Paris offers unlimited cultural and historic resources with its buildings and monuments, which represent more than 2,000 years of history. Its museums, theatres and libraries are among the finest in the world. In a metropolitan area of ten million inhabitants, there is a wide variety of ethnic groups and lifestyles. Paris is located in the north of France, conveniently near other areas of interest such as Normandy, Brittany, the Loire Valley, and the Champagne region.
Located in the central Parisian area of Montparnasse, the École Spéciale d'Architecture is the only private school in Paris. When first founded in 1865, ESA created specific courses oriented towards the needs of the evolving society. The technical orientation of these courses is still developed today. The courses at ESA integrate workshops, lectures and practical exercises. Each semester, a specific area of thought is explored by the entire school. The overall theme federates the teaching as a whole and sheds a particular light on all work done during the semester. Prior themes have included: form, space, landscape, scale, light, townscape, time and matter.
Thanks to its independent status, ESA has the flexibility to adapt to the latest needs of the professional world. ESA seeks to bring together a high-level teaching team; to introduce the most advanced technology into its teaching, and to attract the most prestigious architects from France and abroad to the school. The stability and continuity of the students' studies is ensured by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and researchers. In addition, architectural celebrities are invited as "visiting professors", to run one of the studios for a period of one or two semesters. Analysis and testing the very latest trends in architecture in this way is central to the school's teaching. Similarly, once a semester, a prominent figure on the international architectural scene is invited to run a one-week workshop at ESA.
For more information about each school, please consult the École Spéciale d'Architecture
website at http://www.esa-paris.fr/
Students may attend ESA for fall semester, spring semester, or an academic year. Fall semester runs September to January, spring semester runs late February to late June and an academic year runs September to late June.
Students may take any of the courses that ESA offers. The subject areas of strength are: History/Social Science, Plastic Arts/Photography, Building Techniques, and Architectural Environment. Please visit the school's website for a complete course listing: www.esa-paris.fr
UWM students pay UWM tuition, $450 administrative fee and $37/month for health insurance.
In Paris, students are responsible for living costs, which can be found here:
