International courses

in media, arts and design

The creative industries are ever popular for international students and there are a wide range of courses and institutions worldwide for students wishing to study the arts overseas. The magazine covers subjects in all areas of media, arts and design in institutions worldwide to help the student find a match, from film making in New York, to sculpture in London. i-MAD is essential reading for counsellors and creative minded students wanting to pursue an overseas education in the arts, featuring an assorted collection of interesting editorial about studying media, arts and design overseas and profiled universities, colleges and art schools from a range of English speaking countries.

When choosing to apply to university or college overseas the first two questions you will ask yourself are: 'what do I want to study?' and 'where do I want to go?' By now you will already be considering studying in the field of media, arts and design, so the main decision now is where is the best location and institution to get the most out of your education?

Choosing a Country

There are thousands of institutions worldwide offering a variety of courses within the media, arts and design sector, so it is not surprising that international students often find picking a country of study overwhelming. It is important that you make the right decision for you when making your country choice.

Language: Many students from international schools who are used to learning in English will want to continue their education in an English speaking country, so you may wish to look predominately at countries such as the UK, USA and Australia.

Proximity to home: Moving abroad for your education is a big step and some international students feel more comfortable living closer to home, otherwise you may choose a country where you have friends or family already living. Choosing a country closer to home will also reduce travel costs.

Narrow Your Search

Once you have identified the country or countries that you may want to apply to, you will either choose to apply to a variety of institutions across the country or you will want to refine your search to a particular region, state or even city. For example if you are studying fine art you may be looking at Florence, Barcelona or perhaps Chicago for the wealth of art galleries around the cities? Or if you are studying film and want to pursue a career in directing you could focus your search on Los Angeles?

There are various types of institutions offering different types of qualifications in media, arts and design and it is important to find the right institution for you. University courses usually have a heavy focus on theory, if you are studying an art course you can expect a lot of reading alongside the practical artwork, some modules may include philosophy of art and history of art. If this is not for you and your main priority is having time in a studio to produce your own artwork you may opt for a course offered by a college or a polytechnic. This also goes for media and design related courses, you will find that university courses combine theory and practical work (the levels of these will vary between different institutions) whilst colleges can offer vocational training in subjects such as journalism, film and broadcasting. Some students opt for both and complete a one-year art foundation course at a college before going on to a university to complete a bachelor of arts.