In 1989, a group of teachers created a school with a new vision of design which aimed to respond to the teaching gaps in this field and the needs of a changing industry. Today, with around five thousand students who have graduated, ESAD is a reference in design and the arts, in Portugal and worldwide.
The ESAD project is based on three vectors: education, improvement, and innovation. We want to train students to develop their capacity to participate and compete nationally and internationally, following the growing demands of the role of design and the arts, and to promote the expansion of skills at the creative, critical and technological level.
Located in Matosinhos, ESAD is close to Porto city-center, accessible by car, bus or underground and only a few minutes from various amenities and points of interest. ESAD offers degrees in design and arts, master's in design, several postgraduate courses, an open training programme, workshops and summer labs. It annually grants scholarships to candidates for undergraduate and master's degrees.