Art Degrees Online

The Major and Minor programs in Photography acknowledges photography as a discipline with a distinct artistic and historical identity. It also recognizes that contemporary photographic practice encompasses a rich multiplicity of formal and conceptual approaches. The course structure of the program and the orientation of its faculty reflect a concern that the student receives a strong historical and theoretical understanding of the medium. The program stresses the need for students to acquire the concepts and vocabulary necessary for critical discussion of photographic work; their own and that of others. Emphasis is placed on photography’s social, as well as artistic, ramifications. Both a Major and a Minor program are offered.

The Department of Studio Arts offers programs that emphasize the importance of practical work with practicing artists. Through a series of courses in ceramics, drawing, fibres, intermedia/cyberarts, painting, photography, print media, and sculpture, students increase their awareness of what constitutes creativity and understanding of the aesthetic and intellectual aspects of art today.

The graduate program in Photography imparts a high level of digital and traditional photography skill, graduate quality theory, and substantially educates and supports students in their investigation of the applied and fine arts specializations. This is accomplished through the mastery of specific skills according to the student’s needs; strong education in relation to relevant theory; emphasis on the student’s personal vision; a professional faculty that provides depth as well as breadth of experience; and facilities that provide a professional context for study. Students have the opportunity to concentrate in the area of photography of specific interest to them while becoming aware of core principles related to photography as a medium.

The philosophy of the Department is to support graduate students in becoming leaders rather than followers in their area of specialization. Photography courses include a mix of studio courses, individual advisement and seminars. Strong conceptual and technical knowledge is the underpinning of the curriculum with a powerful and cohesive final Thesis Project being the tangible result.
MFA Program Learning Outcomes
School of Photography

MFA Graduates of the School of Photography will meet the following student performance criteria:

Conceptual and Analytic Skills
Make creative decisions that optimize conceptual impact, cohesiveness, and memorability of created images.
Integrate key conceptual elements (such as mood, narrative, and introducing the unexpected) with technical elements (such as composition, lighting, and point of view) to suggest a story and elicit an emotional response from the viewer.
Understand and create visual metaphors and symbols.
Demonstrate familiarity with various conceptual approaches to photography.
Critically assess the differences between straight and conceptual photography.
Competently critique photographs both verbally and in writing, including understanding technical, aesthetic and historical context.

Professional Readiness
Present and promote their portfolio to acquire jobs within the industry.
Solve creative and technical problems.
Set priorities and meet deadlines. Show accountability and attention to detail.
Understand project parameters and client expectations.
Understand photographic terminology.
Demonstrate sensitivity to styles and directions in their field.
Facility with relevant technology and software.
Understand industry business practices, including copyright law, as it relates to running and maintaining a successful business.
Ability to accurately communicate ideas, thoughts and proposals to potential clients.

Lighting and Camera Capture Skills
Select effective lighting techniques and equipment for portraiture and still life and fine art.
Use point source, flood, spot, diffused and reflected light.
Recognize the signature effects of each type of lighting.
Use metering and exposure calculation, and have a full knowledge of 35mm and medium format cameras.
Master indoor and outdoor ambient lighting, strobe-hand held flash, lighting with constant light sources, day light VS. tungsten chrome, mixed lighting with constant light sources.
Understand the relationship between time of day/type of light.

Depending on the area of specialization, students will also demonstrate the ability to:

Traditional
Understand the properties and uses of different film types.
Understand of principles of film contrast control (zone system).
Perform advanced exposure calculations.
Effectively use a light meter.
Design lighting concepts and effectively use filters for print shooting.
Effectively develop film.
Exercise a clear knowledge of testing all formats of film.

Digital
Apply advanced Photoshop photography techniques, tool sets, layers, curves, and selections to digital media.
Scan film and prints using advanced techniques.
Navigate the Macintosh operating system including networking and digital file organization.
Successfully download files and manage digital data.
Select film and digital media based on archival qualities and understanding of ink and paper stability.
Correctly expose color transparency film and capture digital files correctly.
Recognize different types of light sources, their features and their color temperatures.
Control and manipulate color temperature.
Familiarity with optical color wheel.
Retouch images using color and tonal correction tools.
Understand color management and device profiles including color space and gamut.
Understand and develop a personal workflow system.
Understand file capture size and resolution as it pertains to final output requirements.

Academy of Art University Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Academy of Art University will demonstrate the ability to:
Produce a body of work suitable for seeking professional opportunities in their chosen field of art and design.
Solve creative problems within their field of art and design, including research and synthesis of technical, aesthetic, and conceptual knowledge.
Communicate their ideas professionally and connect with their intended audience using visual, oral, and written presentation skills relevant to their field.
Execute technical, aesthetic, and conceptual decisions based on an understanding of art and design principles.
Evaluate work in their field, including their own work, using professional terminology.
Recognize the influence of major cultural and aesthetic trends, both historical and contemporary, on art and design products.
Learn the professional skills and behaviors necessary to compete in the global marketplace for art and design.

Course content

The course encourages exploration of the photograph within practices such as art and independent photography, editorial, product, services and industry, performance and entertainment and communications. Encouraging progressivley independent learning, the course will include the development of working to client commissions, personal research methods and the study of photography in a variety of contexts and across a range of genres.
Stage one

Introduction to processes and techniques of photography (from the use of a 35mm camera, digital SLR to medium and large format photography, studio and location shooting and working in both the wet and dark rooms) and the consideration of the different conceptual approaches to photography, supported by theory lectures alongside fine art students.
Stage two

Development of a body of practical work around both fine art and commercial applications, supported by theory lectures on the place of photography within a variety of genres and the production of a folder of career development information.
Stage three

Consolidation of practical work, culminating in an exhibition and either a shorter dissertation and a professional development folder, or a longer dissertation for those with strengths in critical writing.
Typical modules include
Critical photographic practice
Lens-based images – archive/collection
Photography and design for communication
Photographic images in visual culture
Photography in arts practice
Photographic media – conceptual development
Photographic truth – photographic fiction
Practice exhibition
Understanding the visual
Career opportunities

A wide range of career opportunities exist in the commercial and public sector, marketing, public relations and specialised fields. Graduates can develop their practice as independent artists and pursue collaborations, commissions, publication and exhibition opportunities, or in postgraduate study. MA in the Arts (Fine Art) or (Curatorial Studies) are offered as progression in the School of The Arts.

How will the Photgraphy minor enhance my degree?
The photography minor is designed to give you experience with a range of camera formats – from a 35mm format up to a 4×5 studio view camera, including digital capture. The minor will help you gain experience in a wide range of pictorial photographic applications.

What does the minor emphasize?
The Photography minor stresses a fine art approach to photography. It provides the basics of black-and-white as well as color photography and digital imaging. The courses help you to find your inner voice as a photographer.

What kind of photgraphy courses are included in the minor?
Studio courses are technically rigorous, with extensive use of professional photographic tools and equipment. Advanced-level classes concentrate on creative and conceptual approaches to the photographic medium, and help to develop your own personal responses to photographic projects and assignments.

The Major and Minor programs in Photography acknowledges photography as a discipline with a distinct artistic and historical identity. It also recognizes that contemporary photographic practice encompasses a rich multiplicity of formal and conceptual approaches. The course structure of the program and the orientation of its faculty reflect a concern that the student receives a strong historical and theoretical understanding of the medium. The program stresses the need for students to acquire the concepts and vocabulary necessary for critical discussion of photographic work; their own and that of others. Emphasis is placed on photography’s social, as well as artistic, ramifications. Both a Major and a Minor program are offered.

The Department of Studio Arts offers programs that emphasize the importance of practical work with practicing artists. Through a series of courses in ceramics, drawing, fibres, intermedia/cyberarts, painting, photography, print media, and sculpture, students increase their awareness of what constitutes creativity and understanding of the aesthetic and intellectual aspects of art today.
Curriculum

Major in Photography — 60 credits
Minor in Photography — 30 credits

Courses may include:
Foundations in Photographic Vision: Theory and Practice I, II
Black and White Photography
Digital Photography
Introduction to Contemporary Issues in Photography
Development of Photographic Traditions

See the BFA degree description for more information on general degree requirements. For a complete list of courses: Undergraduate Calendar
Facilities

The Photography program is located in the Engineering and Computer Science and Visual Arts Complex. The building, conveniently located in the centre of downtown, provides immediate access to the city, Concordia’s Webster Library, the Museum of Fine Arts and many other cultural and commercial venues.

The photographic facilities include: hi‑end computers, a drum scanner, two virtual drum scanners plus negative and flatbed scanners, 44” inkjet printers and other printers including a quad tone printer, 20 colour enlargers, a colour darkroom with 30” and 40” colour processors and print viewing area, 19 black and white 17 enlargers, a large print darkroom and finishing area, and two studios. The facilities also have portable photographic equipment: cameras including digital 4 × 5 and 6 × 7, and accessories including electronic flash kits, soft boxes, tripods, light metres and other items.

Students in the photography program have access to the Centre for Digital Arts (CDA). The darkrooms and digital areas are accessible Monday to Friday until 10:00 p.m. and Saturday until 9 p.m. Students should have their own 35mm camera for basic courses.

The Department of Visual Arts and New Media provides a balanced, comprehensive undergraduate program in the practice, theory, and history of the visual arts and new media. The department offers both majors and elective students an opportunity to experience the arts as an important and enriching facet of a liberal arts education. Whether the goal is a career or advanced study in the arts and new media, or simply a greater understanding of art and technology’s cultural impact, the curriculum offers a dynamic mix of studios, lectures, and seminars. The program provides a comprehensive foundation of design skills and conceptual approaches to visual expression. Visual Arts and New Media majors study an interdisciplinary curriculum emphasizing the concepts, theories, design, aesthetics and skills that inform all visual arts, including those involving electronic mediated expression. Content consists of traditional methods and materials, emerging technologies, and the ideas inherent in art making and art awareness.

Our graduates possess a unique set of hybrid skills that provide a critical edge for leadership positions in the competitive and evolving marketplace. Our graduates have successful careers in corporate and public settings as art directors, working artists and designers, teachers, creative freelancers, and owners of pottery studios, photo studios and design firms. Others work as photographer’s assistants, web designers, gallery directors, exhibition curators, and in the special effects industry for film and entertainment. Many Visual Arts and New Media graduates have also been accepted into some of the country’s best graduate schools for advanced study.

Degree ProgramsThe department offers Visual Arts and New Media majors multiple opportunities for professional education in studio specialties and art history through various degree options. Students may receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History or in Visual Arts and New Media or a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is available with majors in Ceramics, Drawing, Graphic Design, Illustration*, Media Arts, Painting, Photography or Sculpture.

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Art History offers a wide variety of courses ranging from ancient times to the 20th century. The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Visual Arts and New Media degree is a balanced, comprehensive overview of the range of creative and career possibilities in different media, with the added benefit of incorporating an interdisciplinary pedagogy within a traditional liberal arts curriculum. Both of these degree options, more general than the Bachelor of Fine Art (B.F.A.), provide an excellent grounding for students interested in dual majors or graduate studies in areas such as secondary education, art therapy, imaging technologies in the visual arts, advertising and marketing, public relations or arts administration.

The Bachelor of Fine Art (B.F.A.) in specific majors emphasizes the range of skills, theories and media necessary for the development of the designer or creative artist. The creative process, from inception to presentation, is emphasized. This degree option fosters intellectual and creative curiosity, critical aesthetic thinking, encourages fusion between different artistic disciplines, and extensive use and evaluation of current technologies. Visual design is of great importance, but equal consideration is given to the concept and context. The historical relationship between an extensive range of media, and the impact of interaction on those media, are thoroughly explored. Critical awareness, and the ability for self-evaluation, is encouraged and developed. Visual Arts and New Media students may apply after completing a minimum of 27 credit hours in the Visual Arts and New Media courses for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in a specialized major.

*The B.F.A. in Illustration major is currently under curricular revision to develop 2-D Animation components. Please contact the department for more information.

Students from other departments may also receive a Visual Arts and New Media minor to complement their major field of study. Minors consult with a department advisor in choosing either a variety of arts and media arts courses or specific area of study

The Department of Visual Arts and New Media provides a balanced, comprehensive undergraduate program in the practice, theory, and history of the visual arts and new media. The department offers both majors and elective students an opportunity to experience the arts as an important and enriching facet of a liberal arts education. Whether the goal is a career or advanced study in the arts and new media, or simply a greater understanding of art and technology’s cultural impact, the curriculum offers a dynamic mix of studios, lectures, and seminars. The program provides a comprehensive foundation of design skills and conceptual approaches to visual expression. Visual Arts and New Media majors study an interdisciplinary curriculum emphasizing the concepts, theories, design, aesthetics and skills that inform all visual arts, including those involving electronic mediated expression. Content consists of traditional methods and materials, emerging technologies, and the ideas inherent in art making and art awareness.

Our graduates possess a unique set of hybrid skills that provide a critical edge for leadership positions in the competitive and evolving marketplace. Our graduates have successful careers in corporate and public settings as art directors, working artists and designers, teachers, creative freelancers, and owners of pottery studios, photo studios and design firms. Others work as photographer’s assistants, web designers, gallery directors, exhibition curators, and in the special effects industry for film and entertainment. Many Visual Arts and New Media graduates have also been accepted into some of the country’s best graduate schools for advanced study.

Degree Programs

The department offers Visual Arts and New Media majors multiple opportunities for professional education in studio specialties and art history through various degree options. Students may receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History or in Visual Arts and New Media or a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is available with majors in Ceramics, Drawing, Graphic Design, Illustration*, Media Arts, Painting, Photography or Sculpture.

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Art History offers a wide variety of courses ranging from ancient times to the 20th century. The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Visual Arts and New Media degree is a balanced, comprehensive overview of the range of creative and career possibilities in different media, with the added benefit of incorporating an interdisciplinary pedagogy within a traditional liberal arts curriculum. Both of these degree options, more general than the Bachelor of Fine Art (B.F.A.), provide an excellent grounding for students interested in dual majors or graduate studies in areas such as secondary education, art therapy, imaging technologies in the visual arts, advertising and marketing, public relations or arts administration.

The Bachelor of Fine Art (B.F.A.) in specific majors emphasizes the range of skills, theories and media necessary for the development of the designer or creative artist. The creative process, from inception to presentation, is emphasized. This degree option fosters intellectual and creative curiosity, critical aesthetic thinking, encourages fusion between different artistic disciplines, and extensive use and evaluation of current technologies. Visual design is of great importance, but equal consideration is given to the concept and context. The historical relationship between an extensive range of media, and the impact of interaction on those media, are thoroughly explored. Critical awareness, and the ability for self-evaluation, is encouraged and developed. Visual Arts and New Media students may apply after completing a minimum of 27 credit hours in the Visual Arts and New Media courses for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in a specialized major.

*The B.F.A. in Illustration major is currently under curricular revision to develop 2-D Animation components. Please contact the department for more information.

Students from other departments may also receive a Visual Arts and New Media minor to complement their major field of study. Minors consult with a department advisor in choosing either a variety of arts and media arts courses or specific area of study.