Photography
BFA

As a photography major, you will explore photographic imagery in all contexts as you prepare for a professional career in the industry, develop your own photographic vision, and deepen your expressive communication. You will gain expertise in both analog and digital techniques, using multiple photographic formats in both still and moving imagery.

A degree in photography will prepare you for a career as a fine art and/or commercial photographer, photojournalist, videographer, filmmaker, photo editor, gallery or museum director, image consultant, graphic designer, web designer, publisher, art historian, curator, arts administrator, archivist, art director, photo educator, studio manager, professional printer, photographic retoucher, and more.

Request info

Learn more about UMassD's academics, admissions, and events. We'll be in touch soon.

Request more info Apply Plan a visit Requirements

The BFA is a professional degree with concentrated areas of specialization, so you will take more studio art courses than you would in a BA program. At UMass Dartmouth, you also have the advantages of a university education where you can diversify your studies and expand your career opportunities.

Your studies will include:

black & white darkroom photography
color photography using digital technology
video
large format photography
studio lighting
the history of photography
survey of contemporary photography
professional practice

Your work will culminate in a gallery exhibition and portfolio that demonstrates your individual style, technical proficiency, and aesthetic sophistication.

Working closely with faculty, you'll progress from preparatory courses to the senior seminar and BFA capstone course that will prepare you for a professional career in photography.

For the BFA in Art + Design: Photography, you'll complete 78 credits in courses related to your major, and 120 credits overall.

Course descriptions, schedules and requirements

Enhance your artistic abilities with a minor in photography. You'll develop your technical and aesthetic skills as you study traditional and contemporary artists, practices, and techniques.

For the minor, you'll complete 18 credits.

Photography student work

Student success

Marcus Howard '19

Photography alumnus works as a photo retoucher at Life is Good.

Internship placements

City of New Bedford
Fall River Herald News
Lakeville Community Access Media
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
Southcoast Living
The Marble Collection

Graduate schools

George Mason University
Lesley University
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Simmons College
Virginia Commonwealth University

Career placements

Amherst College
Blazing Editions
Examiner.com
Fall River Herald News
New Bedford Standard-Times
Panopticon Imaging, Inc.
Precision Images
Regal Press
Ross-Simons
Spinner Publications
TD Garden
WHDH-TV

College of Visual & Performing Arts undergraduate median starting salary:
$55,000

NACE Data Collection of Class of 2023 Undergraduate Alumni

UMassD advantages

Internships: enhance your studies while gaining first-hand photography experience
Studio facilities include a 19-station black & white darkroom, film-developing facilities, fully equipped lighting studio, digital printing/scanning lab, and large-format cameras
Campus Gallery: opportunities to exhibit your work on campus

Rankings

100% of photography majors were employed within six months of graduation - Class of 2023 NACE survey stat-283a Jul, 2024 Keywords: CVPA, Distinction, Factsheet, Outcomes, Students, Undergraduate,

Expand your opportunities

Master of Fine Arts in Visual Design: Continue your education with a master's in visual design. You can choose to specialize in digital media, graphic design, illustration, photography, or typography.

Master of Art Education: With an emphasis on how the arts are integrated into daily life, the MAE program leads to a single-level professional certification in Massachusetts as an art teacher in grades Pre K-8 or 5-12.