IESA’s international outlook
Artists, exhibitions, festivals, tours and audiences cross borders. The art market, both old and contemporary, music, theater and cinema belong to a fully globalized economy. IESA arts&culture students must embrace this international cultural wealth and prepare to work in this context. By welcoming 20% international students, IESA arts&culture allows all students to study in an intercultural context and dialogue.
To give its students the opportunity to fully enter an international dimension of culture, IESA arts&culture has chosen to develop an Applied Research Center in Contemporary Cultures made up of four departments: Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe. These departments have the mission to develop relationships with international artists and cultural institutions: academic exchanges, internships in foreign cultural institutions and companies, introductory and specialized courses, symposia and international study days on different cultures, multidisciplinary projects in France and abroad. Students, particularly at Master’s level, have the opportunity to take part in producing the international events offered by the Research Center’s four departments. These same departments assist students who wish to carry out their personal end-of-cycle project abroad by helping them build contacts and partnerships.
Studying in an international context also means being able to take programs taught entirely in English, which the "International" department organizes. Offered are a 3-year Bachelor in "arts management," a pre-master (one-semester program), and four MBAs ("Art and Luxury Management," "Arts and Cultural Management," "Contemporary Art: Sales, Display, and Collecting," "Performing Arts Management and Cultural Industries"). Moreover, students benefit from trips built into their programs so as to understand the cultural sector in its diversity and complementarity.
Take semesters of courses or internships abroad
During your year at IESA, many events will be organized so you can meet the international office, discover the accessible paths or even talk with partners directly, notably through Erasmus Day, our annual virtual fair. From the start of the school year, discover the mobility options made for you!
IESA arts&culture invites its students to spend a semester outside France to discover other ways of learning and working, and to build international professional networks. IESA arts&culture holds an Erasmus Charter, committed to its principles through the Erasmus Charter strategy, and is a signatory of an agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for internships in French representations abroad. Numerous partnership agreements with universities and cultural institutions abroad complete the internship possibilities.
The Erasmus+ Program
If you wish to study abroad through academic international mobility, you will need to submit an academic file to the international office including a CV, cover letter, transcripts from previous years, language test and ID.
To apply, you must submit your file before:
- For a departure in semester 1: March 10
- For a departure in semester 2: September 10
Contact the international office to obtain the catalog of international mobility options and discover the accessible destinations, prerequisites and opportunities for all. All students who wish to participate and are admitted to the Erasmus+ mobility program will be able to receive study or internship grants corresponding to the destination and duration of their international experience. Students with fewer opportunities (for economic, cultural, disability, migrant background, learning difficulty or other reasons) may receive an inclusion supplement. The international office will help you find out the amount of your accessible grant.
Every incoming or outgoing student will be supported in their procedures from the start, from the application to organizing their mobility (Erasmus program procedures, housing, possible visa procedures, etc.).
To learn more about the Erasmus+ program, contact the international office at: international.exchanges@iesa.fr.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Erasmus+ France / Education Training Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Apart from Erasmus university exchanges, we also have partnerships outside Europe with the USA (Purchase College, New York State), Peru (Corriente Alterna in Lima) and Brazil (PUC in Rio).
Master English as a working language
English is mandatory in all IESA arts&culture programs because this language has become indispensable for all the professions involved, in France and abroad. Students take weekly English classes according to their level in order to become familiar with art vocabulary and to practice professional English in writing and speaking from their first year.
Travel to discover the major capitals of heritage and creation
The 1st-year Bachelors curriculum includes a trip to Florence, cradle of Renaissance arts. For other students, IESA arts&culture organizes study trips to major European cities (Berlin, Rome, Athens, Vienna, London…) and visits to must-see events (Venice Biennale, Basel or Maastricht Fair). Accompanied by lead professors, these trips are opportunities for real on-site classes in museums and galleries as well as meetings with professionals from music, dance, art, film, or heritage.
The international strategy of IESA arts&culture is established according to market developments and trends in art and culture, as well as the skills required to enter the world of work.
Regarding our study strategy, we look for partners offering the same cross-disciplinarity in teaching that we do in the fields of arts, culture, management, communication, and mediation. Innovative and flexible partners who want to offer their students the best of different cultures.
We are mainly looking for partners teaching in English, German, Italian, or Spanish, regardless of geographic location. Eastern countries and developing countries are in high demand among our students, as are countries traditionally sought after for their cultural appeal.
Mainly our third-year Bachelor students and our Master students go on study mobility.
Regarding our internship strategy, each year we expand our networks of institutional and artistic partners (galleries, museums, auction houses, festivals, labels, cultural institutions, fairs, etc.) thanks to our alumni network and the four departments (Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Europe) of the Applied Research Center in Contemporary Cultures.
For developing double or joint degrees, we look either for partners with the same area of expertise but a different or original approach, or for partners offering skills complementary to ours.
Our participation in the program allows us to offer our students, incoming and outgoing, different skills, study systems, a new environment, and new teaching methods. It allows us to renew our approach to the education system, to blend know-how, and to modernize our programs to give participants a better approach to the job market afterward.