PDA

View Full Version : Photography College/Degree



Cheryl Flory
03-14-2008, 11:12 AM
My daughter is looking for a college or place to earn a photography or graphic arts degree. She is willing to go to any state. Right now she is thinking that California or Hallmark Institute may have the most reputable places. What do you think?

Any recommendations?

Are there good places in Florida?

She is also looking at Ball State Univ in Indiana which may not be the most reputable, but she has a plus there since one of the photo guys on staff there really likes her work.

thanks!
Cheryl

Jim Neely
03-14-2008, 11:18 AM
Brooks Institute, in Santa Barbara CA, is very expensive, but has had a great reputation. I wanted to go in 1958, but couldn't afford it. The people I have known who went to Brooks were excellent photographers.

jn

john crookes
03-14-2008, 11:20 AM
Have her look into CDIA

It is the center for digital image and arts and has a certificate programm and is also part of the Boston University program

They have two locations I believe
One for sure is in Waltham

and I believe there is a new one in Washington DC

to be sure check them out on their web site

Cheryl Flory
03-15-2008, 10:11 PM
Thank you all. We appreciate it.

Paul Pagano
03-16-2008, 05:24 AM
SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design) in Savannah, GA has an excellent reputation worldwide. It's about two hours out of Florida.

David Kennedy
03-25-2008, 12:40 PM
Brooks Institute, in Santa Barbara CA, is very expensive, but has had a great reputation. I wanted to go in 1958, but couldn't afford it. The people I have known who went to Brooks were excellent photographers.

jn

Jim,
Unfortunately, that is a school that should not be recommended to anyone anymore because they lost their accreditation a few years ago.

Cheryl,
Last year I thought that I wanted to go to grad school for an M.F.A. in photography and the five schools I applied to eventually decided that no, in fact, I didn't want to get an M.F.A. :) However, your daughter is looking at college which is a very different ballgame. In the graduate arena, the professors get very hung up on "conceptual" art. I would have gone crazy as one school I looked at had transformed a landscape photographer into someone who took technically correct pictures of peas, carrots, corn, blueberries, and other random edibles on pieces of paper laid on the ground of a trail in a random state park. Yeah! :confused:

If your daughter really wants an education in photography, then she should look at some of the B.F.A. programs. The BEST school in the country is the Rochester Institute of Technology (http://cias.rit.edu/). Bar none. I visited R.I.T. because they were my #1 choice for a masters and their facilities are absolutely incredible, and as an undergrad, she would learn any technique she needed to. They have all sorts of equipment to check out of their "locker," including medium format digital backs. Want to check out a Canon 500mm for fun? They've got it. Their inventory is incredible. And their faculty, when I was interviewing, actually suggested that I would have enjoyed their BFA program--I probably should have taken that as a hint that they didn't think I should go their for a graduate degree!!! The philosophies of BFA versus MFA tracks are very different. BFA is all about learning how to "do" photography, whereas MFA is about how to shape a vision into something "different." (Or unrecognizable.)

Paul is right that SCAD would be another option, and a good one. The University of New Mexico has a good reputation, but their program is currently struggling and I would probably avoid it. They don't have the money to switch everything to digital and they have very few photo faculty at the moment--I think they're down to five or less. By comparison, R.I.T. had 9 graduate faculty and 40 undergraduate photo faculty.

Cranbrook Academy has a good reputation, although I'd say they're a little on the weird side. Columbia College (in Chicago--not Columbia Univ. in New York) also has a very good program. I know that a lot of people are hung up on Cal Arts (California Institute of the Arts), but I didn't even consider it because of the sort of work their students produce. Similarly, Yale has a photo track where students come out all the same. If the NYC gallery scene is all you care about, then I guess it's fine...

You mentioned Ball State and they do have a very good photojournalism program, although not the "best." For photojournalism, the best schools would be Western Kentucky, University of Ohio, University of Missouri, Syracuse Univ., and UNC Chapel Hill. (Not necessarily in that order.)

All of this aside, I would also encourage your daughter to go to a school where she won't be taking only photo courses. Exposure to all of the academic divisions is really crucial to being better balanced. She should go somewhere that will teach her to think in addition to teaching her how to become a better photographer. I went to Grinnell College, a small liberal arts college that didn't even have a photo program within their art department and have an undergraduate degree in history, yet I will be going into a Masters program in photojournalism this fall--I just have to decide between Univ. of Missouri and Syracuse...although I am waiting to hear from UNC. Slow pokes!

Jared Lloyd
03-25-2008, 01:26 PM
Hallmark is a great school. Just as David described RIT, only you are issued much of that gear for the entire duration. Your given digital backed medium format, large format, ect... for use while your there. The only draw back to Hallmark is that they only accept 300 students and that its $49,000 for the 10 month program

David Kennedy
03-25-2008, 01:37 PM
Jared,
A huge difference is that with RIT (and the other schools mentioned), students earn a four-year education and a B.A. or B.F.A. A ten month photography education is something that one could consider after an undergraduate college education. Besides, the economy is going to be in the tank for the next few years so there's actually a disadvantage to being done in one year and then having to face the (terrible) job market.

Jane Ward
03-27-2008, 07:21 PM
Hi Cheryl,
If I could go back and do it over I would go to school (BA) to study Natural History, Conservation, or something like that. I'm encouraging my daughter to think about it. Studying photography along with that would be the ideal combination, but she is not sure what she wants at age 16. If your daughter is interested in wildlife photography, knowing something about her subjects would be very useful.

Leroy Laverman
03-30-2008, 10:52 AM
Jim,
Unfortunately, that is a school that should not be recommended to anyone anymore because they lost their accreditation a few years ago.


Just curious but who does the accreditation and what does going to an accredited school do for you? I teach chemistry at UC Santa Barbara and our department gets reviewed by the American Chemical Society but in all honesty it really doesn't do anything for the students. There is no special recognition for going to an ACS certified program and I don't think many employers even look for it.

David Kennedy
03-30-2008, 12:27 PM
Just curious but who does the accreditation and what does going to an accredited school do for you? I teach chemistry at UC Santa Barbara and our department gets reviewed by the American Chemical Society but in all honesty it really doesn't do anything for the students. There is no special recognition for going to an ACS certified program and I don't think many employers even look for it.

The biggest accreditation group is the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (http://nasad.arts-accredit.org/). I agree that the accreditation of the program may be fairly meaningless for the actual curriculum. However, students who go to non-accredited schools may find challenging if not next to impossible to enroll in graduate programs in the future. For instance, here's the Rochester Institute of Technology's FAQ (http://cias.rit.edu/photography/) on who can apply to their MFA program:

Students with a baccalaureate degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university or equivalent are eligible for admission provided they present a portfolio of work that demonstrates their skills....

Keep in mind this is just one example. But the same may be true if one decided to go to grad school for English or History or Chemistry (weirder educational progressions have happened, as I'm sure you know!!). There are so many great undergraduate programs that are accredited, so why risk future options by going to one of the only schools (Brooks Institute) that isn't?

Arthur Morris
03-30-2008, 03:12 PM
David Kennedy is an excellent resource. Your daughter might consider becoming a school teacher for a few years like myself, John Shaw, and so many other top nature photographers... (said somewhat tongue in cheek...) Can anyone name any big-name nature photographers who actaully studied photography?

Later and love, artie

Jim Poor
03-30-2008, 03:21 PM
I've been looking at a photography degree myself lately and all the Pros I've talked to say that it is a waste of time. They recommend a business or other degree. I'll most likely go for a BFA in Graphic Design that has a high concentration of business classes.

Leroy Laverman
03-30-2008, 03:57 PM
Thanks for the information John. I have no idea what it takes to make a living at photography. My impression is that it's fairly difficult to really well. Lot's of competition so to speak. That said, it would be nice if someone would pay me for having all this fun - and something longer than a 200mm lens would be nice as well :)

David Kennedy
03-30-2008, 04:00 PM
David Kennedy is an excellent resource....Can anyone name any big-name nature photographers who actaully studied photography?

Later and love, artie

Thanks for the plug! Actually, David Muench went to R.I.T. for photo as an undergrad. Sorry, Artie!!! :eek:


I've been looking at a photography degree myself lately and all the Pros I've talked to say that it is a waste of time. They recommend a business or other degree. I'll most likely go for a BFA in Graphic Design that has a high concentration of business classes.

Jim,
I think you can make arguments on both sides of this one. John Shaw told me the same thing, but that was a couple years ago--back when I couldn't exlain what I wanted from such a program. Also, business classes are all one really needs for this line of work, not a freaking MBA. That's more for management in big corporations.

If you already know a lot about photography, and you're already pretty good, they're not necessarily going to make you any better. However, it does open up two things: networking (a big plus) and the option to go on and teach at a university (a very attractive plus!!). I'm headed to grad school this fall for an MA in photojournalism/visual communication of some variety this fall (the definition of the program depends on which of the two schools I'm considering I actually decide to enroll into: Syracuse or Mizzou).

Do I think I'll become a "better photographer" because of these programs? It's possible. New people, new ideas, and a supportive environment for experimentation. But there's also the job placement that follows. Lots of people freelance, and if I could someday be like Artie and lead tours, I'd love it. But I know I'm not ready for that yet, and this would be one way to build up experience to that moment. Many of these programs get their graduates into magazines, newspapers, etc., which I think would be a lot of fun to do for a while. (If someone wanted to pay me to photograph sports for a few years, I wouldn't say no!)
Also, working in the field of photojournalism would be a way to run out the clock until we get national health insurance; then I can go into business for myself, and with far less fear of something going terribly wrong.......... :(