Photography, Film, and Animation - Graduate Degrees
Turn Your Passion for Storytelling into a Successful Career
An image is a dynamic force. It communicates information, expresses emotion, and inspires passion. They are powerful and make you feel part of something bigger. The world is waiting for your stories to be told. Accelerate your career by working with award-winning filmmakers, photographers, and animators in our world-class facilities.
#6
Best Photography Graduate Programs
U.S. News & World Report, 2023-2024
#9
Top Animation MFA Degree
Animation Career Review, 2024
15
Pulitzer Prizes
11 RIT alumni have won 15 Pulitzer Prizes in photojournalism
25th
Top Film Schools
The Hollywood Reporter, 2024
Select from options in 2D animation, 3D animation, production, or screenwriting. Graduates of RIT’s film and animation MFA work as artists, filmmakers, and storytellers at the world’s leading animation and live-action studios, including Disney Animation Studios, DreamWorks, and Nickelodeon.
Photography and Related Media MFA
Earn your graduate photography degree at RIT, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the 6th best photography graduate programs.
Learn more about master of fine arts in photography and related media
RIT Professor is a Four-time Pulitzer Prize Winner
William Snyder ‘81 (photojournalism), professor in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, is a four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and editor.
RIT Professor Joins Prestigious Magnum Photos
Gregory Halpern, associate professor in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, joined Magnum Photos, a prestigious agency representing some of the world’s most renowned photographers.
Former Disney Executive Named RIT’s Assistant Provost for LA Programs
Tom Connor, former vice president of creative marketing at Walt Disney Co., will use his 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry as a new associate provost. He will work to enhance RIT’s presence in Los Angeles and further develop unique student experiences with top-tier entertainment and media companies.
Facilities
Unprecedented Access to World Class Facilities, Studios, and Labs
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![Three R I T students walking outside of MAGIC Spell Studios.]()
A 52,000-square-foot facility where a community of faculty and student game animators, designers, programmers, and filmmakers collaborate with industry partners to build entertainment and interactive experiences.
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![A student working on an animation project.]()
Accessible 24/7 with swipe access, this lab houses Apple Mac Pro workstations and BOXX computers with Cintiq monitors. It also contains a comprehensive application title list with the latest versions of 2D and 3D animation software.
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![A student looking through photos that have been printed out.]()
A collection of digital photo labs, large-scale photo studios, traditional photo darkrooms, video editing suites, and sound capture booths provide access to all the tools a photographer needs.
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![The interior of a film and animation studio, featuring several desks and work stations.]()
A collection of sound stages, post-production labs, sound and narration booths, set and prop shops, editing suites, and stop motion studios provide the creative environment for you to tell all your dynamic stories.
Film Student Launches ‘ScienceLore’ Educational Series
The owl is wise, the lion is brave, and an elephant never forgets—but where do these notions come from? Chelsea DeMott Wildey, a grad student in the MFA in film and animation, developed ScienceLore, an educational series about the history and perception of animals as they relate to mythology and lore.
New Partnership with The Dolby Institute Enhances Experiential Learning
Students and faculty working with audiovisual technologies now have access to industry-standard resources through a new partnership between RIT and The Dolby Institute. The partnership provides training for faculty on the latest software and technology, and forms a bridge for mentorship between RIT students and professionals working at Dolby.
Three RIT Animation Alums Worked on Oscar-Winning Film ‘Life of Pi’
Three graduates from RIT’s School of Film and Animation worked on the digital and special effects for the Oscar-winning film Life of Pi.
Graduate Student’s Film Shorts Accepted Into 20+ Film Festivals
Diane Lee ‘24 MFA (film and animation) has two short films–The Snowman and Put It Back–both created in her film courses, that have been accepted into more than two dozen film festivals around the world.
Multi-Million Dollar Animation Studio Renovation Fosters Collaboration
The 10,000-square-foot renovation and expansion of the animation complex provides access to new 2D, 3D, and stop-motion classrooms with individual workstations and Cintiqs, an animation drawing studio, state-of-the-art undergraduate and graduate animation labs, a stable of large LED screens for pre-visualization of work, and more.
Photo Alumna Named Guggenheim Fellow
Rebecca Soderholm ’94 (photojournalism) is documenting the excitement of off-road dirt bike and ATV races in a body of work titled “Hare Scramble.” Her vision for the project earned Soderholm a spot as one of the 2022 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellows.