BFA in Photography

Units required for Major: 79
Minimum units required for BFA: 120

Program Description

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography is intended for students who are interested in pursuing careers as photographic image makers. The program provides students with the technical, creative, and critical thinking skills needed to practice in a variety of design and art fields.  The breadth of courses in the program reflects the importance of both a liberal arts background and professional preparation in the design field. Courses encompass the study of photographic and graphic history and theory, aesthetics, design, contemporary digital and analog photographic practice, lighting, complex planning, and professional practice. 

The Photography curriculum provides comprehensive coverage in all major areas of training, including techniques in contemporary photographic image making, concept development and communication, image production and presentation techniques, critical image evaluation, historical understanding and contextualization, and issues of proper conduct and ethics within the field. Guest lecturers are an important part of the photography curriculum.

Program Requirements

Required Lower Division Design Core Courses (21 Units)
DSGN 4Design and Thinking3
GPHD 20History Of Graphic Design3
GPHD 25Visual Basics3
INTD 20Design3
INTD 25Design Fundamentals3
PHOT 11Digital Photography I3
PHOT 20The Photographic Self3
Required Lower Division Major Courses (9 Units)
PHOT 12Digital Photography II3
PHOT 15Survey of Photography3
PHOT 40Darkroom Photography3
Required Lower Division Art History (3 Units)
ART 1CGlobal Modern and Contemporary Art3
Required Lower Division Interdisciplinary Elective (3 Units)
Select one of the following:3
Art, Religions, and Power before 1400
Art, Empires, and Cross-Cultural Exchange, 1400-1800
Traditional Asian Art
Modern and Contemporary Asian Art
Art of the Americas
Beginning Drawing
Beginning Painting
Beginning Watercolor
Beginning Printmaking
Beginning Ceramics
Beginning Metalsmithing
Beginning Sculpture
Beginning Electronic Art
Interpersonal Communication Skills
Media Communication and Society
Media Communication and Society
Introduction to Film Studies
Introduction to Graphic Design
Visual Basics II
Introduction to Interior Design
Introduction to Computer Aided Design
Style For Media Writers
Media Literacy and Critical Thinking
Introduction To Theatre
History of the Theatre: Ancient to Renaissance
Theatre History After 1660
Aesthetics of Theatre and Film
Required Lower Division Culture and Society Elective (3 Units)
Select one of the following:3
Language, Culture, and Critical Thinking
Africa: Myths and Realities
Introduction to Ethnic Studies
Black Images in Popular Culture
Required Upper Division Studio Courses (22 Units)
PHOT 111Intermediate Digital Photography3
PHOT 141Intermediate Darkroom Photography3
PHOT 148Artificial Light, Studio3
PHOT 155Advanced Photography Techniques3
PHOT 165Issues in Contemporary Photographic Practice5
PHOT 180Senior Portfolio5
Required Upper Division Studio Elective (3 Units)
Select one of the following:3
Artificial Light, Location
Studio Topics in Photography
Required Upper Division Photographic Theory and History (6 Units)
PHOT 101Photography, Inception to Mid-Century3
PHOT 102Photography, a Social History3
Required Upper Division Interdisciplinary Electives (6 Units)
Select two of the following:6
Origins of American Indian Art
Art of the Ancient Mediterranean
Medieval Art
Renaissance Art
Baroque and Rococo Art
19th Century Art
Modern Art
US and Caribbean Art: Race and Representation
Latin American and Latino Art History
Contemporary Art
Asian Art and Mythology
Art of India and Southeast Asia
Art of China and Japan
Art of Korea
Modern Architecture
California Architecture and Urban History
Advanced Drawing
Intermediate Painting
Intermediate Printmaking
3D Computer Modeling
Digital Printmaking
Advanced Printmaking Studio
Video Art
Advanced Ceramics
Hand-Built Ceramic Techniques
Intermediate Jewelry
Intermediate Metalsmithing
Advanced Sculpture
World Design and Visual Culture
Urban Design and Society
History Of The Media
History of the Media
War, Peace and the Mass Media
Artificial Light, Location
Studio Topics in Photography
Required Upper Division Culture and Society Elective (3 Units)
Select one of the following:3
Crosscultural Aging in America
Race and Ethnicity in Latin America and Caribbean
American Indians, Film and Popular Culture
Native American Oral Tradition and Storytelling
Native American Women
Women in the Mass Media
Minorities, Social Change and the Press
Black Drama in the African Diaspora
Women and Theatre: Staging Diversity
Contemporary Chicano/Latino Theatre: Themes and Performance 1965-Present
Multicultural Perspectives in American Theatre
Total Units79

General Education Requirements

Area A: Basic Subjects (9 Units)
A1 - Oral Communication3
A2 - Written Communication3
A3 - Critical Thinking3
Area B: Physical Universe and Its Life Forms (13 Units)
B1 - Physical Science3
B2 - Life Forms3
B3 - Lab (Note: Lab experience to be taken with one of the following: B1, B2 or B5)1
B4 - Math Concepts3
B5 - Additional Course (Any B to reach 12 units) - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements.3
Area C: Arts and Humanities (12 Units)
C1 - Arts3
C2 - Humanities3
C1/C2 - Area C Course3
C1/C2 - Area C Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements.3
Area D: The Individual and Society (6 Units)
Area D Course3
Area D Course3
Area D Course0
Area D Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements.0
Area E: Understanding Personal Development (3 Units)
Area E Course3
Area F: Ethnic Studies
Area F Course
Total Units43