Master of Fine Arts

In recognizing a need for a “school of vision” Léo Marchutz had in mind an affirmative eye-opening educational experience for students. Encouraging them to open their eyes to what Oskar Kokoschka called “the miracle of the visible world”. The open eye is the foundation; it is a principle, or better still, a habit, related to the belief that the artist’s task is to make us feel, to make us see. Especially for the painter, art begins with the open eye.

A Different Kind of MFA

The American College of the Mediterranean is proud to offer a two-year MFA degree program in painting in Aix-en-Provence, France. The 60-credit program is conducted in English and accepts artists of diverse interests and backgrounds. The program combines daily studio work, seminars, museum studies, field studies throughout Europe, and professional internship opportunities.

Mission

The mission of the MFA program at ACM is to link contemporary artist 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.

The focus of the MFA Program

• Emphasizes the combination of studio art process with liberal arts learning
• A comparative discipline of observation, perceptual analysis, and extensive museum and art historical study
• Accentuates cross-cultural viewpoints through extended study in the cities, museums, and galleries of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin
• Students form a coherent critical platform and an arts management process by which to present their work
• Integrated apprenticeship courses in studio art education models

MFA Program Overview

ACM's School of Art offers a two-year MFA degree program with a concentration in Painting. The curriculum combines studio practice with liberal arts investigation, critical analysis, museum study, and field study. The 60-credit program, conducted in English, in Aix-en-Provence, France, culminates in a Thesis Project which includes a public presentation of an original body of artwork.

Students work on campus in Aix-en-Provence, France, maintaining a daily open studio practice in their chosen discipline, while concurrently developing independent critical, aesthetic, and art historical research with core faculty advisors. Students are expected to participate in weekly seminars, multi-city field studies, critiques, museum studies, and liberal arts inquiry.

Throughout the program MFA candidates' work is evaluated in peer and faculty critiques as well as by visiting artists. Final evaluation and approval are conducted by the MFA Faculty Committee.

Faculty

ACM faculty is comprised of experts in their fields. Both academics and professionals in their field, ACM faculty provide the MFA the academic depth and the real-life experience necessary for a well-rounded Fine Arts education.

Sample Schedule

Fall Semester – Year 1 (18 Credits)

• Painting I (ART 630, 3 credits)
• Drawing I (ART 501, 3 credits)
• Critical Studies I (ART 509, 3 credits)
• The Masters Forum (ART 515, 3 credits)
• Art History (3 credits)
• French (3 credits)

January Term Elective (3 Credits)

• Traveling Seminar

Spring Semester – Year 1 (15 Credits)

• Painting II (ART 632, 3 credits)
• Drawing II (ART 502, 3 credits)
• Critical Studies II (ART 510, 3 credits)
• Art History (3 credits)
• French (3 credits)

Fall Semester – Year 2 (12 Credits)

• Painting III (ART 633, 6 credits)
• Critical Studies III (ART 511, 3 credits)
• Elective (3 credits)

Spring Semester – Year 2 (12 Credits)

• Painting IV (ART 634, 4 credits)
• Thesis Project, Exhibition (ART 750, 5 credits)
• Elective (3 credits)

The American College of the Mediterranean

The American College of the Mediterranean (ACM) is a U.S. college in Aix-en-Provence, France. ACM is a leader in international education and provides an American-style education with a global focus. ACM strives to provide excellence in international education, inspire intercultural awareness, and prepare students for success in a global community through the study of European and Mediterranean history, languages, cultures, and contemporary issues. It does so through a unique combination of courses, internships, curricula, that combine to create American-style undergraduate and graduate degree programs in an international and cross-cultural setting.

ACM’s Distinctions include:

• An American-style institution of higher learning with the U.S. and French non-profit status
• Originally chartered as an institution of higher education by the Regents of the State University of New York, as the Institute for American Universities with a rich history dating back to 1957
• Recognized as an institution of higher learning by the French Ministry as a Private institution of Higher Education (French wording) and the Rectorat of Aix-Marseille University.
• Founding member of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities (AAICU), providing students with study abroad opportunities at various locations primarily in Europe and North Africa

Location

ACM’s campus is in the south of France, in the charming and vibrant city of Aix-en-Provence. Aix is…

• A university town with over 40,000 college students
• A legal and academic hub, home to the south of France’s appellate court
• The birthplace of post-impressionist painter Paul Cézanne, whose subject was often the majestic mountain Sainte-Victoire
• Known for its many fountains and café-lined Cours Mirabeau
• 25 minutes from the Marseille-Provence Airport
• 15 minutes to the Aix TGV bullet-trains station

Programs

ACM offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs that are site-specific in nature, with a focus on the arts, business, humanities, and social sciences.

ACM BY THE NUMBERS

• 12:1 student-teacher ratio
• 10 students is the average class size
• 45% of faculty are full-time
• 95% of ACM faculty have a PhD or the terminal degree in their field

With ACM, you have the opportunity to take part in the following:

An American-style Degree In France

The American College of the Mediterranean (ACM) provides the American-style education with which you are familiar in the charming and vibrant city of Aix-en-Provence, a university town with over 40,000 college students. With several majors and minors to choose from, including the option to self-design a field of study and a core curriculum that is specific to the Mediterranean region, students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a new culture and learn in a high-impact, experiential way.

Course Instruction in English

All courses are taught in English, apart from language courses in French, Spanish, or Arabic at all levels. Opportunities to improve especially your French skills outside of the classroom are also available, including living with a host family, ACM’s language partner program, and course field studies.

Cost-conscious

As a non-profit institution of higher education, ACM focuses on keeping its costs affordable. While scholarships and grants are available for eligible students, our goal is to keep costs low from the start.

The Option To Transfer

If you are not able to begin your undergraduate degree with ACM, you have the opportunity to complete it with us. ACM welcomes transfer students to apply to our Bachelor of Arts program who have completed at least one semester of college and maintained a minimum GPA of 2.5.

International Work Experience

ACM’s robust internship network will allow you to gain international work experience while completing your degree and will introduce you to important international contacts. Learn more about internship opportunities and see where ACM has placed previous student interns by visiting the internship webpage.

Marketable Skills

With your degree from ACM, your enhanced skills and unique experiences will increase development in crucial international and intercultural competencies. ACM alumni are already seeing these benefits play out after graduation, as many have gone on to rigorous graduate schools, including Columbia University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, while others have leveraged their ACM degree and landed high-level jobs with such establishments as the United Nations World Food Programme and the Washington State Legislature.