Undergraduate Degree Programs

PCA’s intensive undergraduate programs prepare students for the professional world of the creative industries and for going on to complete graduate level work.

Foundation, the first year of our four-year BFA degree programs in Communication Design, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Interior Design, and Photography, taught either inperson or online, is built on the philosophy that there are fundamental approaches, skills and knowledge to be learned that are common to all creative disciplines. In the spring of their first year, students select their major field of study and go on to complete three years in that discipline to receive their degree.

We also offer an intensive BFA in Film Arts, jointly run by Emerson College and PCA, that can be completed in three calendar years.

All undergraduate curricula incorporate liberal studies course work and art and design history. On the following pages you will find the wide range of undergraduate programs we offer and you can find in-depth information and the most up to date curricular tables on: www.paris.edu.

First-year Options

FOUNDATION IN ART, DESIGN AND PHOTOGRAPHY Foundation is built on the philosophy that there are fundamental approaches, skills and knowledge to be learned that are common to all creative disciplines. We encourage students to have a cross-disciplinary foundation attitude: to take risks, suspend disbelief and be open to new experiences and ways of looking at the world.

Emphasis is placed on craft and skill across disciplines and media: drawing, photography, design, video, 3D forms, etc. A primary goal of our foundation year is to give students confidence in their ability to manifest their ideas. In this way, you will gain the ability to be flexible and innovative with tools and a variety of media, which is key to being successful in any creative discipline. We now offer you two ways to start the foundation program (see charts below):

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IN PARIS Join us in Paris for our traditional in-person Foundation program.

• FOUNDATION ONLINE: PATHWAY TO PARIS This online program recreates the energy that we generate in studio classes in your home.

*In addition to the required curriculum, in the Spring semester students are encouraged to take an elective in the department they are considering entering in sophomore year.

**In addition to the program outlined above, students will need to take a 2-credit studio elective in one of the following years.

GLOBAL BFA IN FILM ARTS

Run in partnership with Emerson College, this is an intensive program in which you spend each academic year in Paris, three summer residencies in Boston, and one summer residency in the Netherlands. The program begins in the summer. (Program details on page 36)

BFA (BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS) COMMUNICATION DESIGN (FOUNDATION YEAR + 3 YEARS)

Communication designers give form to information in advertising, publishing and editorial design, corporate and exhibition design, websites, multimedia, environmental graphics, signs and maps, service design, interaction design, film, and video. In all these fields, the need to clearly and succinctly inform, entertain and persuade remains a critical concern.

Students who are interested in using their design skills to effect positive social change will be encouraged to take a series of elective courses that will challenge them to think critically about every creative design choice they make — and consider its cultural, economic and environmental impact on everyday life.

*In addition to the program outlined on page 29, students will need to take a 2-credit studio elective in one of the following years.

BFA (BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS) FASHION DESIGN (FOUNDATION YEAR + 3 YEARS)

The art and business of fashion give form and function to clothing, a basic human need, imbuing it with meaning in the ever-evolving language of style. The Fashion Design program emulates the working process of a professional design studio in which students acquire an understanding of tools, materials, construction techniques and textile design methods, enabling them to express their individual creative visions.

Students who are interested in using their design skills to effect positive social change will be encouraged to take a series of elective courses that will challenge them to think critically about every creative design choice they make — and consider its cultural, economic and environmental impact on everyday life.

*In addition to the program outlined on page 29, students will need to take a 2-credit studio elective in one of the following years.

BFA (BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS) FINE ARTS (FOUNDATION YEAR + 3 YEARS)

Offering a strong foundation in the artistic tradition via both established and new media, this program enriches our students’ capacity for communication and expression. The curriculum balances a full investigation of traditional media: drawing, painting and sculpture, with extensive explorations in video, installation, performance, photography and digital imaging. Through interdisciplinary practice, students develop individual artistic modes of inquiry.

*In addition to the program outlined on page 29, students will need to take a 2-credit studio elective in one of the following years.

BFA (BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS) INTERIOR DESIGN (FOUNDATION YEAR + 3 YEARS)

This program encourages a thorough yet versatile design approach, following systematic and coordinated methodologies. With an emphasis on retail and commercial spaces, the program is intended for undergraduate students aiming to become professional interior designers specialized in retail, commercial, exhibition and event spaces. The program includes a mandatory six month internship.

Students who are interested in using their design skills to effect positive social change will be encouraged to take a series of elective courses that will challenge them to think critically about every creative design choice they make — and consider its cultural, economic and environmental impact on everyday life.

I Paris College of Art

*In addition to the program outlined on page 29, students will need to take a 2-credit studio elective in one of the following years.

BFA (BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS) PHOTOGRAPHY (FOUNDATION YEAR + 3 YEARS)

PCA’s photography program balances analog and digital technologies with an emphasis on developing a creative identity and a solid understanding of the image-making process.

The program focuses on new types of visual storytelling: still image, moving image, and multimedia, with a curriculum that emphasizes transdisciplinary skill sets, and understands photography as a hybrid and as a contemporary art form. The curriculum blends technical aspects of image-making and production, and also examines how photographs are disseminated, presented, discussed, used, documented, and archived: in short, how they function in today’s image-driven society.

* During the Spring Semester, students intending on majoring in Photography will take “Photography: Freshman Seminar.”

** In addition to the program outlined on page 29, students will need to take a 2-credit studio elective and complete “Black & White Photography”, “Color Photography”, and “Photography Freshman Seminar” in one of the following years.

GLOBAL BFA (BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS) FILM ART (3 YEARS) AN INTENSIVE JOINT DEGREE OFFERED BY EMERSON COLLEGE

AND PARIS COLLEGE OF ART

This joint BFA degree in Film Art between Emerson College and Paris College of Art is an innovative, intercontinental program that leverages the talents and resources of both institutions to create a truly international education for globally aware and aspiring international film art students. Combining PCA’s strength in studio art and design with Emerson’s outstanding media program creates unparalleled synergies and curricular opportunities. Students spend three summers on Emerson’s Boston campus. In the fall semesters, they move to Paris for the academic year. The program includes one summer at Emerson’s castle in the Netherlands.