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Graduate Programs

Apply to MA/MFA Degree Programs

PCA offers one-year Master of Art (MA) and two-year Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees. Some of our graduate programs are offered with both MA and MFA options. Graduates of the MA and MFA will be prepared to enter their chosen profession after completing the degree. The MFA, which is considered a terminal degree in this field, will open the doors to teaching opportunities in higher education for our graduates. These programs are open to any applicant who has successfully completed an undergraduate degree (BFA, BA, BSc, BID, BArch, etc.). Students may apply before having completed their degree but must do so before enrolling in the program.

See below for deadlines and application requirements. Please note that applicants to the Masters programs must apply for fall entry and may not begin in the spring term.

Complete
the Application
Form

Via our online application form, you will provide us with the information we need for you to start your journey towards becoming a Paris College of Art student. Fill in this form carefully and completely. Please note that you can save your application while in progress, and return to finish it later. To complete your application you will be required to submit the 50 euro application fee by credit card.

Submit
Supplementary
Materials

All applicants are required to submit a personal statement and transcripts from a minimum of three years of study. The remaining application requirements depend on your background and intended program. Read through the descriptions of the application materials (below) to find out if you are required to submit them as part of your application.

Schedule
an Interview
with Admission

To complete your application, you must have an online interview with the Chair of the Department in which you are applying. Once you have submitted all of your required application materials, we will send you instructions on scheduling your interview.

Deadlines

Fall Semester

Early Action Round

To be considered for Early Action you must submit your application form, all required application materials and have completed your interview by January 24 at the latest. It is advisable to submit your application and required materials as early as possible to be sure of getting an interview slot within this timeframe. 

September 5 – Application Open  
January 24Final deadline to submit application form, required materials, and complete your interview 
December 15 – Decision release 1 – for those ready for decision by this date 
January 26 – Decision release 2 
May 1 – Deposit deadline 

Regular Decision Round

To be considered for Regular Decision you must submit your application form, all required application materials and have completed your interview by March 29 at the latest. It is advisable to submit your application and required materials as early as possible to be sure of getting an interview slot within this timeframe. 

March 29 – Deadline to submit application form, required materials, and have completed your interview 
April 5 Decision release  
May 1 – Deposit deadline  

Late Submissions – on space available basis

Applications submitted after March 29 will be considered as a Late Submission.

Application will be reviewed on a space available basis. All applicants for this round must also have completed their interview by July 15. It is advisable to apply and complete as early as possible to be sure of getting an interview slot. 

July 15 – Deadline to submit application form, required materials, and have completed your interview 
Decisions released weekly starting April 7 

Please note that it is unadvisable for Non-EU candidates to apply after June 15 as the visa application process may take up to three months. However, this does not apply to applicants for the Online Foundation: Pathway to Paris who won’t need to apply for a visa. 

Application Materials

Personal Statement

Required for all applicants

Write a 500-word statement that describes why you would like the opportunity to pursue a graduate degree at Paris College of Art.

You will be prompted to submit the personal statement as part of the application form.

Portfolio

Required for all applicants

Submit a portfolio of 10 to 20 pieces that demonstrates your creative ability through design or art work, photography, video/film, software programs, writings, projects, experiments, music, etc. as appropriate to the program you are applying for. Your working process must also be shown through sketchbooks, notebooks, working documents, sitemaps, blogs, etc.

Applicants for the MA in Interior Design should demonstrate proficiency in CAD software such as AutoCad, Sketch Up or Adobe Creative Suite programs.

You may submit your portfolio via PCA’s Application Form or as a link to your own website with a specific selection of works identified as your portfolio.

Official Transcripts

Required for all applicants

Contact your school to have them send your official grade report showing that you have completed an undergraduate degree or will be completing your undergraduate degree before you would enroll in the master’s degree program. If you have attended more than one school in the completion of your undergraduate degree you must submit a transcript from each school.

For more information, see the transcripts information below.

Send all official transcripts to the following address:
Admissions Office / Paris College of Art
15 rue Fénelon
75010 Paris
France

Official email transcripts can be submitted directly to your admissions counselor or to the general admissions email address. admissions@paris.edu

English Language Test Scores

English language requirements

All applicants need to demonstrate that they have the required level of English language competency to study in English at a university level. Applicants who have not completed their undergraduate degree in English (including courses that require academic writing) will need to complete one of the following tests in order to be considered for admission:

TOEFL IBT

  • Minimum score: 94
  • PCA institution code: 8217
  • Test dates, locations, and registration: www.ets.org

IELTS

  • Minimum score: 7.0 band score
  • Test dates, locations, and registration: www.ielts.org

Cambridge English

  • Minimum score: 180 on C1 Advanced or C2 Proficient exam
  • Test dates, locations, and registration: www.cambridgeenglish.org

Duolingo

PTE Academics

For all English exams, request that your score be sent directly to PCA. Scores may be submitted at any point before or during the application process.

Applicants who attended bilingual or international schools or universities in which courses were taught in multiple languages must have studied core academic subjects in English. Applicants who attended high school in English but were placed in English for English Language Learners (ELL/ESL) classes will be required to take an English test.

Applicants to our graduate programs who completed their undergraduate degree in English are not required to complete a further competency test.

PCA Admissions reserves the right to request English testing on a case-by-case basis regardless of a student’s academic record if they have hesitations about the student’s language proficiency.

**Due to the current situation we are able to accept both the online TOEFL exam and the IELTS Indicator test.**

CV or Resumé

Required for all applicants

Submit a current CV or resumé.

Send to the following address:
Admissions Office / Paris College of Art
15 rue Fénelon
75010 Paris
France

You may also email submissions directly to your admissions counselor or to the general admissions office email address. admissions@paris.edu

Letters of Recommendation

Required for all applicants

Submit 3 letters of recommendation; these can be from employers, professors, colleagues, or others who can attest to your readiness to participate in this program.

Request that your referees send letters of recommendation to:

Admissions Office / Paris College of Art
15 rue Fénelon
75010 Paris
France

You may also email submissions directly to your admissions counselor or to the general admissions office email address. admissions@paris.edu

Writing Sample or Short Essay on a Recent Creative Project

Short Essay on a Recent Creative Project

Required for MA in Drawing, MA in Interior Design, MA in Fashion Film & Photography, MA in Photography & Image-Making, & MA in Transdisciplinary New Media.

Choose a creative project that you recently completed and write a 500-1000 word essay describing how you developed the project both in terms of concept and making. Include examples and information about the processes you used, the challenges you faced, the questions you were seeking to address, the outcome and how you could envision extending this project.

Writing Sample

Required for MA in Design for Social Impact, MFA in Drawing, MFA in Photography & Image-Making, & MFA in Transdisciplinary New Media.

The writing sample should reflect your best writing. The topic is not important, what we are looking for is an example of your analytical, reasoning, language and writing skills in English.

You may submit a research essay, a literature review, a reflective journal, an academic paper or essay written for a school project, or a combination thereof. We are looking for evidence of good research, writing, and analytical skills as well as proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

The sample should represent 10-15 pages of prose (double-spaced), and you can submit an excerpt or a chapter from a longer piece of written work. The work should be submitted as a Word or PDF attachment and uploaded with your other application materials.

General Information

Admissions Criteria

Paris College of Art seeks serious, responsible, and highly motivated applicants who demonstrate potential for growth. A prospective student’s potential for artistic achievement is one of the most important criteria in evaluating candidates for admission. PCA students work with high level professionals in their chosen field of study, and a level of maturity and autonomy is expected of our students. English proficiency is a requirement, but we seek to serve an international student body where no one national group is dominant in numbers. We also care deeply about the sense of community that an institution of PCA’s size is able to offer, and respectful collaboration and teamwork are important values at PCA.

Each applicant is reviewed individually with regard to his or her own experience, achievement and potential for artistic growth. The Admissions Committee’s decision on applications is based upon evaluation of the portfolio, the personal statement, school transcripts and test scores, and a phone or in-person interview. PCA seeks creative, academically responsible, and highly motivated applicants. While students may apply before completing university they must have successfully received their degree to enroll at PCA.

Admissions Decisions

The Admissions Committee will review an application once all required materials are received. Decisions are immediately mailed by post as well as sent via email. The status of the decision is also updated on the student’s personal account on our web portal. All materials submitted to the Admissions Office, including the portfolio, transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc. become the property of PCA and will not be returned to the applicant.

Accepted Applicants

Admitted applicants receive information about housing, tuition and fees and other important matters in the online “Welcome Packet” that can be accessed on our web portal. The Admissions Committee’s decision to admit an applicant is contingent upon successful completion of any ongoing studies and on the receipt of the final transcripts for those studies. For more information about transcripts see Transcripts information below.

Deferring Admissions

Admitted students can defer their date of entry for up to one year. Graduate students may not defer to a spring term as they must begin in the fall. To defer entry, please email admissions@paris.edu to request a deferral, making sure to provide information on your new start date and reasons for deferring. All deferral requests must be approved by the Office of Admissions, and students must pay their non-refundable €1000 deposit to guarantee their spot. Students who are seeking a deferral for financial reasons are advised to contact the Financial Assistance Committee before paying the deposit. Students who do not wish to defer by making a tuition deposit may reapply in the future with an expedited process, and their application will be reviewed again with the new round of candidates. To be reconsidered for admission in future terms write to admissions@paris.edu with your full name, the term and program for which you had been accepted and the term and program you wish to be considered for. Please note if you do choose to reapply there is no guarantee that your previous offer of acceptance will be upheld.

Transcripts

Official Transcripts

All applications must be accompanied the official transcripts of previous university level studies.

Academic Records From Non-English Education

All applicants who have been educated in non-English language programs are required to submit an original transcript from each institution attended along with a certified English language translation. Applicants who would like to transfer academic credits earned at non-English language institutions must also provide a course-by-course evaluation report for each transcript. The Admissions Office recommends and may request transcripts to be evaluated by World Education Services (WES). Please start the evaluation process as early as possible, including the submission of all required documents to WES in order to ensure the timely completion of the evaluation report. Be sure to instruct WES to send the report to: Admissions Office, Paris College of Art / 15, rue Fénelon / 75010 Paris / France.
To contact WES, visit www.wes.org

All Transcript Documents Must Be

  • Written in English or have an official translation in English
  • Printed on secure transcript paper or on the letterhead of the school (not a copy)
  • Stamped with the school seal or other official marking
  • Notarized, signed or sent electronically by a school official (registrar, dean, counselor, etc.).

Official Transcripts Must Contain

  • Name and address of the school
  • Student’s name (must appear on every page of the transcript)
  • Dates of attendance
  • Degree awarded, if any, and the date of degree conferred
  • Names of individual courses completed
  • Number of contact hours per week for each course
  • Length of the term
  • Grade or evaluation received for each course
  • Grading scale (i.e.: A = Excellent, F = Failure) or a description of the grading system.