School of Photographic Arts and Sciences

School of
Photographic Arts and Sciences
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Overview
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 received a $3.5 million gift from alumnus Chance Wright — which was used for facilities renovations that allow RIT to continue growing as one of the world's premier education and research centers in contemporary image creation. RIT also holds a strong Pulitzer Prize legacy, with a growing number of alumni who, as photographers, videographers and editors, have been recognized with the highest honor in journalism.
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.
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Fully equipped studios for students to utilize, creating a professional environment for photoshoots.
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More than 200 elective and core courses are offered at the undergraduate level.
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Eleven photography alumni have combined to win 15 Pulitzer Prizes.
Latest News
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May 5, 2025
‘It’s not about redemption, it’s about moving forward’: RIT professor gets $25k grant to explore ancestral ties to slavery
WROC-TV speaks to Meredith Davenport, associate professor in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, about the research.
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May 5, 2025
RIT City Art Space gallery moving to Neighborhood of Play
WROC-TV speaks to John Aasp, gallery director, and photography student Skylier Grooms about the benefits of the new location for RIT's downtown gallery.
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May 2, 2025
RIT casts a bright light at national iron arts conference
Between a moving performance, building an award-winning iron-melting device, and featured exhibitions, RIT students, faculty, staff and alumni were present in every corner of the National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art and Practices.
Featured Work and Profiles
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Multimedia Storytelling
As a photojournalist for a major daily newspaper, David Wallace ’01 Photojournalism Option (Photographic and Imaging Arts BFA) has produced compelling stories honored with prestigious awards.
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Imaging Technologies Expert
After graduating, Paul Reichert '01 (Imaging and Photographic Technology; now Photographic Sciences) joined the Photography and Television (Photo/TV) Operations group at NASA Johnson Space...
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Connecting Creatives
Will Moran '20 created Cabin Fever, an online publication highlighting worked created by artists while in quarantine.
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Alumni Profile: Sam Cannon
Sam Cannon ’14 Sam Cannon '14 (fine art photography) is a New York City-based artist and director who creates short-form videos for huge brands like Gap, Nike and The New York Times.
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'Triad of Learning': Merging Photography, Design and Marketing
Jess Campbell, a 2019 visual media alumna, has worked with numerous direct-to-consumer personal care brands, primarily directing and curating campaigns for product launches. Campbell credits the ...
Read More about 'Triad of Learning': Merging Photography, Design and Marketing -
Designing Camera Systems of the Future
Bobby Gold '16 (photographic sciences), as a senior image quality engineer at NVIDIA, designs and tests camera systems for autonomous vehicles and robotics platforms. As a student at RIT, he completed...
Read More about Designing Camera Systems of the Future
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.
RIT's BFA in advertising photography prepares you for diverse and rewarding careers in the field of visual communications.
Learn more about the Advertising Photography Option - Photographic and Imaging Arts BFA programRIT's BFA in Fine Art Photography hones your skills to create thought-provoking and meaningful images through photographic expression.
Learn more about the Fine Art Photography Option - Photographic and Imaging Arts BFA programRIT’s photography BFA immerses you in the creativity and innovation of photography and imaging. Personalize your degree with options in advertising photography, fine art photography, photojournalism, and visual media.
Learn more about the Photographic and Imaging Arts BFA programRIT's scientific photography degree immerses you in the fascinating world of scientific photography, where you’ll use photography to capture images and collect scientific data.
Learn more about the Photographic Sciences BS programRIT's photojournalism degree prepares you to produce non-fiction visual reporting that tells the stories of people, social issues, and events for modern media outlets.
Learn more about the Photojournalism Option - Photographic and Imaging Arts BFA programRIT’s visual media degree allows students to integrate the graphic communications professions of photography, media design, and business.
Learn more about the Visual Media Option - Photographic and Imaging Arts BFA programGraduate 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.
Earn your graduate photography degree at RIT, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the 6th best fine arts school for a graduate degree in photography.
Learn more about the Photography and Related Media MFA programMinors
The imaging systems minor offers students an introduction to the business and technology of photographic imaging services. Courses cover digital imaging capture systems, professional practices, output technologies, color management, and imaging workflows. The minor provides the foundation students need to pursue opportunities in photo technology management, color workflows, technical support, digital imaging technology, and sales for photography and imaging manufacturers.
Learn more about the Imaging Systems Minor programThe photography minor explores the diverse subject of photography from either an art or science perspective. Students develop both technical and aesthetic skills needed for creative, communication, or scientific applications. Students choose one of the following areas of emphasis: general photography, fine art photography, photojournalism, or photo sciences. Course selections are based upon career goals and aspirations, personal interests, and the availability of photography courses. Courses are selected from the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences’s comprehensive portfolio of offerings in photographic sciences, photojournalism, applied photography, and fine art photography.
Learn more about the Photography Minor programFacilities
With professional-level resources and access to industry-standard equipment, our photography facilities are regarded as some of the best in the country. And they were recently bolstered by a multi-million-dollar renovation. The state-of-the-art facilities include more than two dozen studios for professional-level shoots, 20 darkrooms for black-and-white or color film processing and printing, two well-stocked equipment cages for students to check out industry-standard gear and a world-class printing lab. Our facilities offer a range of equipment that is right at students' fingertips!
Resources
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.
For a deeper look at the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences and its students, faculty, alumni and facilities, visit our blog.
Internal College of Art and Design resources such as academic information, forms and FAQs can be found at inside.cad.rit.edu. Our academic advising page also has helpful information.