Program Overview

University Program Overview

The Photography Program at San José State University is a nationally recognized program that has earned a reputation as one of the most comprehensive photography programs on the West Coast. Located within the School of Art & Design, the program is the largest in the California State University system and one of the largest in the Western United States.

Undergraduate Program

Degrees Offered

• BFA Art Concentration in Photography
• Minor Photography

The undergraduate program engages students in a diverse range of contemporary practices in the medium, from traditional silver-based photography and historic, alternative photo processes to innovative and experimental approaches to digital imaging and video. The program offers a strong commercial photography pathway, making it unique among undergraduate programs.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)

• PLO 1: Analyze and research visual and conceptual problems and apply and explain their use of basic design principles, concepts, tools, techniques, media, materials, formats, and visual languages to solve those problems.
• PLO 2: Demonstrate increasing skills in the use of diverse materials, tools, and media, and be able to explain and evaluate success/failure in individual and group critiques.
• PLO 3: Demonstrate their commitment to valuing art's role in offering cultural critique and addressing issues of social responsibility in a global society.
• PLO 4: Apply their knowledge of visual history and theory to their creative endeavors and to their professional practice.
• PLO 5: Demonstrate their readiness for careers as creative professionals by completing a more sequenced and specialized course of study in sculpture, installation, and other three-dimensional art forms.

Admission to the BFA

Admission to the BFA requires students to demonstrate their ability to work independently as artists. Students must:

• Develop and present a unified body of work (10 images) for review by the Department's faculty.
• Write an artist statement (of purpose).
• Secure the support and commitment of two area faculty members willing to serve on their BFA committee.
• Successfully complete the professional BFA seminar.
• Schedule and mount a solo exhibition in one of the Department's student exhibition galleries, which must meet the approval of their BFA committee.

Graduate Program MFA

MFA Art Concentration in Photography

The Photography Graduate Program supports and encourages a wide range of traditional, conceptual, and interdisciplinary approaches to lens-related imaging. The program is committed to addressing the breadth of contemporary issues and practices while preparing students for a career in the field.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)

• PLO 1: Analyze and research visual and conceptual problems and apply and explain their sophisticated use of the elements and principles of art to solve those problems.
• PLO 2: Demonstrate increased technical capabilities and skills relevant to their areas of expertise and be able to explain and evaluate success/failure in individual and group critiques.
• PLO 3: Demonstrate their commitment to valuing art's role in offering cultural critique and addressing issues of social responsibility in a global society.
• PLO 4: Apply their knowledge of visual history and theory to their creative endeavors and to their professional practice.
• PLO 5: Demonstrate the ability to organize and present technical and intellectual information and to lecture/teach on a variety of topics in photography.

Teaching Opportunities

Qualified graduate students may apply for the opportunity to teach at the Teaching Associate level, which provides a generous stipend and tuition waiver.

Facilities

The Photography Program's technical facilities are among the best and largest in the West, including:

• Six Epson printers
• A Canon large format printer
• Digital and film-based cameras
• Four instructional complexes with fifty enlargers and eight commercial lighting studio stations
• Facilities for alternative photographic processes
• Traditional darkrooms and an alternative processes lab

Faculty & Lecturers

The faculty includes:

• Binh Danh, Assistant Professor and Area Coordinator - Photography
• Robin Lasser, Professor
• Valerie Mendoza, Associate Professor
• Kathleen McDonald, Facility Coordinator and Lecturer
• Alana Rios, Lecturer
• Jonathan Fung, Lecturer

Each faculty member brings their unique expertise and experience to the program, providing students with a wide range of aesthetic and technical possibilities.