Art Degrees Online

The Program in Photography and Media is committed to educating independent artists in a world where photographic imagery and new media representations and strategies are omnipresent. From foundation work through graduate studies, courses are designed to challenge conventional notions of artistic practice and to question the position of representation within contemporary culture. The program encourages debate and experimentation, since nothing is stable or even particularly comfortable in photography’s relation to the other arts-especially in an environment that includes so many new practices. The faculty represents a broad range of those practices, some purely photographic, some entirely digital and others branching off into writing and publishing, painting, video, filmmaking, assemblage, net art, digital media and installation.

The BFA curriculum begins with a year of intensive foundation work. This is followed by a mixture of courses that includes classes on specific issues in photography, video and Internet practice, the histories of photography and film, media theories and semiotics, as well as critique classes, technical workshops and independent studies. Students receive ample feedback through faculty reviews and one-on-one meetings.

The MFA curriculum centers on graduate critiques, seminars and independent studies as students devote most of their time to creating a distinctive body of work. The seminars stress relevant critical theory while the critique classes form the basis for dialogue about ongoing work. During the second year of residency, all MFA candidates must present a final project and pass a faculty review of this work in order to graduate.

Beginning undergraduate students share studios while MFA students and most upper-level undergraduates are assigned individual studios.

The BFA program provides excellent portfolio preparation for those students interested in going on to graduate school. Information on program events may be found on the UH Photo/Digital Blog.

Classroom instruction includes a complete study of black and white photography, color photography, digital photography and print media, and video; and, an introduction to web, multimedia, and still animation. The use of studio lighting and large format photography is also part of the curriculum. The history, development, and current practice of these related media are key aspects of the course study and studio practice.
Careers

Graduates of the Photography/Digital Media program have many choices of career paths because of the skills they gain from the comprehensive range of instruction and experiences offered by the program. Career descriptions might include: Exhibiting Photographer, Video, or Multimedia Artist, Freelance or Staff Photographer, Web Designer, Multimedia 2-D Animator and Programmer, Digital Technician, Picture Editor.
Internships

Internships with Houston-based exhibition spaces are encouraged. Advanced undergraduate students whose Studio Art GPA are 3.0 or better, and MFA students may submit proposals to the area coordinator to do internships with alternative spaces, non-profit arts organizations, or museums for 3 semester credit hours. FotoFest has been a major resource for student internships. Other organizations that have participated are the Houston Center for Photography, Southwest Media Project, DiverseWorks, and Blaffer Gallery.
Visiting Artists

A student/faculty coordinated Visiting Artists Program draws on the panoply of guest artists brought to Houston by FotoFest, the Houston Center for Photography, and other exhibition spaces in the city. Visiting Artists for fall 2006 and spring 2007 included: Mel Chin, Andrew Daneman, Matthew Deleget & Rossana Martinez, Hasan Elahi, Amy Jorgensen, Mads Ljundahl, Hans Manner-Jakobsen, Bill Morrison, Krista Steinke, and Tricia Moreau Sweeny.

Degree Requirements

In their first term, MFA students, under the supervision of the First Year Committee, will carry out work in their chosen area of specialization in FINE 690 and will also complete the first of three required elective courses. In addition, MFA candidates will take the first of a series of seminar courses, one of which is required during each fall and winter term. These courses will deal with the issues which concern contemporary artists and critics. At the end of the first term, in consultation with the MFA candidate, a faculty advisor will be selected for each student. This advisor will act as chair of the candidate’s MFA committee, which is made up of the faculty advisor and one other faculty member appointed by the Fine Arts Department Graduate Officer.

Course Grades Required: Any candidate receiving a grade of less than 75% in one or more classes may be required to withdraw from the program.

Following is a term-by-term breakdown of the MFA degree requirements:
Term One (Fall)
FINE 690 Graduate Studio (1.0)
individual studio work supervised by the faculty as a whole final critique and marking at the end of term to be held in conjunction with an exhibition in front gallery
FINE 680 Issues in Contemporary Art 1 (0.5)
graduate seminar involving presentations, readings, critiques and research paper (5-8 pages)
FINE 694 Topic 1: Contemporary Art (0.5)
lecture course on contemporary art

Term Two (Winter)
FINE 681 Issues in Contemporary Art 2 (0.5)
continuation of FINE 680
completion of research paper (15-20)
FINE 691 Graduate Studio 2 (1.0)
Elective (0.5)
to be chosen in consultation with student’s committee–usually in the department but can be elsewhere in the university

Term Three (Spring)
FINE 692 Graduate Summer Studio (1.0)
final marking in September to be in conjunction with an exhibition of summer work
Internship Program
six weeks at thirty hours a week working as an assistant to a professional artist (department does not set up connection between student and artist but will help in making contacts as needed)
funds available ($5000 plus $2000 for travel)

Term Four (Fall)
Milestone: Graduate Thesis Exhibition (2.0)
studio work under supervision of committee directed toward thesis exhibition
FINE 682 Graduate Senior Seminar 1 (0.5)
presentations, critiques, readings and artist’s statement (10 pages)
Elective (0.5)
chosen in consultation with committee–usually elsewhere in the university, but can also be in the department

Term Five (Winter)
FINE 683 Graduate Senior Seminar 2 (0.5)
completion of artist’s statement
Milestone: Graduate Thesis Exhibition (2.0)
(Students will automatically be enrolled in the Graduate Thesis Exhibition milestone during their first term in the program.)
The final Graduate Thesis Exhibition, accompanied by an extended artist’s statement, is to be held at the end of the winter term (sometime between late March and the end of May) in a public gallery.

At the conclusion of the last term in the MFA program, each candidate will mount a solo exhibition of work completed in their area of specialization. The MFA candidate will defend his/her work before a defence committee (which will include an external examiner) to ensure that the candidate’s work has been carried out at a high standard of professional competence.
Duration of Program

Full-time students will require five consecutive terms to complete this program, which begins in the fall term. It is expected and required that students reside in the Waterloo area during their period of active enrollment and make regular use of the studios provided.
Keith and Win Shantz Summer Internships

During six weeks of the spring term, as part of the course FINE 692 (Graduate Summer Studio), qualified students work as interns in the studios of established professional artists in order to learn about the business aspects of working as an artist. Travel funds are provided in addition to a stipend. Contact the Fine Arts Graduate Officer for details of this program.