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Art Schools in Portugal

11 researched institutions with a campus here, offering 88 art and design programs. This is the research done to date, not a complete list of every program.

Cities with several researched institutions

11 schools

How results are ordered: alphabetically by institution, or by most recently checked when you choose that sort. There is no price ranking, because tuition in different currencies, fee categories and bases (per year, per credit, whole program) is not comparable. A program appears under a subject only through a verified link (dedicated degree, major, concentration or documented pathway). A value we could not verify is shown as “not published”, never as “no”. Items marked Sponsored are paid placements; they never change verification or order. Online programs are not counted as physically located in a state or city, and an institution’s location does not tell you whether it enrols students from your country.

About art education in Portugal

How art education is organised

Portuguese art and design programmes follow the three Bologna cycles: Licenciatura (first cycle, 180 or 240 ECTS), Mestrado (second cycle, usually 120 ECTS) and Doutoramento (third cycle, for example 180 ECTS at the University of Lisbon fine arts faculty). Awards are named by subject, such as Licenciado em Pintura or Mestre em Desenho, not BFA or MFA. Fine-arts faculties (Lisbon, Porto) sit alongside polytechnic design schools (ESAD.CR, IPCA/UPCA), private schools (ESAP, Lusófona) and university departments (Évora, Algarve). Teaching is mainly in Portuguese; some master's programmes are given in English.

Source: belasartes.ulisboa.pt/cursos/

Qualification structures

Names and levels are local to Portugal. Similar names in other countries are not interchangeable.

Licenciatura (180-240 ECTS)
First-cycle degree; the University of Lisbon fine arts faculty lists three-year 180 ECTS licenciaturas and a four-year 240 ECTS licenciatura in Painting. Source
Mestrado (120 ECTS)
Second-cycle master's, for example the 120 ECTS Mestrado em Desenho at the University of Lisbon, taught in Portuguese. Source
Doutoramento (180-240 ECTS)
Third-cycle doctorate, for example the 180 ECTS Doutoramento em Belas-Artes at the University of Lisbon and the 240 ECTS Doutoramento em História da Arte at the University of Évora. Source

Bodies that matter, and what each one does

Accreditation, validation, education authority and qualification registers are different roles. Do not read a listing by one body as evidence from another.

A3ES (Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior)
Portuguese agency that accredits study cycles; the University of Lisbon fine arts faculty states accreditation dates on its programme pages.

Credits and qualification framework

Credits are ECTS. Programme pages usually give the ECTS total and the length in semesters (for example 6 semesters / 180 ECTS at Évora).

No degree on this site guarantees admission, funding, employment, a visa or teacher registration, and nothing here is visa or credit-transfer advice.

Languages and admissions

Teaching languages. pten

Admissions and portfolios. National access to licenciaturas goes through the DGES national competition; polytechnics and universities also run special regimes, and master's and doctoral applications are made direct to the institution. Check each page for the current call. Source

Official study information

Country information last reviewed 23 October 2026. 3 sources consulted.