Yay! My school getting a B.S. in Commercial Photography!

<p>I've been going to school at my university for a year and a half as a Computer & Multimedia Graphics major, but this fall there will be a new degree to suit my passions, interests, and hopefully ( ;-) ) talents - a B.S. in Commercial Photography!</p>

<p>I'll be getting this degree instead of the graphics one for sure. The photography degree has courses in computer graphics editing, marketing, art, and of course photography (including film, digital, lighting, and more).</p>

<p>This is kind of a burst-of-joy post, but I just wanted to share with everybody! I've decided that a few of the electives I'm going to take will include Media Ethics, Non-Linear Video Editing, and more. I think my college career (and my future) have just taken a turn for the better, the happier, the more fulfilling.</p>

<p>Kerrick,</p>

<p>Great news. I hope this works out for you. Do you mind sharing what school will be offering this degree? I'm sure others will be interested, too.</p>

<p>Mark</p>

<p>Ah yeah - sorry about that! I'm currently attending Southeast Missouri State University, and this degree is currently making its rounds in the state capital to get its final approval.</p>

<p>Definitely something to be excited about, but I hope they're going to bring something to the table besides trying to reinvent the wheel. There are plenty of established and recognized programs that offer undergraduate degrees in commercial photography, the best of which is probably the one at Rochester Institute of Technology.</p>

<p>If I were going to take the risk of pigeonholing myself with a degree in photography, I would definitely pick an established program over a brand spanking new one with no track record, unless the faculty is going to be amazing (i.e. shooters with major and recognizable ad campaigns to their credit). I understand your excitement, but do your research first before committing yourself.</p>

<p>Actually, the photography degree is only introducing three or four new courses - the rest are being carried over from the long-standing photography minor and computer & multimedia graphics major. The course list is rather nice, too.</p>

<p>P.S. - I just noticed that I forgot "is" in the title. That's what I get for starting this thread at midnight! Whoopsies!</p>

<p>Well, that's sort of my point - the merits of a given program go beyond just its title and course list. You need to look at who's teaching and the kind of work they've done. For a brand new program that has no reputation yet, that's the only thing you've got to go on.</p>

<p>I'm going to give you a little practical advice here. It's free, so take it for what it's worth. Commercial photography is extremely competitive. There are a lot of intangibles you have no control over that will determine your success or failure. The smart thing to do, therefore, is to leverage the few things you have at least some control over to give yourself the best chance at success. One of those things is where you go to school.</p>

<p>If you look at the majority of successful commercial photographers working today, you will notice that most of them are based in Los Angeles or New York. One of the perks of being a photo student is the opportunity to take internships at established commercial studios for experience and school credit. During your internships you will learn and begin to build your network. This is another reason why the top commercial photography schools tend to be located in the same places. Brooks and Art Center Pasadena on the west coast, for example, and Pratt and RIT on the east.</p>

<p>You may even find that you learn far more about the business assisting in a commercial studio than you ever did at school. And the top studios are in L.A. and N.Y., not Missouri.</p>

<p>By restricting yourself to Missouri, you've already shot yourself in one foot. Now, not everyone can afford the tuition to go to some of these private schools. And maybe you have family and other reasons for wanting to stay in Missouri. But you at least owe it to yourself to get over your initial excitement and scrutinize your school's program objectively to see if it's worth your time and tuition.</p>

<p>?!?!?!?! 15 credits per semester? what is this? i study photography in europe and i do 30 credits per semester. In 3 years i have to do 180 credits with each class worth 2-3 credits and final exhibition for the year worth 5.</p>

<p>We do four years, and about 120 credits total, it's a standard across the nation for bachelor's degrees. We measure credits as how many hours you spend in a classroom for the class, per week. A 3 credit class would likely have 3 1-hour meetings per week or 2 1.5-hour meetings.</p>

<p>Kerrick, congratulations to your school, and for the opportunity it affords you. Don't concern yourself too much with the opinions of those who believe in the elite schools. A gentleman named Warren Buffett graduated from the University of Nebraska. Your future will be determined by your skill, hard work, and willingness to keep learning. If you have some doubts about this, I would suggest you marry a wealthy woman.<br>

Good luck, and regards.</p>