Choosing an artistic training program after high school first requires knowing what you are comparing. Post-high school art programs do not lead to the same diplomas, last for different durations, and target different professions depending on whether you go through university, a conservatory, a public art school, or a BTS. Before sorting through institutions, one must sort through the training logics themselves.
Post-high school artistic diplomas: duration, access, and objectives compared
The table below gathers the main pathways accessible after high school. It compares the duration of the program, the dominant mode of access, and the targeted professional objective, three criteria rarely crossed in the same document.
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| Pathway / Diploma | Duration | Main Access | Professional Objective |
|---|---|---|---|
| DN MADE (national diploma of arts and crafts and design) | 3 years | Parcoursup + application | Design, crafts, applied arts |
| DNA / DNSEP (public art schools) | 3 years (DNA) then 5 years (DNSEP) | School-specific entrance exam | Artistic creation, contemporary art |
| DNSP (national higher professional diploma) | 3 years | Entrance exam / audition at conservatory or higher education institution | Performance (music, dance, theater) |
| Bachelor’s in visual arts (university) | 3 years | Parcoursup | Teaching, cultural mediation, cultural management |
| BTS design (graphic, space, products) | 2 years | Parcoursup + application | Applied design, quick integration |
| BNMA (national certificate of crafts) | Variable depending on specialty | Application | High-quality craftsmanship (jewelry, cabinetmaking, watchmaking, leather goods) |
This table reveals a first structural gap: access through competitive exams clearly separates performance pathways from design pathways. A candidate who goes through Parcoursup and a candidate preparing for an audition at a conservatory do not experience the same orientation.
To better understand artistic training after high school, one must first accept that the word “art” encompasses at least three distinct realities: free creation, applied design, and stage performance.
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University or art school: what the diploma really prepares you for
The bachelor’s in visual arts at university and the DNA at a higher art school both focus on visual arts. However, their professional objectives diverge sharply.
Bachelor’s in visual arts: theory and teaching
The university curriculum is based on art history, aesthetics, philosophy of art, and artwork analysis. Practice exists, but it accompanies a theoretical foundation. The natural career paths are teaching, mediation, and cultural management, not a career as a visual artist.
This positioning is not a flaw. A student aiming for the CAPES in visual arts or a position in cultural mediation will find a suitable framework at the university, with the possibility of continuing to a master’s degree and then preparing for a teaching exam.
DNA and DNSEP: creation as a project
Public art schools train creators. The DNA (bac+3) followed by the DNSEP (bac+5) structures a pathway centered on personal approach, experimentation, and production of works. Access is through school-specific entrance exams, meaning that each institution selects based on its own artistic criteria.
In contrast, the direct professional outcomes remain more uncertain than in applied design pathways. The DNA alone does not lead to a profession as clearly defined as a BTS in graphic design, for example.
Double degree and higher education institutions: a growing orientation model
Some higher education institutions now allow students to prepare for a DNSP and a bachelor’s in musicology or performing arts in parallel. This model combines high-level artistic training with a recognized university diploma.
The advantage of this formula lies in its ability to secure the pathway. A musician who obtains a DNSP and a bachelor’s degree has two options: a performance career and access to teaching exams via the DE (state diploma) for music, dance, or theater teachers.
- The DNSP trains for performance and validates a professional level recognized by the live performance sector.
- The parallel university bachelor’s opens up research master’s programs, national education exams, and positions in mediation.
- The DE for teachers (music, dance, theater) is prepared in accredited institutions and constitutes a specific state diploma, distinct from the general artistic diploma.
This double pathway is not accessible everywhere: only certain higher education institutions offer it, and admission is conditioned on a proven level of practice.
Concrete selection criteria for post-high school artistic orientation
Beyond the type of diploma, three concrete variables deserve examination before making wishes on Parcoursup or preparing for an exam.
- The real cost of training: public art schools charge university registration fees, while some private schools charge several thousand euros per year. The status of the institution (public, private under contract, private not under contract) alters the budget over three to five years.
- The recognition of the diploma: a DN MADE or a DNSEP are national diplomas. A “bachelor” awarded by a private school is not always. Checking registration with the RNCP remains the most reliable reflex to distinguish a recognized diploma from an internal title.
- Alternation: some BTS design and DN MADE programs are offered in alternating formats, which changes the financial situation and professional integration. University pathways in visual arts rarely offer this format.
The question of a preparatory year also deserves to be raised. Public preparatory classes in art (CPES-CAAP) prepare for the entrance exams of higher art schools. They are free or nearly free. Private preparatory classes are significantly more expensive without guaranteeing a better admission rate.
Choosing an artistic training program after high school is not just a matter of taste. The mode of access (Parcoursup or competitive exam), the nature of the diploma (national or internal), and the targeted professional project (creation, design, teaching, performance) form three axes of sorting that, when crossed, considerably reduce the number of relevant pathways for a given profile.