Photography
Our curriculum is directed towards creating works of art that use photographic imagery. Our photography professors are committed to continually redefining fine art photography in an expansive and openly creative way. The ability to understand and employ photography’s unique narrative potential is emphasized alongside technical considerations. Our classes provide a balance of practice and theory, which assures the understanding and appreciation of both the interdependence and integration of creativity, production, and research.
Our photography faculty has international exhibition records and work in numerous museum and private collections. Their photographs, installations, books, films, and videos have won critical acclaim in the form of national reviews and grants ranging from the National Endowment for the Arts to the Illinois Arts Council. Faculty members have lectured on their work throughout the United States and abroad. Collectively the faculty has a wide range of skills, and they use them to teach fine black and white printing, studio lighting, color photography, digital photography, video, installation art, the history of photography, and critical theory.
Graduates of our program apply their knowledge in a variety of ways, as fine artists, commercial photographers, designers, gallery and museum professionals, or any field that requires visual literacy and creative thinking.
Resources in Photography
Our cutting-edge facilities ensure that you'll have access to all the equipment you'll need, including:
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Mac and Windows workstations
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Darkrooms
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Mural printing rooms
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Professional scanners
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Epson large format printers
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Video cameras
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Editing facilities
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Digital cameras
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Tripods
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Portable lighting
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Shooting studios
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An extensive fine art library
Photography Curriculum Requirements
The curriculum in photography requires 122 credit hours and encourages the study of photographic media for personal expression, to explore the social implications of pictures, and to develop the skills needed for a career in photography. The curriculum combines photography courses with Art + Design foundation courses, art history courses, electives, and general education units required by the university.
| Hours | General Education Requirements |
|---|---|
| 4 | RHET 105 or 108—Composition I |
| 3 | Advanced Composition |
| 21 | Six hours in each of the following areas: humanities and the arts, natural sciences and technology, social and behavioral sciences, and Western and non-Western culture. ARTH 112 satisfies half of the humanities requirement. |
| 0-12 | Foreign language |
| 6 | Quantitative reasoning, I and II |
| 34 | Total |
| Hours | Art History |
|---|---|
| 4 | ARTH 111—Ancient and Medieval Art |
| 4 | ARTH 112—Renaissance and Modern Art (General Education-Humanities & the Arts) |
| 6 | Advanced art history |
| 14 | Total |
| Hours | General Art and Design |
|---|---|
| 2 | ARTF 101—Contemporary Issues in Art |
| 6 | ARTF 102 and 104—Drawing, I and II |
| 6 | ARTF 103 and 105—Design, I and II |
| 14 | Total |
| Hours | Photography |
|---|---|
| 3 | ARTS 260—Basic Photography |
| 3 | ARTS 261—Photography, II |
| 3 | ARTS 360—Photography, III |
| 6 | ARTS 460—Advanced Photography |
| 3 | ARTS 393—Contemporary Art and Ideas |
| 3 | ARTH 257—History of Photography |
| 21 | Total |
| Hours | Photography Electives |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | ARTS 391—Independent Study |
| 3 | ARTS 440—Image Studio |
| 3 | ARTS 262—View Camera and Studio |
| 3 | ARTS 263—Color Photography |
| 3-9 | ARTS 362—Photography Workshop |
| 15 | Total |
| Hours | Electives |
|---|---|
| 18 | Professional electives (art and design courses other than photography) |
| 6 | Open electives (see college list, no art courses) |
| 24 | Total |
