Program Overview

Learn the fundamentals of photographic practice with the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography in the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University. This 126-credit undergraduate program centers on the arts and science of the discipline as well as the history and contemporary critical trends and theories of photography. Discover your unique voice as an artist, photojournalist and image-maker using traditional and emerging technologies.

The Photography Major program emphasizes photographic processes as a fine art medium, blending historical practices with exploration of digital and time-based media and other trends in the field. Learn from accomplished practicing faculty with a wide range of professional expertise and work in state-of-the-art facilities with generously equipped photography studios.

Discover and perfect a wide range of photographic techniques such as light-sensitive, hand-applied emulsions; platinum printing; gum printing and other historical practices. Experiment with digital processes in a 9,000-square-foot facility with two large computer studios hosting large format and jumbo format printing. The photography suite also includes a lighting studio; film loading rooms; enlargers; color-corrected viewing areas; and a lending room of film and digital SLR, medium-format and large-format cameras.

Whether you’re interested in deep exploration of a variety of techniques, historic wet lab processes or incorporating practices from other studio disciplines into your work, the photography faculty offer guidance and mentorship.

Art majors at Tyler can take advantage of the school's location at a large research university in Philadelphia, a vibrant art center with a pioneering photography tradition, to find internships and jobs, explore museums and galleries, launch creative practices, start businesses, and earn placements in competitive graduate programs.

Art Education Concentration
Prepare to qualify for the Pennsylvania Teaching Certification in art, kindergarten through 12th grade. Students complete the BFA requirements along with 32 credit hours in art education, education and specified liberal arts courses. Education-related studies begin in students’ second year. Students generally take five years to fulfill all requirements or the 155-credit degree.