Providing access to many sectors of activity related to the arts and creativity, design is a profession that attracts more and more French people, regardless of gender. Studies in a specialized school are necessary to embrace this profession.
Whether you choose a public or private institution, obtaining the baccalaureate is mandatory to enter a design school. Your university course will therefore be prepared from the second class.
However, even if entry into these institutions does not require a specific baccalaureate, an STI Applied Arts Baccalaureate is the most suitable for completing your design studies. Unfortunately, as this technological branch did not exist in my high school, my guidance counselor strongly recommended the literary series with plastic arts option.
An already artistic training that will be of great help to me, to successfully pass the entrance exam to a design school. Otherwise, to put luck on my side, at the same time, I also took evening drawing classes in one of the art schools in my city.
Once I have my baccalaureate, I start looking for the design school that could welcome me for the next five years. For me, the selection of the establishment was the most difficult step, since the choice is vast. I first visited public institutions that depend either on the Ministry of Culture and Communication or National Education.
Subsequently, I visited the design schools which are qualified as consular and are attached to the Chamber of Commerce. Finally, I finished with private establishments under an association contract with the State. But whatever your preferences, make sure that the diplomas issued will be registered in the National Directory of Professional Certifications or RNCP.
About me, I decided to do my course at the Autograf design school. And since I did not have a graphic design BTS, an upgrade in applied arts (MANAA) over a period of one year was mandatory before I really started my design studies.
And as my ambition was, in the long term, to evolve in the graphic design or advertising sector, I opted for a specialization in graphic design. Alternatively, people who are thinking of a career in 3D image creation or mobile applications can enroll in Autograf's digital design program.
But whatever the status of the design school, access to them necessarily involves an entrance examination. To pass the exams with flying colors, going to a preparatory class is strongly recommended, even if it is not compulsory.
For my part, I spent an entire year preparing for the competition in a public establishment. For a registration fee, tuition thereafter was completely free. Alternatively, there are also many private workshops. Only downside, the tuition fees charged by these institutions are very high and are not within the reach of all budgets.
