Foundation Course

The Foundation Course is an interdisciplinary preparatory programme designed for candidates holding a high school diploma or equivalent qualification, who do not fully meet the admission requirements for a three-year degree course. Upon completing the Foundation Course in either English or Italian, students will have acquired the linguistic, historical, and cultural competencies necessary to proceed to the admission entry tests and subsequently enrol on a three-year degree course.  

Upon completion of the course — delivered in both English and Italian — students will have acquired the linguistic, historical and cultural competencies necessary to undertake the admission test and subsequently enrol in a three-year Bachelor’s Degree programme.

Upon successful completion of the Foundation Course, students will be awarded a certificate issued by NABA.

Throughout the programme, students are provided with a range of opportunities to achieve key learning objectives, including:

• Improve your language skills.
• Gain knowledge of methodologies and some historical processes related to design and the visual arts in your area of interest.
• Become familiar with the Italian historical, cultural, and social context.
• Create a personal portfolio in the creative field to present for admission tests to a three-year degree program

The NABA Foundation Course is available in three formats:

• On-campus, delivered in person at the campus.
• Blended, available exclusively to students attending the programme entirely in English. The first semester, including its exams, is delivered online through synchronous and asynchronous lessons. From the beginning of the second semester, classes will be held on campus at the Milan campus.
• Online, available exclusively to students attending the programme entirely in English. Both the first and second semesters, including their exams, are delivered fully online through synchronous and asynchronous lessons.

The on-campus Foundation Course is structured over two semesters.

During the first semester, students attend language classes (in either Italian or English) alongside activities focused on Italian culture, with the aim of supporting their integration into the social and cultural context of Milan.

In addition to classroom-based lessons, the programme also includes educational outings in the local area, designed to deepen and connect the topics covered during the course.

In the second semester, the focus shifts more strongly towards project-based and laboratory activities, carried out in the Academy’s laboratories, with the aim of developing first skills in the artistic field. Students will acquire tools and methodologies typical of an Academy of Fine Arts through courses dedicated to traditional drawing, photography, colouring techniques, and an introduction to the main software used in contemporary creative practices.

The curriculum of the Blended and Online Foundation Course is identical to the on-campus one; however, the course delivery mode change.

The proportion of synchronous and asynchronous activities in the Foundation Course (blended and online mode) depends on the subjects taught: in some cases, it may be 30% asynchronous and 70% synchronous, while in other cases it may be 50–50.

Asynchronous activities involve individual or group participation and include the following learning components:

Discussion boards, Theoretical video lectures, Video screencasts, Reading materials, External resources (including videos, articles, interviews, film excerpts, links and digital tools), Quizzes, Assignments, Project work, Case studies

Both modes require active student participation. Students are expected to engage in all scheduled activities, contribute to discussion boards and submit assigned tasks within the established deadlines, in order to ensure that live sessions are as effective and application-oriented as possible.

During live sessions, lecturers facilitate and moderate discussion, respond to questions and provide timely feedback on submitted assignments and projects, as well as on work completed asynchronously throughout the week.

Live sessions are designed to actively engage students through the use of integrated tools available on Blackboard, including:

• Instant polls (Wooclap)
• Collaborative whiteboards (Miro)
• Word clouds (Mentimeter)

The aim of the Course is to foster a strong sense of participation within the class group, while anticipating and simulating the dynamics of teamwork that students will encounter in their future academic and professional paths.

The Foundation Course is designed to prepare students for access to degree programmes in art, design and management.

It is a one-year programme dedicated to project-based study, experimentation and informed orientation in relation to their academic pathway, delivered entirely in English.

The Foundation Course is traditionally regarded as an important educational stage for those intending to undertake a degree in the creative disciplines.

The programme offers the opportunity to engage with different areas of art, design and management, progressively deepening their chosen field of interest with the support of lecturers and tutors.

It is also an interdisciplinary preparatory programme intended for applicants who hold an upper secondary school diploma or an equivalent qualification but who do not fully meet the admission requirements for a three-year undergraduate degree programme.

Please note: the Foundation Course is not offered as a standalone programme at the London campus. It is available exclusively as part of a combined academic pathway leading to a BA (Hons) degree. Direct entry to BA (Hons) programmes, without undertaking the Foundation Course, remains available to applicants who meet the standard entry requirements.

Course Objectives 

• To strengthen academic and project-related language skills.
• To acquire knowledge of methodologies and historical processes within the fields of design, fashion and management.
• To build a solid cultural and theoretical foundation in support of subsequent undergraduate study.