and new materials and processes. Studio work covers not only the traditional methods of intaglio and relief printing, screen printing and color surface monoprinting, but also all forms of hand-based transfer that involve inking up a surface (body parts, objects, whole cars) and pulling a print. Students are also encouraged to explore the potential for hybrid and combination printing (silkscreen on steel, woodcut on latex, digital print onto Perspex…) as well as integrating print into 3D/4D practice to help solve creative dilemmas and stimulate fresh new ideas. Contemporary printmaking 1, begins with the introduction to simple printmaking techniques, such as mono types, dry point, stencils and linoleum. Students are introduced to the concepts of a print, with the transfers of information from one surface to another, to the idea of the multiple and story telling.
This course will focus on making drawings as a process of investigation and experimental practice. Through set projects students discover new forms of expression, possibilities for mixing media and ways to appropriate the act of drawing. Each exercise is contextualized and provides the starting point for discussion. Over the course of the Semester students will discover potential for their personal work and contribute to the design and content of the course in the Spring Semester. Classes include events and collaborations inside and outside of the school expected to generate new ways of thinking about drawing.
This course aims make aware students of certain issues in contemporary sculpture and gives them the technical and conceptual means to develop a more personal language and identity. Students are encouraged to experiment with different approaches, media and concepts and continue to explore technical skills necessary to conceiving and executing sculptural work. Over the course of the semester students are encouraged to develop and pursue a personal sensibility within their artistic research.
The first semester will be devoted to technical familiarization with the different filming tools, recording sound, and linear editing, in order to acquire spontaneity. The goal for this first term is to develop all the technical skills and create automatisms to best serve the video practice. Students will be encouraged to use their personal filming tools (smartphones, regular consumer cameras, etc.), as basic as they could seem, to allow a common and natural usage. The collected imagery and sound will serve students all year to build their personal research and artistic proposals. We will see how different artists create images from three constitutive elements: light, space, and time. We will learn that an image cannot be simply reduced to the broadcast visual element, but includes the contextual presentation. We will discuss the importance of the distribution of light and colors in the development of this overall picture, which will introduce the space, set design and the role of the spectator. We will approach the various possible temporal modalities of the image broadcast: real-time, delayed linear continuity, disruptive continuity (interactivity, random images, etc.), and their influence on the space and the spectator. This course is a requirement for Fine Arts and Photography sophomore students, and strongly recommended for Communication Design sophomore students.
Today, textiles are being used in a greater measure on the art scene: the embroidered canvases of Ghada Amer, the installations of Annette Messager, the knitted rock from Andy Holden or the patchworks of Tracey Emin, are a few examples of this innovative use of textiles. This course proposes to explore textiles as a medium to translate fine arts or design projects. Whether your field of interest is surface pattern, imagery, construction in space, mass, volume, sculpture, you will be taken through experimentation and technical instructions, such as hand and machine knitting, weaving, dyeing and various treatments, to develop a strong personal project. Individual assessment throughout your research will lead you to propose daring textile solutions as an alternative means of expression or design.
This Painting Studio course is meant as an experimentation beyond the traditional framework associated with painting (canvas, paint, exhibition). The studio course builds upon painting skills but above all encourages experimentation and improvisation with other forms and techniques: collage/assemblage, installation, video, performance, sound, etc… Emphasis will be on developing a personal direction. Through group and individual discussions around works as well as museum and gallery visits and presentations, we will consider painting in contemporary fine arts practices.
In order to evolve and discover new pictorial horizons painting today must remain open to the possibility of a dialogue with the wide range of multidisciplinary influences that are available. Where once the field of exploration was defined by the rigueur and strict dictates of a formal training. The strength of painting today lies in its flexibility to use such training and adapt to the influences of other 2D and 3D disciplines and the pictorial possibilities that they offer as art experience. The possibility to create an art experience through research, experimentation and interaction are the key components in the junior year in painting. With this as a core component the dynamics of painting are explored through a variety of set projects designed to stimulate the individual imagination.
This class is an initiation to the techniques of traditional printmaking, specifically, press related techniques. In this course students will learn about the printing press and its multiple possibilities of image making, learning how to be autonomous in the studio and gain confidence with the use of the printing press. This semester we cover the following techniques: Monotypes, Linoleum Printmaking, Embossing, and Intaglio Acetate Etching.
This course encourages students to develop their personal projects experimenting with one or more printmaking techniques based on the idea of the Multiple. With the principles of the Multiple, students will consider how printmaking offers a vast field of research, experimentation, processes and outcomes that dwell in the possibility to produce multiple copies out of one. Students will be encouraged to mix digital and mechanical processes. Attention will be given on developing new forms of printing opening it to original surfaces as fabric, metal, wood, or plastic for example. The aim is to go beyond the limits of a two dimensional design and to open it to the third one.
This course is designed to build on existing technical knowledge and skills, facilitating a more focused approach to the relationship between creative technology and practice. The course seeks to explore drawing within contemporary fine art practice. The workshops will focus on the process of drawing as concept, drawing as subject matter, drawing to create or define context, drawing as source and resource to develop a personal expressive language. The aims of the course are to extend advanced and technical knowledge, to encourage a broad range of unfamiliar materials, process and to facilitate experimentation. Research methods will be introduced to support your projects and to encourage a critical approach/response to ideas. Instruction is delivered through studio sessions, site work, teaching events and demonstrations, and coordinates thematically with other coursework in the sophomore year curriculum.
The course will revolve around presentations and assignments to create a platform for analyzing your own emerging practice and learning how to pinpoint and develop themes from within it. The second half of the course will encourage the development of your personal areas of interest through dialogue, peer review and personal tutorial. Sculpture will be approached as a process of materializing and actualizing connection to Spaces and Objects (including politics, humans, histories…) and will reassess classical connotations of sculptural form by opening them to a wider range of issues coming from video, architecture, document and research approaches to art-making. Following the first semesters discussions on independent practice, the spring semester will focus on strengthening students personal artistic language and ability to locate and isolate relevant research topics either through intuitive, logical or thematic thinking.
Working away from the stretched canvas to different structures and surfaces, exploring scale and more site-specific projects, introducing the notion of space within a 2D context, this course will address in class systematically formal painting issues, i.e.; texture, mark, scale, color, composition etc. These issues will accompany important themes in Contemporary Art without replacing them. This undergraduate painting course aims to enable each student to pursue their ideas in and around painting in all its forms in the most committed, imaginative and experimental way. Work may manifest itself in a wide variety of different mediums and materials. This course engages with and contributes to the change and development in the expanded field of art. Although its core concern is with practice, it promotes the hybrid nature of current art practices by exploring the boundaries of, and the interface between, art and critical ideas. Furthermore this class aims to develop the individualization of the students’ pictorial language.
The Studio Concepts course challenges and encourages the students to explore the different creative processes and contemporary artistic practices. Open to research all media ranging from painting, drawing to photography and video, from objects, sculpture to installations and any un-familiar propositions, the students may experience and develop their ideas that emerge spontaneously out of experimentation and process. Through research and reference the students need to justify and document their ideas and proposals. The projects will include concepts and process; develop context and ideas. The aim of the studio concept course is to encourage and enable students to create an individual and critical approach/response to ideas and tasks, spanning all disciplines and to assure an underlying connection to the student’s construction and deconstruction of their chosen areas and personal practice.
The class is aimed to explore the medium book in all its meanings/forms focusing on the relationships between the content and the container, the inside and the outside, internal and external structure(s). A book isnt content OR shape, but content AND shape. The materiality is part of the project. In conceiving a piece in a book-form, the process has to take in account the permanent dialogue between all the elements composing the whole : texts, images, paper, ink, grids, typeface, chapters, titles, captions, format, size, number of pages all this gathered in a hierarchy that takes the form of a network. Starting with the decomposition of an existing book, going through the recomposition of the existing in a new form, to-finally conceive and realize their own book , students will approach the medium with an apparent technical methodology, which will lead them to discover the almost endless richness and complexity of the book structure.
Students explore their immediate neighborhood and the city at large as a site of inspiration. The city and its spaces become an extended classroom. Students respond to a theme designed to encourage interaction and integration with their surroundings and new, unexpected ways of looking at their environment. Site visits, walks, lectures, readings, and practical exercises guide students through different approaches to the creative process with the aim that they develop their own methodologies and engage with the city as potential artists and/or designers.
Drawing–across all first year studio courses and in every progression track at PCA–is considered a fundamental discipline for creative practice. The aim is to give students both a vital course in traditional skills and an introduction to contemporary and emerging approaches to drawing. Included in this class are subject specific workshops such as: digital illustration, gesture/dance, experimental fashion drawing, drawing and film. The purpose of this course is to instill a lively and inspired discipline that students will continue to practice in many forms beyond their foundation year.
This course aims to equip all first year students with the necessary skills and confidence to be able to use digital tools. The curriculum is project-led and structured so that students can apply their growing skill-set to realize their ideas. All projects are contextualized with examples of work by contemporary artists and designers who are working with digital media. Students are introduced to the possibilities for digital tools as part of their creative work.
This course is an introduction to dimensions in art and design (2D, 3D, Photography and Moving Image) through material processes. Over the course of the semester students rotate for one month through three discipline areas. A common theme links the three courses and projects overlap and develop progressively. All first years take part in a joint critique of their work. Students are taught how to use practical tools and shown methods for handling materials that provide concrete starting points for creative practice. These include, but are not limited to: book-making, basic printmaking, black and white printing, sewing inductions, moving image workshops, and the operation of woodwork machinery.
In this class, students perfect resources for the visualization and the communication of interior design projects, both orally and visually. Students develop and explore new concepts, alternative methods and ideas to visually illustrate and present the various phases of the design process: from concept boards, fast scale models and graphics to rendering techniques and digital fabrication tools.
This course is intended as an introduction to the communication of interior design projects. It will provide students with a basic understanding of practical skills used to describe and represent space. Through a series of tasks, students familiarize themselves with basic design tools – conceptual sketches, study models, two dimensional drawings, volumetric representations and presentation techniques – which accompany the elaboration and communication of interior design proposals.
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The course aims at introducing students to the world of materials sensorial qualities, requirements, and performances. Students explore the relationships between colors, light and four specific materials (glass, wood, metal and plastics) from a sensorial point of view. Through a theoretical and practical approach of materials and tool technologies, students discover possibilities and ways to apply, combine and assemble materials within interior environments. The course will also encourage critical thinking with regard to an understanding and application of the life cycle analysis, as well as introducing organizations dedicated to sustainability and the rating systems they use. Visits to materials workshops and suppliers showrooms will complement this course.
This second course in Project Communication is meant to provide students with the necessary practical skills to describe and represent space in three dimensions. The semester is dedicated to 3D technical drawings such as axonometry or perspective, as well as physical and digital 3D models, with an understanding of their application as both powerful conceptual and presentation tools.
These first project courses (P.F. 1&2) aim at providing students with the cultural and technical tools needed to understand inhabited spaces. Exemplary projects drawn from housing, workplace, leisure and retail environments are investigated. Space elements are analyzed on published architectural projects and within real locations: urban context, masses, negative and positive spaces, lighting, furniture functions. The ability to generate design solutions, select images, color and finishes are emphasized. Building codes and barrier-free design compliance will also be studied.
In this course, we examine the development of world politics throughout the twentieth century and the modern geopolitical imagination that animates it. The ultimate aim is to develop conceptual and theoretical tools to explain contemporary developments in world politics. Special focus is placed on the political impact on humanitarian policies and their implementation in different cases. Through careful reading, informed discussion and thoughtful writing, we will draw connections between contemporary migration and global histories of trade, capitalism, slavery, colonialism, (under) development, urbanization, globalization and conflict. In order to understand migration’s dramatic impact on ideas about identity, language, culture and belonging, we will focus on a varied selection of critical essays, current news items, photographs, music, visual art, short stories, poems, documentaries and feature films as well as blogs and other forms of new media.
A non-technical survey course emphasizing symmetry as a unifying theme. The scientific method, the diversity, and unity of all living things will be presented in this context. The areas of investigation include the human body, zoology, botany, and microorganisms.
Semiotics is the science of signs. This course will offer an introduction to the discipline of semiotics. We will read its foundational texts – from Saussure to Peirce and Barthes – and apply them to the worlds of photography, design, and fashion, as well as the media, analyzing how artifacts can be interpreted as visual manifestations of social structures. Students will have a chance to bring their own work to bear on their study and vice versa.
This creative advanced lighting course will built on Lighting Seminar I and II and introduce students to a broad range of advanced lighting situations. Students will also learn how to analyze light in contemporary photography (Phillip Llorca di Corcia, Roger Ballen, Gregory Crewdson, Jeff Wall) and in various other mediums such as cinema (David Lynch, Jean-Luc Godard, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Igmar Bergman, Wim Wenders, etc), cinetic art, amongst others. The students will then use these influences for their various assignments. They will learn how to be creative in using the techniques they have acquired in Lighting Techniques I and II. Through hands-on practice and creative assignments, students will become comfortable with the use of all commonly used professional lighting equipment and accessories. The students will be able to choose from a series of assignments or to create their own.
The medium of photography is largely defined by its history of black and white pictures. The course will cover camera operation, principles of exposure and photographic composition concepts. The goal of this class is to provide a solid foundation of photographic black and white photography skills and techniques. It provides an overview of classic black and white photography while discussing camera techniques that apply to both traditional film and digital cameras. Students will learn how to effectively use their cameras in manual mode and make good quality negatives. The class includes camera and exposure meter instruction, technical lectures, effective scanning methods and instruction on film/digital crossover techniques.
This year-long course introduces students to the creative and technical possibilities of digital photography. Through demonstrations and hands-on sessions, students learn the fundamentals of Adobe Photoshop to produce effective digital photographs. Students are taken through all the basic processes encountered in digital workflow, from basic scanning and retouching, image enhancement, and printing fundamentals, to RAW file processing and photographic post-production methods.
This is a yearlong course building on the Freshman and Sophomore Seminars, serving as a critical and technical exploration of the language and theory of photography. Students will further develop their individual photographic statements while placing their work within conceptual and historical contexts. This semester, we will be placing a particular emphasis on working with medium and large format cameras. Artists working in other mediums, such as video, sculpture, painting and installation, will be examined as well. Students will work on two shorter assignments and one longer term, self-designed project throughout the first semester, culminating in a body of work that will be presented at the end-of-the-term show.
This is the first part of a yearlong course of learning and mastering the fundamental techniques of studio lighting. The students become familiar with how to create traditional, practical lighting scenarios in a studio environment. Electronic flashes and tungsten lights will be used to achieve control of color, contrast and reflection. Lighting techniques are demonstrated and applied in class to various assignments of tabletop still lifes and portraiture. Emphasis is placed on understanding light and of mastering the technical aspects of the lighting equipment. Assignments will be theme based: headshots, full portraits, and several s??ll lifes.
This course will look at both the business and practical side of the photographic industry and the importance of understanding and working to a client brief. Students will shoot an advertising campaign for a chosen brand in the studio and on location. All work will be produced in the context of the final printed formats with typography. A call sheet & invoice will be produced for each shoot. We will look at legal agreements, contracts, model releases, copyright and reproduction rights, rights of the client, photographer and third parties. On the fine art side: We will look at dealing with galleries, physical and online, submissions, commissions, promotion, paperwork, framing and private views. Remember You are your own brand as David Ogilvy said if you cant sell yourself, what hope have you of selling anything else?
Focusing on the application of photography and installation, this course will explore the uses of photography in space. The course will concentrate on the implications of the relationships among artist, object and image. Through the experimental and nontraditional approaches in installation, the student will explore the formal, spatial, conceptual and visual presentation of installation. The presentation of still and time-based media in screen-based and installation environments will also be covered.
The course introduces students to social and experimental documentaries. The documentary practice has evolved a lot since its origins. With the digital revolution, the advent of the internet, and the surge in communication technologies, and through osmosis with other mediums and expertise, the range of approaches and possibilities for storytellers has expanded. However, the need to engage with contemporary urgencies that flare up everywhere remains pressing in the professional field. The need to empower the weakest subjects of history, the victims of conflicts, abuses, and indifferences, also feeds a different ethical posture. The documentary maker requires skills beyond the ability to record compelling news in a captivating way. The artistic and subjective qualities in documentary photography and filmmaking have opened the creative range of opportunities for visual makers and increased their audience. During the class, students will discuss the questions raised by documentary practice, such as choice of relevant projects, a point of view, subjectivity/objectivity, political commitment, dedication, ethics, voyeurism, etc. Students will also focus on production and editorial processes and explore the different ways to present it, whether in the press, through books and zines, exhibitions, or online media. Students can measure themselves by developing a body of work reflecting a critical awareness and an understanding of the documentary practice.
This seminar addresses both technique and critique. Throughout the semester students will work in the studio and field, recreating the conditions of the working photographer. Technique is at the service of ideas. The development of a personal project will also be required. Students will continue to develop a strong body of work informed by critical readings and discussions. An essential aspect of the seminar is the deepening of visual sensibilities and the discovery of new ways of seeing. Students will work on multiple projects throughout the semester and produce and present a cohesive body of work at the end of the term.
The main aim of this class is to provide students with the tools and techniques required to document their work in a professional manner in order to share it with prospective clients. Students in all the new M.A. programs (accessories design, fashion design, fashion photography, interior design) will need to be proficient in photographing objects and/or interiors. Photographing still life is different from portraiture or street photography, and requires mastery of lighting and mise en scene.
Course Concentrations & Portfolio Requirements
Students are asked to submit a portfolio including images of 10 to 20 pieces. Applicants are encouraged to submit their best and most recently completed work, showing a range of technical skills and creativity. Portfolios may include works in a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, installation art, video, fashion design, illustration, etc. The PCA admissions committee is particularly interested in how applicants research and communicate their ideas. Furthermore, applicants are encouraged to submit work that aligns with the particular area of study for which they are applying.
The following Course Concentrations are available:
- Communication Design
- Fashion Design
- Fine Arts
- Interior Design
- Photography
- Critical Studies – as a “non-studio” concentration, students in this area have the option to submit a writing sample in lieu of a portfolio. This may be an assignment completed for a current or previous class; something that the student feels is a representative example of their current style and ability. Please note that Critical Studies concentration students who elect not to submit a portfolio may only have access to a limited set of courses. For example, fine arts classes are typically unavailable to students who have not submitted a portfolio, even if they’re pursuing a non-studio concentration. Please contact SAI admissions with any questions.
Courses & Schedule
PCA courses run Monday – Friday. SAI students are free to enroll in any combination of elective courses, but prerequisites for specific classes must be demonstrated through students’ transcripts.
Course Registration
Students choose their elective courses after they have been accepted into the program. As soon as the PCA semester schedule is confirmed, students are asked to complete a Course Approval Form, which is used to specify first-choice and alternate-choice courses. Certain Studio Arts courses may not be open to students who do not submit a portfolio, so all students are encouraged to submit one, regardless of concentration. All posted schedules of classes are tentative and subject to change unless otherwise noted. After registration is complete, any schedule changes must be made during the add/drop period at PCA, which is typically the first week of classes.
Applied Volunteer Opportunities
Visiting semester students at PCA have the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of short non-credit volunteer activities. This includes assisting at gallery events, fashion week, and working with individual artists in the city. Students return home with a unique and diverse resume of hands-on experience. Further details are provided to students upon arrival.
| Pre-Departure Calendar | |
|---|---|
| April 15 2025 |
Application Closes Applications accepted after closing as space permits. |
| Within 1 week of acceptance |
SAI Deposits Due $500 Enrollment Deposit (applied toward program fee) $300 Security Deposit (refundable) |
| April 29 2025 |
Enrollment Closes Students must complete their enrollment, including paying deposits, by this date. |
| May 1 2025 |
50% of Total Program Fee Due Students who are accepted and submit SAI deposits after this date will have an amended pay schedule. 50% of the Program Fee will be due within 5 business days, based on the deposit payment date. |
| May 15 2025 |
Financial Aid Agreement & Financial Aid Program Deposit Deadline Students wishing to utilize SAI financial aid payment deferment must complete the Financial Aid Agreement form and submit the Financial Aid Program Deposit by this date. Students whose deposit payment date is on or after this date will have a deadline of 5 days after the deposit. |
| June 1 2025 |
SAI Scholarship Application Deadline Students wishing to apply for a SAI scholarship must have all application items submitted by 11:59pm Pacific Time on this date. |
| June 15 2025 |
SAI Financial Aid Verification Deadline Students wishing to defer payment until student loan disbursement must submit the financial aid verification forms to SAI by this date. |
| July 1 2024 |
Balance of Total Program Fee Due (For students utilizing SAI financial aid payment deferment, any balance not covered by aid is due) |
| On-Site Calendar | |
|---|---|
| Coming soon |
Arrival & Housing Check-in Students arrive at Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport. SAI airport pickup is provided between 9:00am and 12:00 noon, and students are transferred to SAI housing. |
| Coming soon |
SAI Orientation Mandatory SAI orientation is held at the SAI Paris office and introduces students to their city while covering safety, policies, housing, and culture. |
| Coming soon |
PCA Academic Orientation Begins & Final Course Registration PCA orientation introduces students to their school and professors, and includes activities to get to know classmates. |
| Coming soon |
PCA Classes Begin |
| Coming soon |
Add / Drop Period |
| Coming soon |
Midterm Exams |
| Coming soon |
Final Exams End |
| Coming soon |
Program End & Housing Check-out Students must move out of SAI housing by 10:00am to return home or pursue independent travel. |
| SAI Program Fees* | USD |
|---|---|
| Application Fee | $120 |
| Security Deposit Refundable at the end of the term. |
$300 |
| Program Fee Includes tuition, standard housing and SAI 360° Services (see What’s Included). |
$26,500 |
| Optional / Additional Fees: | |
| Optional Private Room Housing Supplement Private room in a shared apartment, with a shared bathroom. |
$2,600 |
| Optional Homestay Housing Supplement Homestay housing in a private room. Includes daily breakfast and 3 or 5 dinners per week. |
3 dinners/wk – $150 5 dinners/wk – $565 |
| International Mailing Supplement When applicable, students are charged an international mailing supplement to ensure visa paperwork arrives in a timely manner. |
$90 |
*prices are subject to change
Please see SAI Policies for SAI cancellation & withdrawal deadlines.
Note: certain SAI-affiliated US universities require specific payment arrangements. These may require that some fees are paid by the student directly to SAI, and other fees are paid to SAI by the affiliated university on behalf of the student. If you attend a SAI-affiliated university please contact your study abroad office or speak with your SAI Admissions Counselor for details.
| Budget | Low Est. | High Est. |
|---|---|---|
| Airfare to/from Paris |
$900 | $1,200 |
| Visa |
$350 | $450 |
| Books, Supplies & Course Fees |
$100 / course | $450 / course |
| Meals Includes groceries and eating out. |
$400 / month | $800 / month |
| Personal Expenses | $350 / month | $450 / month |
| Transportation within Paris Public transportation with some taxi rides. |
$125 / month | $150 / month |
| Weekend Travel Cost varies greatly by student. |
$300 / month | $1,000 / month |
This is a SAI 360° Services Program; it includes our full services!
- Program tuition and U.S. academic credit
- Accommodation in carefully selected student housing
- Airport pickup on arrival day
- Welcome reception and events
- Orientation to the host city and school
- On-site staff who foster a welcoming community and provide assistance when needed
- SAI Viva Experience: cultural engagement, excursions & wellness activities
- Student health insurance providing full coverage and medical emergency evacuation
- 24-hour on-site emergency support
- Farewell event
Pre-departure and Re-entry services
- Knowledgeable Admissions Counselor dedicated to you, providing friendly assistance
- Helpful pre-departure tools and resources
- Parent & family resources
- Online student groups to acquaint you with other SAI students
- Student visa advising
- Assistance with financial aid processing
- Need-based SAI scholarships
- Alumni Ambassador Program, with paid internship opportunities
- SAI alumni network
SAI offers all students the Viva Experience: frequent cultural activities, at no extra cost, for participants to get to know their community, city and country. Following is a sample of the activities included in this program. Please note that actual activities may differ.
Welcome Activity: Orientation & Bus Tour
Students gather at the SAI office for a Welcome Orientation program, after which they embark on a bus tour to take in the splendor of the city and a few of its magnificent landmarks.
Montmartre Walking Tour
Take a guided tour through the Montmartre district and glimpse the nooks and crannies of the most bohemian district of Paris, once home to artists such as Renoir, Picasso, Edith Piaf and others.
Maison Européenne de la Photographie Visit
Students spend an evening with SAI exploring the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, located in the trendy neighborhood of the Marais.
“Ghosts, Legends, & Mysteries” Evening Tour in Paris
Have you ever wondered about the mysteries and dark stories that Paris holds? Just in time for Halloween, join SAI for a two-hour walking tour exploring the city’s mysterious past. Our expert, English-speaking tour guide will recount tales as we tour sites such as the Louvre, Tour Saint Jacques, Ile de la Cité, and many more.
Open Market Tour & Tastings
Join SAI for a tour of one of Paris’ celebrated open food markets, Le marché d’Aligre. We’ll learn about the neighborhood and the history of the market. We’ll also receive tips on how to select the best fruits and vegetables, according to the season and purchase them. The visit will be followed by a picnic lunch in a local park.
Day Trip: Lyon
Spend the day exploring the city of Lyon and learning about its history. This culturally rich city is famous for its historical and architectural landmarks dating as far back as 2000 years! The group will tour this magnificent city on electric bikes, during which an expert tour guide will teach about the history of the city. After our tour, students will have time to explore Lyon independently, until the evening train back to Paris.
Hot Cocoa Bombs Workshop
Students enjoy the cozy-weather fun of preparing their own hot cocoa bombs! During this 1-hour culinary experience, an expert pastry chef will teach the art of creating delicious, hand-decorated confections. (This workshop is vegan friendly!)
Day trip: Reims Marché De Noël
The group will spend the a day exploring the beautiful city of Reims (only 45 minutes outside of Paris by train). While there, we’ll pay a visit to the Marché Noël (traditional open-air Christmas market), a quintessential European holiday experience, while taking in the sights, sounds, and perfumes of the holiday season in France.
Picasso Museum Visit
This museum houses the largest Picasso collection in the world! This tour will not only explore the museum’s permanent collection, but also a special exhibition of Maya Ruiz, Picasso’s daughter. A member of the SAI team will be at the museum to greet you with your ticket and audioguide. Afterwards, join our team for coffee, cakes, and tarts at one of the coolest and coziest restaurants in the Marais, Le Loir dans la Théière.
Farewell Dinner
Students celebrate the end of a successful semester abroad and say their goodbyes over a delicious French meal.
Standard Housing: Student apartment or residence
Standard housing includes a shared occupancy room in a shared student apartment or a student residence (option to upgrade to private bedroom, if available). All SAI housing in Paris is fully furnished and comes equipped with towels, bed linens, and wireless Internet. Students have access to kitchen facilities, comfortable common areas, and washing machines. SAI on-site staff is available to respond to any housing needs that may arise.
Optional Housing: Family homestay (additional fee applies)
Students choosing the homestay option will be placed with a local family, which could be an older couple or a family with children. SAI homestay families are thoroughly screened and are accustomed to welcoming visiting students into their homes. Homestays provide a private bedroom in the family home with basic furnishings. Wifi is included, as is access to laundry facilities. Students opting for this more immersive housing get breakfast included as well as 3 or 5 dinners per week (cost varies).
Passports
Passports should be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned return from Europe.
Student Visas
In accordance with French law, students studying in France for 91 or more days are required to obtain a student visa. Those with French/EU citizenship are exempted. Non-US nationals should consult their local Consulate for information on student visa requirements.
Students must appear in person at a VFS Visa Processing Center to present their student visa application. Visa applicants living in the United States are able to set up their appointment at one of the nine visa centers regardless of their location. VFS Global Centers are located in Washington DC, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. In some cases the nearest processing center may be in a neighboring state, which might necessitate air travel. Please plan and budget accordingly. Our Student Visa Office is available to assist students in getting ready for their appointment; SAI provides student visa consulting for all our students at no cost.