LUCA School of Arts

Faculties and Departments

LUCA School of Arts is the only University of Applied Sciences and Arts in the Flemish region exclusively dedicated to art and design. Our art school combines the strengths and expertise of five renowned Flemish higher education institutions for art and design, spread across Brussels, Genk, Ghent and Leuven. LUCA is a member of the KU Leuven Association. Catering to up 4,000 students, LUCA offers more than thirty programmes in Audiovisual Arts & Techniques, Interior & Product Design, Construction, Music & Drama and Visual Arts & Design. LUCA School of Arts offers both professional and academic bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and advanced master’s degrees. 

LUCA also offers six full-English MA programmes on its campuses in Brussels and Leuven, including 2 Erasmus Mundus joint programmes: https://www.luca-arts.be/en/international-programmes-degree-students. Since 2020 LUCA is also consortium member in the European University Alliance 'FILMEU'.

LUCA collaborates with KU Leuven for its PhD programme in the arts, further demonstrating its leading status as a centre of excellence for research in the fields of art and design.

Bachelor Level Programs

PROFESSIONALLY-ORIENTED BACHELOR PROGRAMMES (180 ECTS)
> BA in Audiovisual Technology: Photography (Brussels)
> BA in Audiovisual Technology: Film-TV-Video (Brussels)
> BA in Visual Design (Gent)
> BA in Interior Design (Brussels and Genk)
> BA in Construction (Brussels)

ACADEMICALLY-ORIENTED BACHELOR PROGRAMMES (180 ECTS)
>BA in Audiovisual Arts with 4 pathways:

• Animation Film (Brussels & Genk)
• Film Directing (Brussels)
• Television-Film (Genk)
• CMD Game Design (Genk)

>BA in Drama (Leuven)
>BA in Music (Leuven) with 6 pathways:

• Compsotion
• Conducting
• Instrument/Voice
• Jazz
• Music Education
• Music Therapy

> BA in Product Design (Genk)

> BA in Visual Arts with 5 pathways:

• Photography (Brussels & Genk)
• Graphic design (Brussels & Gent): 
  • The degree programme in Brussels offers a choice between Graphic Storytelling and Media and Information Design.
  • The degree programme in Ghent focuses on editorial and conceptual design, typography, digital design, publishing and book design.
• Fine Art (Brussels & Gent): 
  • In Brussels, students are enrolled in an interdisciplinary pathway in fine art
  • In Ghent, students opt for a specific fine art atelier: photography, printmaking & drawing, illustration, ceramics & glass, mixed media, painting or sculpture
• Textile Design

Master Level Programs

ACADEMIC MASTER PROGRAMMES (60 or 120 ECTS ECTS)

> MA in Audiovisual Arts with pathways in:
– Animation Film
– Film Directing
– Television-Film
– Game Design

> MA in Visual Arts with pathways in:
– Fine Arts
– Graphic Design: 
• The degree programme in Brussels offers a choice between Graphic Storytelling and Media and Information Design.
• The degree programme in Ghent focuses on editorial and conceptual design, typography,   digital design, publishing and book design.
– Photography
– Textile Design

> MA in Drama

> MA in Product Design

> MA in Music with pathways in:
– Composition
– Conducting
– Instrument/Voice
– Jazz
– Music Education
– Music Therapy

ACADEMIC MASTER PROGRAMMES (only master level)
>Erasmus Mundus Master in Documentary Film Directing (DocNomads)
>Erasmus Mundus Master in Animation Film (ReAnima)
>Educational Master of Arts in Visual and Audiovisual Arts
>Educational Master of Arts in Music and Performing Arts

POSTGRADUATE DEGREES
>Advanced Master in Music (60 ECTS)

Research Activity and Main Areas

Research units

Image
The Image research unit carries out artistic and theoretical research on the interaction between word/writing and image, in particular in relation to the notions of conceptualisation and materialisation. The written and spoken word, the mental and physical image, the concept and the act all create a situation, the key points of which, including every possible varying connection, are researched on the basis of showing, looking, thinking, reading and writing, and through mediating practices such as representation, invention, translation, design and interpretation. The subject of this research is both the mother tongue and foreign language of various artistic working methods, as well as their relationship to (the formulation of) world-views and concepts. Can thoughts be put into words without images? Are images conceivable without words? Is putting something into words conceivable without thought? And to go further: what kind of thinking is contained in images? What kind of image-making is both assumed and generated by speech and writing? What kind of language propels both thought and the unexpected?

Inter-Actions
Inter-Actions bundles a series of research clusters which focus on design and artistic research, evoking interactions between people, domains and disciplines, while exploring the possibilities of old and new materials, artefacts, media, spaces and events. By separating “inter” from “actions”, the unit stresses that its research is aimed at encouraging people “acting (actions) together (inter)” in cross-disciplinary or participatory set-ups. Inter-Actions focuses on both the human and social aspect of design and art as well as the material and technological potential of objects or media for provoking different interactions. Inter-Actions is composed of interdisciplinary teams bringing together designers, (media) artists, engineers, social and cultural scientists, psychologists, philosophers and so on. They are intensely engaged with the potential “users” and “audience” of their research and practice, involving them as participants in their projects. The academic focus of these research units allows for more fundamental design and artistic research to be carried out that does not require immediate monetisation in the market and therefore may lead to unexpected results. At the same time, the hands-on nature of applied design and artistic research means the research is relevant for cultural, industrial and other professionals.

Intermedia
From Ut pictura poesis to computational creativity, the underlying question was and is how to generate and innovate the creative process by transferring to and taking inspiration from another artistic medium. Understanding the variations and implications of artistic genres or forms across different media; studying, practising, mounting and curating the migrations of images across different devices, contexts and histories, from old to new media, from traditional artistic settings to more experimental ones, bringing these processes together through storytelling, dramaturgy and creative writing, are all core activities of the intermedia research unit. Currently, there are four research clusters within the unit: Mediated Environments, deep histories fragile memories, Photography Expanded and Exhibition Culture: Dialogues in the making. These will increase and can change in the future. Intermediality, transhistoricity and narrativity are the key forms of poetics and nodes of research carried out in the unit. The unit supports critical awareness of the impact of technological development on artistic practice. It is active in exploring and supporting the presentation of artistic research in exhibition form, through its Show Research programme and its Terrarium exhibition space.

Music & Drama
The Music & Drama research unit embraces research in the field of music and the performing arts with a clear focus on the development of artistic practice. Within the area of Drama, this involves research into various innovative methods of text creation and its impact on acting. There is also a focus on the changing status of the concept of text in the current work field. Within Music, this translates into research into performance and composition and into pedagogical and therapeutic research.
Together, the Music & Drama unit also focuses on all forms of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research via co-creation and interaction. The research unit aims to ensure significant integration of research and education within Music & Drama courses. The Music & Drama Research Unit collaborates with various research groups from KU Leuven, including the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine. The researchers are also developing an international research network. 

LABOpro
LABOpro conducts the research for LUCA’s professional bachelor programmes (Film-TV-Video, Interior Design,
Photography, Visual Design and Construction).
LABOpro collaborates closely with top-tier international academic communities, the business sector and the public sector on applied, practice-based and practice-led research solutions. The research is concentrated around three key themes:
Making the future / the future of making. LABOpro brings digitalization-related research fields together
and fosters collaboration that reinforces the contribution of creative and cultural works to our societies. Focus areas include technologies (AR, VR, XR, AI, robotics and blockchain) that will collectively and fundamentally disrupt how we produce and consume content in the creative economy.
Shaping society. This line of research explores how culture and creativity can be a source of structural economic transformation and innovation while contributing to social inclusion and sustainable human development.
Redesign of the design school. Working with academic experts, international school networks, teachers, policy makers and social partners, LABOpro provides a space in which to exchange ideas, test new practices, discover cutting-edge research and contribute to a new ecosystem of learning.

Doctorate Level Programs

LUCA School of Arts strives to be a European and global centre of excellence in terms of artistic and design research. To this end, our five research units focus on all areas of the arts practised by students and teachers. Given its objective to build and bundle disciplinary expertise in all its study areas (music and drama, audiovisual arts, visual arts and design), LUCA attracts a range of researchers, teachers and students with considerable talent and ambition.
Due to its imaginative and experimental potential, LUCA not only believes in the added value of artistic research for education and artistic practice, but also for the sciences and society as a whole. There is a particular emphasis on encouraging and developing PhD’s in the arts. In doing so, LUCA School of Arts, together with its university partner KU Leuven, aims to attract young artistic researchers who will help to reinforce and further develop its research and education programmes. LUCA also encourages professionally-oriented research. It offers innovative and authentic advice and solutions through practice-based research and innovation in the areas of interior design, construction technology, visual design, photography, film and video. This research is conducted together with companies and organisations, and enriches the professional bachelor’s degree programmes.

Doctoral programme
LUCA School of Arts collaborates with the University of Leuven for its doctoral programme in the arts. Our PhD students are enrolled at KU Leuven, which officially awards the degree of PhD in the Arts, but have one or more supervisors from the research units at LUCA. By facilitating and encouraging doctoral research, LUCA attracts competent, enthusiastic artists and designers who help to develop and strengthen high-level research and education in LUCA’s core areas of study: music and drama, audiovisual arts, visual arts and design.

Subject Areas for Exchange Students

LUCA welcomes exchange students in all bachelor and master degree programmes. 

The courses offered to exchange students vary depending on the specialisation and campus you choose.

OVERVIEW EXCHANGE PROGRAMMES

Application Deadlines

Exchange students must take into account the following deadlines to submit an official application:
> Applications Autumn/Winter semester and full year: April 1.
> Applications Spring semester: October 1 (Spring term mobility is not possible in every study programme.)

One can apply/study at LUCA as an exchange student on condition that there is an active cooperation agreement between the higher education institute (university, school of arts or alike) where you are currently studying and LUCA. The applicant can obtain more information about the cooperation agreements via the International Office at the applicant's university or by browsing the LUCA partnership database. If interested in applying but there is no active partnership between the applicant's HEI and LUCA, the applicant's HEI should reach out to LUCA's international office and hand in the partnership request form by one of the two deadlines: January 15 / September 15. After an evaluation, LUCA will reach out regarding the request.

Teaching Languages

Courses for exchange students are offered in English.

List of full-English taught degree programmes: International programmes for degree students | LUCA (luca-arts.be)

List of exchange programmes: https://www.luca-arts.be/en/programmes-exchange-students 

Semester Dates

The exact semester dates can slightly vary every year and depending on the local campus organisation. However, usually semester one (Autumn/Winter semester) starts around the middle of September and finishes around the end of January. Semester two (Spring semester) starts at the beginning of February and finishes at the end of June.

Cost of Living Per Month (Studying and Living)

Approximately €645/month, not including costs of study material and expenses such as vacations, medicines. Costs per month Accommodation: € 300 Food:€ 225 Household: € 30 Travel: € 40 Clothing: € 50

An updated estimation of the cost of living can be found here: FAQ ON MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS | LUCA (luca-arts.be)