MAJOR OVERVIEW
The Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art at ACM provides students with a strong foundation in studio practice, visual analysis, art history, and critical studies within the rich artistic context of Aix-en-Provence, the South of France, and the Mediterranean region. The program helps students develop critical thinking and analytical skills as they learn to see: to observe the visible world with discovery, recognition, and discernment, and to transform that vision into art.
Through museum study, portraiture, model work, still life, landscape, and engagement with natural and artistic forms, students build a deeper understanding of the relationship between observation, perception, material practice, and creative expression. Students develop core competencies in drawing and painting while exploring media such as mixed media, ceramics, photography, videography, advanced drawing, and advanced painting.
ADMISSIONS
ACM candidates submit their applications through the Common App*, a U.S-based platform that allows students to apply to multiple universities simultaneously. Once an application is submitted, an ACM Admissions team member will reach out to the applicant to schedule a brief online meeting to gather more information and to answer any questions about the ACM or the application process.
* Beginning Summer 2026, ACM will no longer accept Common App applications from students requesting application fee waivers via school counselors.
Aug. 3, 2026
Application Available
Jan. 6, 2027
Priority Decision Deadline
May 5, 2027
Regular Decision Deadline
ACADEMICS
ACM’s Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art requires students to satisfy the ACM Core Curriculum in addition to the following major-specific requirements.
Lower Division Courses, 12 credits required
- ART 100—Drawing I Foundation (3 credits)
- ART 108—Photography and Videography: Smartphones and Digital Cameras (3 credits)
- ART 111—Ceramics (3 credits)
- ART 112—Ceramics and Glazing (3 credits)
- ART 130—Painting I Foundation (3 credits)
- ART 200—Drawing II Intermediate (3 credits)
- ART 230—Painting II Intermediate (3 credits)
Studio Arts Upper Division, 21 credits required
- ART 292— Altered Landscapes: Field Sketching and Image-making in Mixed Media (3 credits)
- ART 293— Drawing and Painting in the Mediterranean: Contemporary Experimentation (3 credits)
- ART 294— Altered Landscapes: Mixed Media and the Memory of Place (3 credits)
- ART 295— Drawing and Painting in the Mediterranean: Light, Color, and Form (3 credits)
- ART 300—Drawing III Advanced I (3 credits)
- ART 305—Drawing into Painting (3 credits)
- ART 306—Drawing into Painting (3 credits)
- ART 330—Painting III Advanced I (3 credits)
- ART 350—Painting III Advanced II (3 credits)
- ART 399—Independent Study (3 credits)
- ART 400—Drawing III Advanced II (3 credits)
- ART/BUS 327—Arts Administration: Cultural Management and Leadership (3 credits)
Art History Upper Division, 6 credits required
- ART/MUS 245—Music and the Sound of the Mediterranean (3 credits)
- ARH 303—Modern Art: Rebels and Icons (3 credits)
- ART/MSM 304—Curatorship: Theory and Practices (3 credits)
- MUS/SOC 307—Gender, Race, and Power in Music: From Stage to Society (3 credits)
- ARC/ARH 312—European and Mediterranean Prehistoric Art and Archaeology (3 credits)
- ARC/ARH 313—Powers and Identities in the Ancient Mediterranean (3 credits)
- ART/ARH 320—Picasso, Matisse, and the Mediterranean (3 credits)
- ARH/MSM 337—History of Museums: From Prehistoric Caves to the Louvre Abu Dhabi (3 credits)
- ART/ARH 340—The Mediterranean and Beyond: Cross-Cultural Studies in Medieval Art and Architecture (3 credits)
- ART/ARH 342—Artistic Encounters in the Mediterranean: Cross-Cultural Perspectives in European Art (3 credits)
- ART/ARH 364—Contemporary Art: Visual Representations of the Mediterranean (3 credits)
- ART/ARH 373—Renaissance Art and Architecture (3 credits)
- ART/ARH 381—The 19th Century and French Impressionism (3 credits)
- ART/ARH 382—Cézanne and Van Gogh (3 credits)
- ARH/MSM 391—Museums Today: Missions and Challenges (3 credits)
Art Criticism/Mediterranean Seminars, 6 credits required
- ART/ARH/PHI 309—Art Criticism and Aesthetics Seminar I (3 credits)
- ART/ARH/PHI 310—Art Criticism and Aesthetics Seminar II (3 credits)
- ART/ARH 318—The Mediterranean Seminar: The Perception of the Mediterranean Through the Ages (3 credits)
- ART/ARH 319—The Mediterranean Seminar: The Perception of the Mediterranean in Modern and Contemporary Times (3 credits)
Creative Writing Courses, 3 credits required
- LIT/ENG 277—Creative Writing: The Spirit of Place (3 credits)
- LIT/ENG 377—Creative Writing: The Spirit of Place (Intermediate) (3 credits)
January Term Seminar (3 credits required)
Total Major Credits: 51
J-TERM
As part of their degree, ACM students take part in a January Term program (J-Term), a multi-country traveling seminar. Travel spans from 2-3 weeks and explores the politics, economics, histories, and cultures of the countries visited. All ACM students are required to participate in J-Term within the first academic year of enrollment.
Undergraduate students are encouraged to participate in the Europe & the Islamic World, Great Cities, or Mediterranean Basin seminar in alignment with ACM’s Core Curriculum. Students must meet with their academic advisor to choose a seminar that best fits within their major and academic plan.
HOUSING
ACM has different housing options in Aix-en-Provence available to undergraduate students, including homestays with a local host or student residence apartments.
All undergraduate students must live with a homestay during their first year of study. After their first year, they can request an ACM student residence apartment or non-program housing upon approval. Living in a homestay is a challenging yet enriching experience, and essential for students to immerse themselves in French language and culture at the start of their ACM experience.
TUITION AND AID
|
Bachelor of Arts 2027-2028 |
Fall 12-18 Units |
Spring 12-18 Units |
Academic Year Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $12,500 | $12,500 | $25,000 |
| Program Fee** | $2,800 | $2,800 | $5,600 |
| Housing & Student Life Fee*** | $5,800 | $5,800 | $11,600 |
| Total | $21,100 | $21,100 | $42,200* |
Commitment Fee (due upon admission): $500
January Term Program Fee (3 Credits): $3,950
*All ACM students are required to complete one January Term course as a graduation requirement.
Summer Program Fee (3-6 Credits): $4,000
*Summer programs are optional for undergraduate students.
Student Life Fee (for students in approved non-program housing): $2,200
*This fee is in lieu of the above stated Housing & Student Life Fee
- Semester: $2,200
- Summer: $1,000
Operational costs are sometimes affected by factors over which ACM has no control. Therefore, the charges and financial aid policies quoted on our website and in the catalog are subject to change without notice.
Scholarships & Aid
The American College of the Mediterranean (ACM) offers several scholarships, grants, and work-study opportunities to its students each year. ACM strives to keep its published costs low, especially in comparison to many U.S.-based degree-granting institutions. Additional funding is provided for those who qualify for merit, diversity, and need-based awards.
If you are planning to apply for aid, you will need to submit the required materials along with your program application, as ACM reviews both simultaneously on a rolling admissions basis. To be eligible for ACM scholarships and grants, students must be enrolled full-time and abide by all ACM policies and regulations as stated on the policies page. Please contact admissions@acmfrance.org with any questions.
For details about how ACM awards aid, please read the Financial Aid & Scholarship Process document.
CAREER-PATHS
Outcomes and Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of the Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate observational and expressive skills through work in drawing, painting, portraiture, still life, and landscape.
- Analyze the visible world in relation to historical and contemporary artistic traditions.
- Connect studio practice to broader art historical and critical frameworks.
- Interpret artistic production through cross-cultural perspectives informed by study in the Mediterranean and Europe.
- Apply foundational skills to support continued artistic development and future study in graduate or professional art programs.
The purpose of the Studio Art program is to develop the student’s capacity to see into the visible world, as well as themselves, and to transform their vision into art. The student is led gradually toward a deeper understanding of the relationship between natural and artistic forms through the challenges of museum study, portraiture, model work, still life, and landscape.
Seeing, synonymous with discovery, recognition, and discernment, is a core value of the ACM Art School. The purpose of the Studio Art program is to link contemporary artistic and historical concerns to a study of the visible world and to give students a cross-cultural viewpoint through extended study in the museums and galleries of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin.
Graduates are prepared for continued artistic development, graduate study, and professional pathways in the visual arts. They leave the program with foundational studio skills, experience across multiple media, strong critical, visual, and analytical abilities, and a deeper understanding of the role of art in personal, academic, professional, and cultural life.
SCHOOL OF ART
ACM art courses are housed in the Atelier Marchutz. Situated on the outskirts of Aix on the renowned ‘Route de Cézanne,’ the school’s location in Aix-en-Provence has many advantages, among them its light-filled space, the studio’s proximity to the famed Chateaunoir and Sainte Victoire and most importantly, its calm and contemplative atmosphere conducive to sustained, artistic concentration. The studio itself was designed by architect Fernand Pouillon.