Which master's specialisation suits an Applied Arts graduate planning to study in France?

Your Applied Arts degree already proves you can make things look right, so the specialisation choice really comes down to whether you want that skill judged by art directors or by product teams, since those two audiences hire very differently.

UX/UI and Interaction Design: Widest Career Market

• Why it's strongest: combines aesthetics with user behaviour and technology, giving broader international employability.
• What it needs: comfort with digital tools beyond print or gallery-based work.

Visual Communication Design: Closest Match to Your Degree

• Why it fits: a direct continuation of Applied Arts if your background includes graphic design, illustration, branding or photography.
• Career outcomes: Art Director, Visual Designer or Brand Designer roles.

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Campus France, the French government's official platform for finding and applying to higher-education programs, on its January intake and application guidance.

My Advice

In my experience, Applied Arts graduates undersell their portfolio by treating it as purely artistic, when admissions panels for UX and communication design programs are actually looking for problem-solving evidence inside the work. Build your portfolio around 15 to 25 projects with a clear narrative of what problem each one solved, not just how it looks, and verify each shortlisted French school genuinely runs a January intake before you plan around one, since it is a smaller cycle than September and carries fewer scholarship options.