ISBA (Institut Superieur des Beaux Arts)

The Institut Supérieur des Beaux-Arts (ISBA) is not an Australian university. It is a public higher education institution for fine arts located in Besançon, France, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. It is the only higher art school in Franche-Comté for plastic and graphic arts focused on contemporary art, and it is one of 56 French art schools authorized by the Ministry of Culture to award national degrees. ISBA offers the Diplôme National d'Arts (DNA, equivalent to a bachelor's degree) and the Diplôme National Supérieur d'Expression Plastique (DNSEP, equivalent to a master's degree) in art and visual communication. The school combines theoretical and practical teaching, supports research through its "Fronts et frontières" research pole, and maintains international partnerships. Its modernist campus building, designed by architect Josep Lluis Sert and opened in 1972 at La Bouloie, is listed as 20th-century architectural heritage. The institution enrolls roughly 200–250 students annually from France and abroad, taught by about 20 faculty members and technical staff who are also practicing artists. It collaborates with local cultural institutions such as the Frac Franche-Comté, the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie de Besançon, and the Université de Franche-Comté, and hosts exhibitions, publications, conferences, and continuing education programs.