School of Photographic Arts and Sciences

The School of Photographic Arts and Sciences molds imaginative visual artists, practitioners, and technologists through its programs that explore the depth and scope of contemporary imaging practices today and into the future. A more than 93 percent job placement rate demonstrates the programs’ career-focused curriculums that prepare students for success in a variety of fields, including biomedical photography, photojournalism, advertising, media design, moving media, and much more. Here, photography is taken to ambitious levels to create an environment where innovation flourishes. Our prominence derives from professional courses of study as well as a one-of-a-kind educational community that consists of critically regarded faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, an unmatched repository of equipment, and co-operative education and internship opportunities.

With a legacy more than 100 years in the making, the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences is critically regarded as an educational leader in the professional study of photography and its multiple practices. The school’s high rankings from leading college guides, industry leaders and internationally respected publications include the MFA in photography and related media's No. 6 position U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of graduate photography programs. The school also recently received a $3.5 million gift from alumnus Chance Wright — which is being used for facilities renovations that will allow RIT to continue growing as one of the world's premier education and research centers in contemporary image creation. 

Charles Arnold Lecture Series

The school's signature lecture series brings speakers with experience, talent, insight and discovery to the creative and intellectual culture of RIT in honor of Professor Charles Arnold's contributions to the Photo School and the wider world of photography.

Undergraduate Programs

The photographic and imaging arts BFA program (with options in advertising photography, fine art photography, photojournalism, and visual media) promotes the creation, editing, and presentation of images in still, moving, and multimedia formats. The photographic sciences BS program (with options in biomedical photographic communications and imaging and photographic technology) prepares students for careers in healthcare and at scientific, forensic, and imaging technology companies.

Graduate Programs

Students in the photography and related media MFA program study fine art practices with the goal of nurturing artistic individuality through extensive study of art practice, criticism, and aesthetics. The program is a professional two-year course of study in fine art photography, digital imaging, and moving media. In the 2016 U.S. News & World Report rankings, RIT was fourth nationally among graduate schools offering the fine arts specialty of photography.

In the media arts and technology MFA program, you will learn to leverage emerging technologies to your advantage. With a management focus, technical expertise, and comprehensive knowledge of how to drive the graphics process from concept through completion, you will be an attractive prospect in a wide range of industries, including education, engineering, marketing, research science, human resources, public relations, and more.

Minors

With professional-level resources and access to industry-standard equipment, our photography facilities are regarded as some of the best in the country.

The School of Photographic Arts and Sciences hosts a Day of Photo event each year, allowing prospective students to gain insights from current students and award-winning faculty and alumni, learn about our facilities and much more.

Learn more

For a deeper look at the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences and its students, faculty, alumni and facilities, visit our blog!

For internal College of Art and Design resources such as academic information, forms, FAQs and more, visit inside.cad.rit.edu. For information about academic advising, visit here.