Academic project

The objective of the IAD is to train professional artists combining creativity, artistic sensibility, technical know-how and communication skills. To reach this goal, the IAD privileges a one-to-one educational approach.

The one-to-one educational approach of the IAD is based on two fundamental principles:

The IAD educational project is based on three fundamental principles:

the learner-centred education programme of the IAD doesn't allow to enrol all applicants. This is the reason why an admission examination is organized each year. The purpose of this admission exam is twofold:

In order to achieve its objective of educating professional artists, the IAD privileges a tutorship in line with the professional sector of the Performing Arts and Media and Communication Techniques both for the creative/artistic and technico-technological courses. Two thirds of IAD teachers have part time assignments because they are also professional people working in the audivisual and entertainment business.
IAD teachers have regular contacts with the audiovisual and entertainment sectors at national, European and international level. IAD teachers keep close watch on all developments and artistic and technological requirements in the field of the performing arts and media techniques to be able to provide their students with a high quality and state-of-the-art programme which meets the requirements of a fast moving world. The IAD calls on many renowned practitioners whose mission is to introduce students to their craft, experience and know-how.

When opting for the IAD, students choose to be trained as professional artists. IAD teachers will not only teach them the techniques, languages and tools specific to the craft and profession which they want to embrace, but will also arouse their creative and aesthetic sensibility and will train them to work alone as well as in units. The education of professional artists encompasses a very wide range of courses and modules.

The objective of these courses is the transmission and learning of theoretical subjects relating to the artistic, cultural and social realities of the world which surrounds us. These courses consist of lectures or seminars and usually gather students from different departments in one single auditorium.

Teachers evaluate the students assimilation of the subject via a written or oral examination.

The objective of the technical courses is the transmission and learning of the languages, techniques and tools specific to the performing arts in general and to each craft in particular. The purpose of the practicals is to use and to manipulate in situ the languages, techniques and tools learnt during the technical courses. These hands-on exercises allow students to check and improve their theoretical knowledge, to become familiar with the materials and equipment required for the practice of their future profession, to learn to collaborate with the others and to develop their creative and aesthetic awareness. These courses consist of lectures, practicals, individual and collaborative works under the supervision of several teachers.

The degree of assimilation of the languages, tools and techniques learnt during the technical courses and practicals is evaluated either by the teacher in charge of the technical/practical course, either by an internal jury of teachers through a written or oral examination, a punctual or ongoing assessment.

The objective of these workshops is to put each student in a situation where he/she has to create a project calling on all of his/her competencies: general knowledge; technical know-how, creative and aesthetic abilities, communication skills. Students work first on small individual creations, move on rapidly to collaborative works to end up with genuine artistic projects. The graduation project, carried out during the last year, is the highlight of the programme. Graduation works may be documentaries, short fiction films, television or radio broadcasts elaborated by student teams with representatives of all specialist crafts involved in a production. Each student working under the supervision of the director and according to his/her area of expertise and the role he/she has been assigned, contributes to the creation a quality product to be delivered within an agreed timeframe (for the graduation projects of the Multimedia and Computer Graphics Department, see further on).

For directing: they may be fiction or non-fiction short films, television or radio broadcasts made by students specializing in directing who will have to direct teams of students made up of representatives from all craft areas involved in a production. Each student, working under the supervision of the director, and according to his/her area of expertise and the role which he/she has been assigned, contributes to the creation of a quality product to be delivered within an agreed timeframe.
For drama: It will be a play; students will perform as actors and will participate in the stage design, the lighting, the promotion of the play, ...

During the last year of Master, students will spend one month in a professional environment. The objective of this practical work placement is to allow students to see how they perform and react in a real work situation. When students have acquired the necessary knowledge, skills and techniques, the idea is to give them the opportunity to discover their capacity to respond and adapt to a working environment. The purpose of the dissertation is to bring students to produce a well-presented document, with a coherent structure, supported by relevant information which they will have collected and summarized on a topic relating to their craft and area of expertise.
The placement is evaluated by the tutor designated by the host institution as well as on the basis of the student's report.
The dissertation is evaluated by a jury consisting of the mentor, a teacher of the IAD, an external reader and the dissertation coordinator. The dissertation is subject to a public presentation.