Introduction to the Visual Arts Program

The Visual Arts program at ACI cultivates a new generation of artists through its conceptually rigorous and experimental approach to contemporary arts research and practice. Students work in a dynamic, inclusive, and collaborative environment, with a low student-faculty ratio, ensuring that they receive personalized feedback to support their growth as creatively-empowered people.

Method of Program Delivery

• Face-to-face
• Location of program delivery: Aghia Paraskevi campus

Admission Process and Procedures

• Validated by The Open University, UK
• Programme Specification
• Regulations for validated awards

Tuition and Fees

• Greek Students
• European Union Students
• North American Students

Program Structure

The duration of studies is 4 academic years. The maximum period of registration for an Open University validated award is ten years.

• The definition of full-time study is 60 UK credits/semester.
• 40 UK credits/semester or less is considered part-time.

What You Will Study

In the Visual Arts Program, students gain broad exposure to a variety of techniques and theories through foundation to advanced studio classes, art history, and art theory classes. During the course of study, students develop skills in:

• Painting
• Drawing
• Sculpture
• Installation
• Performance
• Computer art
• Video

The Visual Arts program develops students' critical awareness and cultivates the investigation of the social, cultural, and historical perspectives affecting the creative process. Students enhance their visual literacy and develop the confidence to create a personal art practice within a rapidly changing art environment.

Scholarships Awarded for This Major

• For Entering Students:
  • Frances Rich Visual Arts Scholarship
  • Visual Arts Scholarships
• For Continuing Students:
  • Frances Rich Visual Arts Scholarship
  • Visual Arts Scholarships

Career Opportunities

Graduates from Visual Arts often pursue graduate studies in the US, UK, or other European countries. Based on the interdisciplinary format of the program, students are well-prepared to continue more specialized studies from a wide field of cultural practices. Our students have gone on to graduate studies in:

• Visual/Fine Art
• Film, Video, and Documentary
• Performance Studies
• Fashion
• Game Design
• Visual Culture
• Art History
• Art Education
• Art Therapy

Graduates from the BA program also find work in:

• Art education
• Arts management
• Curatorial work
• Graphic and web design
• Advertising
• Museums and galleries

An arts education at Deree often opens doors to work abroad due to a general demand for creative individuals who can work collaboratively across disciplines, have methodological knowledge and flexibility, and have excellent visual and oral presentation skills.

The American College of Greece (ACG) is an independent, non-profit, non-sectarian, co-educational institution founded in 1875 in Smyrna (Izmir), Asia Minor, by missionaries from Boston, Massachusetts. Following the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the college relocated to Athens in 1923 and has operated there ever since. It is the oldest and largest U.S.-accredited, comprehensive educational institution in Europe, with over 150 years of transformative education and a long-standing role in fostering intellectual and cultural ties between Greece and the United States.

ACG is chartered as a U.S. 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity by the State of Colorado, and is governed by an independent board of trustees. Its motto — Non Ministrari, Sed Ministrare ("Not to be Served, but to Serve") — reflects its foundational commitment to education in service of society.

Three divisions:

ACG operates across three distinct academic divisions, each serving a different stage of education:

• Pierce: a pre-kindergarten through secondary school offering a Gymnasium, Lyceum and an International Baccalaureate Programme, with campuses in Aghia Paraskevi and a Pierce East Campus in Spata
• Deree: the undergraduate and graduate college, with all instruction delivered entirely in English, located on the main 64-acre campus in Aghia Paraskevi.
• Alba Graduate Business School: a specialized postgraduate business school located in downtown Athens, built on ACG's long-standing legacy of academic excellence.

Accreditation

ACG was first accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) in 1981, becoming the first U.S. institution abroad to achieve this distinction. In 2023, The American University of Greece (AUG) — ACG's newly incorporated U.S. affiliate — received full institutional NECHE accreditation, which includes ACG's operations in Greece through a validating agreement. This means Deree graduates hold degrees with the same credentials as graduates of other NECHE institutions, including MIT, Harvard, Brown, Boston College and Amherst.

Deree is also validated by The Open University (UK), providing graduates with an additional internationally recognized award pathway. In 2024, AUG launched a Global Campus offering fully online degree programs rooted in ACG's academic tradition.

Campus

The main campus in Aghia Paraskevi sits on the western slopes of Mount Hymettus, about ten kilometers from central Athens, and was originally designed by the renowned Greek architect Constantine Doxiadis. Its 64 acres include smart classrooms, science and STEM laboratories, fine art studios and exhibition spaces, a Center for the Arts with multiple performance venues including the Pierce Theater, a black box theater and the Irene Bailey Theater, a library, a gym, a swimming pool, tennis courts, a soccer and track complex, a chapel, and student lounges. The campus offers panoramic views of the Athens basin.

Student life

Student life at ACG is active and diverse. Students can join academic societies, a wide range of clubs, and student organizations including the Deree Student Association, the Research Scholars Organization, and the Student Emergency Response Force. Intercollegiate and intramural sports are organized under the Deree Griffins banner. Arts programming is extensive, with music, theater, dance and visual arts performances running throughout the academic year under the Arts at Deree initiative. An International Honors Program is available for high-achieving students, including a Stanford Summer component and a dedicated merit scholarship. Service learning projects connect students to the broader Athens community.

Research and institutes

ACG's research activity spans applied academic research and public policy engagement through four dedicated centers:

• ACG Research Center (ACG-RC): supports interdisciplinary applied research, with active projects including a study on the role of the Greek-American diaspora in bilateral U.S.-Greece relations from 1974 to 2024
• Institute of Global Affairs: hosts research, public events and publications on international policy and geopolitics
• Institute of Public Health: conducts public health research and runs an annual lecture series open to the wider community
• The Demos Center: dedicated to democratic values, civic discourse and public engagement

Sustainability

Sustainability is a core institutional commitment at ACG. The college has been listed among the Princeton Review's most environmentally responsible colleges for seven consecutive years, and is one of only four European institutions to appear on the list for 2025. In 2024, ACG was recognized as a top performer in five categories of the AASHE Sustainable Campus Index — Campus Engagement, Energy, Grounds, Purchasing, and Wellbeing and Work — making it the highest-ranked STARS institution outside the United States and Canada. ACG also received the 2024 EPEAT Purchaser Award for the second consecutive year for sustainable electronics procurement, and was featured in Greece's inaugural Hellenic Impact Report for its integration of sustainability across academics, operations and partnerships. The college currently offers 149 sustainability-focused and sustainability-inclusive courses across undergraduate and graduate levels.

Student support services

• Student Academic Support Services (SASS): learning facilitation, peer tutoring and academic resources
• Career Services: career planning, internship placement, and employer connections including an annual ACG Career Days event
• Student Success Center: holistic advising and student wellbeing support
• Counseling and Health and Wellness Center: mental health services, wellness coaching and medical assistance
• Financial assistance: merit scholarships, grants, work-study, and access to U.S. Federal Loans and Veterans Aid for eligible students
• On-campus and nearby housing for undergraduate and study-abroad students

International reach

1. ACG welcomes study-abroad students from universities worldwide through semester, summer and intensive programs in Athens. Special programs include the Hellenic Studies Summer School, the Heritage Greece program, and a longstanding collaboration with Harvard University's Center for Hellenic Studies. Through its Outbound Study Abroad Programme, Deree students can study at partner institutions in cities including Stanford, New York, Boston, London, Rome, Seoul, Shanghai and Berlin. A parallel studies pathway also allows students enrolled in Greek public universities to earn a Deree degree simultaneously.