Study Abroad

The Corcoran offers students the opportunity to study abroad for one semester during their junior year. Students have previously studied in Denmark, Ireland, Italy, France, England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Colombia, Germany, Estonia, and the Netherlands. Interested students must meet with the associate director of student affairs for assistance choosing the program that most fits their needs. An internal application to participate in study abroad is due October 1 for the following spring semester and March 1 for the following fall semester.

Participation in semester study abroad programs must be approved by the student’s department chair or program coordinator before the formal application is submitted. Completed applications are sent to the host institution by the Office of Student Affairs (not by the individual student). Students who wish to participate in a summer/winter break study abroad program are not required to apply for these programs through the Corcoran or seek departmental approval for participation. However, if the student wishes to receive transfer credit for courses taken during a non-semester study abroad program, she/he must seek departmental approval for any course substitutions.

AICAD Colleges Participating in the Mobility Program:

Alberta College of Art and Design; Calgary, Alberta Canada
Art Academy of Cincinnati; Cincinnati, Ohio
Art Institute of Boston; Boston, Massachusetts
California College of the Arts; Oakland, California
Cleveland Institute of Art; Cleveland, Ohio
College for Creative Studies; Detroit, Michigan
Columbus College of Art and Design, Columbus, Ohio
Cooper Union School of Art; New York, New York
Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design; Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Kansas City Art Institute; Kansas City, Missouri
Laguna College of Art & Design, Laguna Beach, California
Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, Old Lyme, Connecticut
Maine College of Art; Portland, Maine
Maryland Institute College of Art; Baltimore, Maryland
Massachusetts College of Art; Boston, Massachusetts
Memphis College of Art; Memphis, Tennessee
Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Minneapolis College of Art and Design; Minneapolis, Minnesota
Montserrat College of Art; Beverly, Massachusetts
Moore College of Art; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nova Scotia College of Art & Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Ontario College of Art and Design; Toronto, Canada
Oregon College of Art & Craft, Portland, Oregon
Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, California
Pacific Northwest College of Art; Portland, Oregon
Rhode Island School of Design; Providence, Rhode Island
Ringling College of Art and Design; Sarasota, Florida
San Francisco Art Institute; San Francisco, California
School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Chicago, Illinois
School of the Museum of Fine Arts; Boston, Massachusetts
University of the Arts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The following institutions outside of the United States and Canada have an affiliation with AICAD and participate in many of AICAD’s programs.
Burren College of Art; Ballyvaughan, Ireland
Osaka University of Arts, Osaka, Japan
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Israel

Mobility Program Overseas Option

The Mobility program provides an opportunity for students to spend a semester during their junior year at their choice of a number of colleges across the country or, spend a semester attending a fellow AICAD school in Canada, Ireland, or Japan. The program is open to full-time Bachelor’s students in good academic standing who meet all eligibility requirements. 

MORE INFORMATION & To Register

For more information on the Mobility and study abroad programs, please contact Stephanie Moos, associate director of student affairs at smoos@corcoran.org.

New York Studio Program

NYSRP, The New York Studio Residency Program is a project of AICAD. It is an example of a 13 credit program for undergraduate art and design students in New York City—a model of art education that combines learning with location as an important ingredient, and is built on diversity, self-motivation, and discourse. Students participating in the New York Studio Residency Program are selected by their schools. All credits are transferred directly to the students’ participating schools. The semester-long program is conveniently located in Brooklyn’s D.U.M.B.O. neighborhood. Students will have access to individual art studios, a seminar room, a wood shop, a computer room, and a kitchen/dining area. The New York Studio Residency Program offers two options:  1) Independent Study: Students receive studio space to pursue their work based on a plan developed with their chair or program director; or 2) Internships: Students can work with professional design firms and artists. Students participating in either option must attend seminars and visiting artist lectures, maintain a journal, and keep up with required studio work or internship tasks for a total of 13 credit hours per semester. The four faculty members consist of two art critic/writers and two artists, with a man and woman in each group. There is a studio manager for the facility as well who works with the director and the students. Bachelor’s students may apply for either the Fall or Spring semesters of their junior year. Applicants must submit the formal application, be in good academic standing, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, and recommendations by two faculty members. Participants will be selected by a jury of Corcoran faculty. The Corcoran deadlines for expressing an interest in applying to the program are October 1 for the following spring semester and March 1 for the following fall semester.

MORE INFORMATION & To Register

For more information on the Mobility and study abroad programs, please contact Stephanie Moos, associate director of student affairs at smoos@corcoran.org.

LADAKH, INDIA 

Ladakh, a high-altitude desert beyond the peaks of the Himalaya, offers few resources in an extreme climate. Yet it has been the home of a thriving agricultural society for over a thousand years. In this course students explore the coping skills and attitudes that allow the people of Ladakh to survive and prosper in peace and harmony under the harshest of circumstances. Students examine community and family structures, the role of ancient localized knowledge, as well as Buddhist traditions to learn whether Ladakh is prepared to meet the challenges of increasing westernization without losing its ecological balance and social harmony. The course will meet four times during the spring semester to prepare for a month-long tour of Ladakh beginning in June in New Delhi.

MORE INFORMATION & to Register

For more information on the Corcoran’s study away programs, please contact Robert Devers, coordinator of study away programs at rdevers@corcoran.org.

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico

THE PITTMAN STUDY AWAY PROGRAM

In a unique collaboration between the Corcoran College of Art + Design and Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, students are invited to participate in select classes held at the Escuela de Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This unique collaboration between the Corcoran College of Art + Design and Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes is part of a series of programs that promote cultural exchange through education in the arts in beautiful and culturally rich San Miguel. Courses are offered during winter break, spring break, and during the summer semester.

ABOUT SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE

San Miguel de Allende, nestled in the mountainous central region of Mexico, is part of the “Bajio” region in the state of Guanajuato. This “low” region in reality averages about 7000 feet, but is called so for being a relatively flat area ringed by mountains. San Miguel El Grito (as it was originally known) was founded by a Franciscan monk in 1542. It was an important stopover of the silver route from Zacatecas.

When the Mexican War of Independence began in the nearby town of Dolores (now know as Dolores Hildago) on September 16, 1810, in an act now celebrated as “El Grito”, the rapidly growing revolutionary army came to San Miguel El Grande. Dolores Hildago is known as the “Cradle of National Independence” while San Miguel calls itself the “Forge of National Independence”, for it was here that General Ignacio Allende joined the army as Padre Miguel Hildago’s chief lieutenant and led the army to several victories. Allende was not able to enjoy a Mexico independent from Spanish oppression, however, as he was captured during battle and summarily executed. He is now a national hero, and the town renamed itself “San Miguel de Allende” in 1826 to honor his actions.

As its mineral wealth waned, San Miguel was popular as both a quiet, beautiful place to live and an attraction for the wealthy for its natural hot springs. By 1900, the town itself was in danger of dying out. Having been declared a national monument in 1926 (no neon signs, no modern buildings), the old Centro district still has the colonial style elegance of its wealthy past.

It was after World War II that San Miguel de Allende began to revive as a tourist attraction, as many GI’s discovered that their education grants stretched further in Mexico at the US accredited art school, the Instituto Allende, founded in 1950.

San Miguel de Allende is world famous for its mild climate, colonial architecture, and an expatriate population that estimates a number between 6,000 and 8,000. The total population is about 85,000, and is primarily made up of Americans and Canadians, with a smattering of Europeans and other nationalities. Many people have elected to retire here, as the large community of foreigners has brought about a number of conveniences that would normally not be available in a town of this size. San Miguel de Allende was declared a World Heritage Site in 2008.

Photos and More

MORE INFORMATION & to Register

For more information on the Corcoran’s study away programs (Mexico & India), please contact Robert Devers, coordinator of study away programs at rdevers@corcoran.org.