Co-op/
Internship Encouraged
Salary and Career Info
Photographic and Imaging Arts BFA
Immerse yourself in the creativity and innovation of photography and imaging, with options in advertising photography, fine art photography, photojournalism, and visual media.
Program skills
Photographic and imaging arts majors participate in an educational community that includes required course work in general studies and operates in an environment with both undergraduate and graduate students. It is a community where students have the opportunity to work and study with our highly respected and accomplished faculty in state-of-the-art facilities. Students can choose options within the program: advertising photography, fine art photography, photojournalism, visual media.
Program facilities equipment
The school’s facilities are an unparalleled resource for the creation and presentation of photography and moving media. They support all of digital, analog (historical and contemporary), and moving media (video and multimedia) creative practices. The facilities include five computer labs, all with access to scanners, desktop, and large-format printers; a computer lab dedicated to video and multimedia; fifteen darkrooms dedicated to silver halide and historical processes; thirty fully equipped studios; and, dedicated labs for color measurement and imaging systems. The school’s Cage contains a wide-range of DSLRs, video cameras, medium and large format cameras as well as a large inventory of lenses, accessories, etc.
Program job titles
Advertising Photographer; Archivist; Art Director; Branding Specialist; Curator; Editorial Photographer; Freelance Photographer; Gallery Manager/Owner; Graphic Designer; Image Retoucher; Magazine Editor; Multimedia Editor; Multimedia Journalist; Photo Illustrator; Photo/Picture Editor; Photojournalist; Portrait Photographer; Producer; Project Manager; Publisher; Social Media Strategist; Sports Photographer; Studio Manager; Videographer
Select program hiring partners
Timmons Group; TaskForce LLC; Syracuse Supply; Starbucks Coffee Company; SmartPak; Multi-Media Imaging Solutiona; Mountain House Media LLC.; Mobile Pixels Inc.; Memorial Art Gallery; KLKN-TV; Keller Williams Realty Greater Rochester; Hudson River Studios; Gregory Crewdson Studio; Deserta (newspaper); DDreps; ANGARI Foundation; Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
80%
Outcome Rates for Photographic and Imaging Arts BFA
Total percentage of graduates who have entered the workforce, enrolled in full-time graduate study, or are pursuing alternative plans (military service, volunteering, etc.).
55.56%
Knowledge Rate
Total percentage of graduates for whom RIT has verifiable data, compared to national average knowledge rate of 41% per NACE.
| Outcome | % of Students |
|---|---|
| Employed | 80.00% |
| Full-time Graduate Study | 0% |
| Alternative Plans | 0% |
Accreditation
All four options of the BFA program in photographic and imaging arts, as well as the MFA program in photography and related media, are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
Experiential Learning
Cooperative Education and Internships
What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.
Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. Co-op in the College of Art and Design provides hands-on experience that enables you to apply your artistic capabilities in dynamic professional settings while you make valuable connections between classwork and real-world applications.
Cooperative education, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities are encouraged for students in the BFA in photographic and imaging arts.
Creative Industry Day
RIT’s Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education hosts Creative Industry Day, which connects students majoring in art, design, film and animation, photography, and select computing majors with companies, organizations, creative agencies, design firms, and more. You'll be able to network with company representatives and interview directly for open co-op and permanent employment positions.