School of Photographic Arts and Sciences
School of
Photographic Arts and Sciences
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. 4 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.
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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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Ten photography alumni have combined to win 14 Pulitzer Prizes.
Latest News
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May 19, 2020
![student driving car while wearing face mask.]()
Photo sciences student documents his distance learning experience
After the shift to distance learning in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, RIT students like Daniel Bacon, a second-year photographic sciences major, had to seamlessly transition to classes in the virtual space.
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May 14, 2020
![A young girl holding umbrella walks toward a decrepit-looking house.]()
Alumna Chloe Coleman becomes 10th RIT graduate to win Pulitzer Prize
RIT photojournalism alumna Chloe Coleman ’13 was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team announced last week. Coleman, a photo editor with The Washington Post since 2014, helped the newspaper staff win the top prize in Explanatory Reporting.
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May 12, 2020
![Darci Lane-Williams, assistant director of Title IX and Clery Compliance.]()
Darci Lane-Williams receives 2020 Edwina Award
Darci Lane-Williams, assistant director of Title IX and Clery Compliance, has received the 2020 Edwina Award for her significant contributions to enhance gender diversity and inclusiveness at RIT. In addition, 10 graduating students were also named as “Legacy Leaders.”
Featured Work
Portrait Photography Light
Students
Below is a selection of images created by Advertising Photography and Visual Media students for their final assignment in senior lecturer Clay Patrick McBride's Lighting Control and...
Thesis Projects 2020
Thesis projects from Media Arts and Technology (MS) program's Class of 2020. The final research project for the one-year program is designed to prepare students to be innovators in the rapidly...
International Project
Carlos Tobón Franco
“Cruces” is a multimedia installation depicting immigrants’ conditions through landscapes, Latinx communities and borderlands. Made during the last two years, the work is a multivocal ethnography of...
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
Photography Blog
For a deeper look at the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences and its students, faculty, alumni and facilities, visit our blog!
Student Resources
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.