The programme
The set designer works with illusion, playing with volumes, light, sound and materials to guide the eye and immerse the audience. The set designer is an architect of the moment, in which every detail is designed to create a strong, memorable visual impact. Their work is often ephemeral, but its influence on the experience is lasting.The landscape designer arranges and enhances the elements to create gardens, parks, public squares and riverbanks. Theirs is a profession at the crossroads of art, science and technique. They need to master botany, hydrology and ecology in order to create aesthetic, functional environments that evolve over time. The landscape designer is a long-term visionary, shaping landscapes that enrich our surroundings and contribute to the balance of the ecosystem.
Combining the two disciplines gives a sharp spatial vision along with strength and technical command of design tools. Both are designers of environments who, through their work, invite us to perceive space differently, whether for a single evening or for decades.
Where can you study this programme?
Pourquoi choisir ce Mastère ?
Programme
Discover the full content of the programme
➜ Courses in the history of scenography and the performing arts, museology and the semiology of space, for a grounding in stage culture.
➜ Technical skills through courses in technical drawing, model-making, 2D/3D modelling and professional software, event materials and standards, lighting and sound technology, and video projection systems.
➜ Design and innovation workshops in the world of the ephemeral and of outdoor settings, for every kind of staged event.
➜ Entrepreneurial culture, design law and safety are all master's-level courses that prepare students for the final oral examination.
A range of options is offered so that students can tailor their own course (see the study pathway diagram).
On campus: practical classes, lectures, project supervision and workshops. Alongside these come the professional environment, taking part in open days to present work, support in finding a placement, creative workshops and more. An optional international seminar is also offered.
*The programme is not exhaustive; there may be variations in courses or changes in terminology from one year to the next.
Teaching Strengths
The set designer creates the space for events and live performance. Their playing field is vast: theatre, opera, exhibitions, fashion shows and concerts. Their role is to turn a bare venue into a set that tells a story and stirs emotion. The landscape designer, for their part, creates outdoor spaces. Their raw material is living matter: earth, plants and water.
97%
pass rate for candidates on the Bachelor Design d'Espace / Architecture d'Intérieur, 2025 cohort.
84%
of students reported to be in employment six months after gaining the professional certification, 2024 cohort.
After the Master's
On completion of the qualification, the Master's leads straight into working life.Careers targeted by the qualification
Once you have graduated, you will be able to work in one of these sectors and take up these roles linked to the qualification.
➜ Assistant interior architect
➜ Performance set decorator
➜ Landscape designer
➜ Event project manager
➜ Museum exhibition designer
➜ Set concept designer
➜ Event space designer
➜ Stage project manager, indoor and outdoor...
They chose ESDAC
“ A former ESDAC student in interior architecture, I now run my own interior architecture practice between Megève and Geneva.
My success is also, in part, theirs and that of the whole teaching team. I have had the chance to compare this course with many other schools through the work-study students I have met from all over France. ESDAC is clearly one of the most complete programmes available: you are given every key you need to succeed in the professional world, and it is then up to each person to make serious use of them. The lecturers are committed and highly skilled, the programmes are in step with what the market expects, and the skills you gain open the door to a real career, including internationally, for anyone with the motivation.
I would recommend this school without hesitation, as much for its human scale as for its professional quality.”
“Product Design is a discipline I teach at ESDAC, where we set out to design everyday objects methodically, across every possible sector (sport, medical, luxury, craft, industrial production runs, and so on). What we want to pass on to students is a genuine passion and curiosity for making things, and to get them to think before putting an idea forward and then to build it on solid foundations. In this course we try to find the designer each student wants to become.”
“What is great about ESDAC is that the lecturers are there to guide us in what we want to do. We steer our projects with our tutors, but the ideas come from us. It is a collective effort with our tutors and that is what is wonderful about this school. Nicolas Robineau was my technical tutor and he always gave me the keys so that I was never stuck with my ideas. As students we sometimes do too little and sometimes take on too much, but while we are still studying we can let go, open up everything a building makes possible and improve our knowledge, our technique and that drive to put a workable project in front of the panel. It is genuinely hands-on experience and I would wish it on every interior architecture or spatial design student.”
“My aim is to give students a practical understanding of what the profession expects. Professionals know exactly what they are looking for, and it is essential that students have that lightbulb moment: understanding how to develop a project accurately and methodically.
I place great importance on dialogue, offering different approaches to broaden their range of skills and open up as many opportunities as possible. The strength of our teaching also lies in the fact that most of our lecturers are working professionals: we know in concrete terms where to guide them so that they become the designers they want to be.”
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