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. 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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November 13, 2024
![Chris Wairegi stands on a street corner in New York City with a smile on her face and hands clasped near her face.]()
Grad brings together Black women in the film industry
When walking into the workplace, one might assume that the staff would be as diverse as the local community it’s in. Chris Wairegi, a cinematographer based in Brooklyn, N.Y., found that this isn’t the case in the film industry.
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November 6, 2024
![Alice Cazenave leads a workshop on plant-based photography.]()
MFA program blends art and sustainability in growing photographic garden
RIT's MFA in photography and related media's commitment to sustainable practices includes a "photographic garden" containing plants that students and faculty can use for various photographic processes.
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October 23, 2024
![two students work together to place a large portrait on the wall of a gallery. Other smaller portraits surround them, already on the wall.]()
Exhibit bridges generations of alumni
The exhibit, located in the RIT Archives Photo Alumni Gallery, showcases Toni Pepe’s journey as a photography educator and artist, exploring themes of women in society and motherhood. The project fosters connections between alumni and RIT through curated exhibits and oral histories.
Featured Work and Profiles
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![A headshot of David Wallace.]()
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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![Paul Reichert stands in a space suit in front of a NASA wall decal.]()
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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![Will Moran sitting on a chair.]()
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 video]()
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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![A student places a photo in chemicals to make a print.]()
Art and sustainability: Growing a photographic garden
The photo MFA program's commitment to sustainable practices includes a "photographic garden" containing plants that students and faculty can use for various photographic processes.
Read More about Art and sustainability: Growing a photographic garden -
![From RIT to Apple video]()
From RIT to Apple
Liz Stublen '22 After graduating from RIT's photographic sciences program, Liz Stublen '22 went on to use specialized scientific imaging systems to collect data for hardware tests at Tesla before transitioning to a...
Read More about From RIT to Apple
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.
Facilities
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. Learn more about our facilities below to see the range of equipment that is right at students' fingertips!