Tuition increases and the ongoing erosion of arts funding are sobering realities that everyone involved in photography education must face. Despite these challenges, some students can benefit from subsidized study at a number of good schools. These programs are generally small and fly under the radar of major art schools that educate students at top-dollar rates. We spoke with educators and students at three schools that offer tuition waivers, graduate teaching assistantships and other financial perks.


UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
South Bend, Indiana

SCHOOL STATS

WEB SITE: www.nd.edu/~art/art/photography.htm DEGREES OFFERED: BA, BFA and MFA degrees in Studio Art LENGTH OF GRADUATE PROGRAM: 60 credit hours, 3 years. STUDENT POPULATION: Approximately 12,000 total SIZE OF ART, ART HISTORY AND DESIGN DEPARTMENTS: 220 undergraduates across all degrees/disciplines, 20 MFA students, 3 in photography, 5 MA students in Art History TUITION AND FEES (2007): Approximately $34,500 FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Full-tuition waivers for up to three years for all MFA students. Partial stipends ($6,000) in the first year and full stipends ($10,000) in second and third years. Second-and third-year students teach in the undergraduate program. Modest travel funding for professional development (conferences), plus the option to apply for university and government financial aid.

A private Midwestern university perhaps best known as a powerhouse in sports, the University of Notre Dame has offered a tuition and stipend program to their photography graduate students for over 15 years.

“We made a choice many years ago to make sure that every grad student accepted to Notre Dame’s MFA program receive a full tuition waiver for three years plus a stipend for living expenses, so they don’t pay to come to school here,” explains Richard Gray, associate professor in Notre Dame’s photography department.

“We used to be way ahead of many programs. Very few were awarding these kinds of scholarships,” he adds. “But I think a lot of schools have caught up and have decent support programs, yet because they’re bigger, they probably don’t support everybody that way.”

Gray explains that a key difference between the funding abilities of a school like Notre Dame and the art schools best known for their photography programs is that art schools need to be tuition driven, while a larger university has more financial pots to tap. “Because we have so many other revenue streams and income from other tuition directions, there is some leverage for building graduate programs across all disciplines, whereas at private art schools, they need those dollars,” he says.

Notre Dame’s graduate photography program is very small, with only three or four MFA candidates in attendance at any one time. Photography grads are integrated with grad students in other areas of studio arts and design, who also receive the same financial support. There are about 20 graduates in the entire group, and all students can study with any faculty member in the program.

“There’s a lot of cross-pollination between the various media,” says Gray. “I’ll have students come in out of a strong undergrad photography program, and before they’re done, they are working with installation, sculpture and video because they have access to these other faculty. And because everyone is on more or less a level playing field financially, there’s a great culture and a great working relationship between all the students.”

To identify the best students for the program, Gray actively recruits candidates by networking with colleagues and tapping the resources of organizations like the Society for Photographic Education. Potential candidates are asked to submit a formal application and portfolio in time for an all-faculty, all-student informational review session in early March. The faculty then gathers to discuss top candidates, who are contacted about a campus visit. Since Gray is unlikely to accept a student who has not visited the program, he may even cover travel costs for prospective students to come for an interview.

“We try to be pretty selective about whom we admit, and we have made a conscious decision to not try to grow the program, because we wouldn’t necessarily get additional funding from the grad school right away,” explains Gray.

He believes that it’s essential for grad students to carefully shop for schools, meet the faculty and get a sense of the culture at the schools they apply to, in order to make a decision they’ll be happy about. “You can’t just depend on the reputation of a place,” Gray advises. “Students really need to know what’s going on at a school during their three year window.”


UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
Tuscon, Arizona

SCHOOL STATS

WEB SITE: web.cfa.arizona.edu/art/index.php/photography DEGREES OFFERED: BA, BFA, MA, MFA and PhD in Studio Art, Art Education and Art History LENGTH OF GRADUATE PROGRAM: 3 years, 60 credits. STUDENT POPULATION: Approximately 36,500 total SIZE OF SCHOOL OF ART: Approximately 725 undergraduates in Studio Art, Art Education and Art History, approximately 60 BFA photo majors. Approximately 85 grad students in MA, MFA and PhD programs including 6 to 10 photography grad students. TUITION AND FEES FOR GRADUATE STUDY (2007-08), BASED ON CREDITS TAKEN: In state: 7 or more credits, $2,883.92 per semester/ $5,767.84 per year Out of state: 12 or more credits, $8,286.92 per semester/$16,573.84 per year FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Tuition waivers, Graduate teaching assistantships, other (merit) scholarships available through the University of Arizona, UA Graduate College, School of Art and the College of Fine Arts.

The Southwest has a rich history of artists and photography, and a number of this region’s photography programs are ranked in the top ten by U.S. News and World Report.

The photography department at ninth-ranked University of Arizona (U of A) emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach and offers its graduate students numerous possibilities for tuition waivers, paid assistantships and other forms of financial support.

With a new, centralized building to house individual graduate studios slated to open in fall 2009, extensive facilities for media studies and digital output, several new faculty appointments and strengthening ties with the faculty and programs at Arizona State University (ASU), the U of A is currently on a mission that stresses excellence in programs and raises the bar for its students.

On the graduate level, the photography division recently submitted a grant to the Graduate College for multiple two-year fellowships that will provide a total of $80,000 in support for incoming photography MFAs. “If the grant is successful, then incoming photo recruits will have the majority of their educational costs covered,” explains Martina Shenal, assistant director of the U of A’s School of Art.

For undergraduate study, the U of A is bucking the national trend and downsizing its program, resulting in a smaller student-to-faculty ratio. “We’re really trying to line up our resources, to know what we can comfortably manage and still have studio classes with 15 to 20 students,” says Shenal.

The U of A’s downsizing efforts have had some interesting results. “By raising the bar for undergrads, they kind of self-sensor,” Shenal explains. “The students who don’t feel like they’re strong enough just don’t apply, so we actually have fewer applications, and the quality of work is higher.”

Because U of A is a state school, there is a sizable difference in tuition costs between Arizona residents and students coming from out of state. State deficits, budget cuts and soaring educational costs can make residency requirements a contentious issue for out of state students.

Shenal notes that out-of-state candidates interested in an economical option for attending a state-funded program must establish residency as a nonstudent first. The prospective student could start taking classes as a non-degree seeking grad or even attend graduate seminars based on a portfolio review. While there is never a guarantee of future admission, forging relationships and testing one’s fit in a program that admits two to three graduate students per year might better the odds that a prospective student will make the cut.


UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA AT LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas, Nevada

SCHOOL STATS

WEB SITE: art.unlv.edu DEGREES OFFERED: BA, BFA and MFA degrees in Studio Art and Art History LENGTH OF GRADUATE PROGRAM: 3 years, 60 credits STUDENT POPULATION: Approximately 28,500 total SIZE OF SCHOOL OF ART, ART HISTORY AND DESIGN DEPARTMENTS: 450 undergraduates across all disciplines, 90 in photography,18 graduate students across all disciplines, 5 in photography/mixed media TUITION AND FEES (2007): In state: Undergraduate: $117 per credit; graduate: $172 per credit Out of state: Undergraduate: $567 per credit, Graduate: $773 per credit FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Tuition waivers, graduate assistantships, plus the option to apply for university and government financial aid.

As a city with an unusually rich visual palette, Las Vegas can present photographers with a unique challenge of color and light. In the midst of this visual oasis, the program at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) offers an attractive financial arrangement to its photography graduate students.

A small program that also offers a multidisciplinary approach, graduate-level classes at UNLV mix students from all subject areas—photography, video, painting, drawing, graphic design, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics and installation work.

“Graduate students have the opportunity to work with all 15 different faculty members, not just the two photo professors,” says Catherine Angel, codirector (with Pasha Rafat) of UNLV’s photography department. “The selection process for incoming grads is done by the entire full-time, faculty which results in a really interesting mix of students,” she adds.

During three years of study, a total of six photography MFA candidates receive tuition waivers, individual studios and approximately $10,000 a year in assistantships. In the first year, each student works with Angel for ten hours a week to learn the ropes of a course they will later teach. A second ten hours a week is spent maintaining one of the photo labs and working with introductory students. In their second and third years, graduate students begin teaching courses on their own, mentored at first by Angel, who provides them with a set curriculum until they gain the confidence needed to shape the class with their own approach.

“Getting to teach almost immediately was extremely attractive to me,” says second-year graduate student Bekah Just. “The professors really find out what kind of track you want to take and then cater to your needs. They made sure I would have plenty of classes and a nice résumé under my belt when I leave. I feel like I’m getting paid to go to school as opposed to paying for school, which is really awesome,” she effuses.

By relocating from her native California for a job in Nevada a year before she applied to the program, Just was able to establish residency there first. “Las Vegas is a totally different place from any other city I’ve lived in,” she explains. “I’ve watched my fellow grad students try to adjust, but I was lucky enough to already know the city and have established some local contacts. And I got the initial glamour and excitement of the city under my belt first as well.”

She adds, “There’s just so much to do here, any time of day or night, that it’s easy to get distracted, but at the same time, it’s really inspiring to shoot all the time.”

Las Vegas also offers a great potential for commercial photography jobs. “People call the school all the time asking for students to come help with shoots,” Just says.

Angel encourages her students to get commercial shooting experience during their graduate studies, so they can start building a work portfolio in addition to their fine art. “As photographers, it’s important for students to realize they have skills that they can use to make a living,” she advises. “You’re not going to compromise your art work because you shot a commercial job,” Angel says. “Go and learn from it, make some good money, and do some good work for your client.”


In PDNedu’s Spring 2008 “Special Report” (pages 58 to 61 in the print issue), Jill Waterman profiles three university programs that subsidize graduate-level scholarship with tuition waivers, teaching assistantships and other forms of financial support. Despite the soaring costs of higher education and the ongoing erosion of arts funding, schools are under intense pressure to attract top candidates and select the right mix of students to make a program strong. In some cases, programs add financial incentives to their educational offers to sweeten the deal. Here, we provide details about four additional schools that offer varied levels of support to their graduate students.

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT, SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS
Storrs, Connecticut

WEB SITE:
art.uconn.edu/programs/bfa/photography.htm

DEGREES OFFERED:
BFA and MFA degrees in Studio Art.

LENGTH OF GRADUATE PROGRAM:
2 years, 60 credits.

STUDENT POPULATION:
Approximately 28,677 (16,348 on the Storrs Campus).

SIZE OF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS:
Approximately 270 undergraduates across 9 disciplines, 10 MFA students, generally 2 to 3 photography MFAs.

TUITION AND FEES (2007):
In state: Approximately $4,221 per term.
Out of state: Approximately $10,400 per term.
Tuition is waived for all grad students, but fees are not. This amounts to about $1,000 annually.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
Tuition is waived for students selected to pursue an MFA in studio art and fellowships of $9,549.54 are given to incoming and continuing students for half time teaching and gallery assistantships. Students are provided with large individual studios in the Visual Arts Research Center, located a mile from the main campus. In addition, they have access to well-equipped facilities in print, sculpture and ceramics, photo, video and digital media. The program is highly competitive and five highly qualified individuals (across all disciplines) are selected each spring for fall admission.

FACILITIES:
The Department of Art and Art History is equipped with a wide range of facilities, including painting and drawing studios; well-equipped darkrooms and digital imaging studios; a fully equipped print shop; wood, metal, and ceramics facilities; a digital video studio and editing stations; digital graphic design sttions; and much more. As a result, students can pursue their art wherever their creativity may lead them. Photography facilities include extensive black-and-white, color, and advanced darkrooms, as well as a fully equipped digital imaging lab. Cameras in various formats, tripods, lighting equipment, editing stations and other accessories are also available for student use. Video provides students with a chance to explore the use of moving images in an art context.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
New York, New York

WEB SITES:
arts.columbia.edu
cuarts.com

DEGREES OFFERED:
BFA and MFA degrees in Visual Arts.

LENGTH OF GRADUATE PROGRAM:
2 years, 60 credits.

STUDENT POPULATION:
Approximately 24,644 total.

SIZE OF GRADUATE SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS:
Approximately 800 students in entire fine arts department (encompassing visual arts, film, theater and writing), approximately 52 visual arts MFA students, generally 8 to 12 Photography MFA’s.

TUITION AND FEES (2007):
Approximately $39,000.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
Graduate students receive funding based on merit and need. There are no full tuition waivers, but every student does receive some funding, a percentage of which is work based. The amount of funding available varies from year to year. MFA students also receive a private art studio with 24-hour access, have access to the Artists Resource Center and information about funding and grants from an Officer of Scholarships and Grants.

FACILITIES:
The three locations of graduate studios are Watson Hall, Prentis Hall, and the Studebaker Building. Each graduate student is assigned a studio with 24-hour access. Watson Hall also houses a wood shop, a computer lab, a color processor, color darkrooms and a seminar room. Prentis Hall also has clay and plaster rooms, wood and steel shops and installation facilities. Black-and-white photography, printmaking and the Digital Media Center are located in Dodge Hall.


OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Columbus, Ohio

WEB SITE:
art.osu.edu/?p=d_photography

DEGREES OFFERED:
BA in Studio Art, BFA and MFA degrees in Photography.

LENGTH OF GRADUATE PROGRAM:
2 years, 90 credit hours on a quarter system.

STUDENT POPULATION:
Approximately 58,000 total.

SIZE OF DEPARTMENT:
Approximately 250 to 350 undergraduates across 7 disciplines, approximately 50 to 60 MFA students total, generally 8 in photography.

TUITION AND FEES (2007):
In state: Undergraduate tuition approximately $8,676. Graduate tuition approximately $10,142.
Out of state: Undergraduate tuition approximately $21,285. Graduate tuition approximately $24,294.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
Ohio State offers numerous institutional scholarships for incoming freshmen and enrolled students. On the graduate level, a highly competitive university fellowship offers four quarters of paid tuition plus a $1,098 stipend to exceptional incoming graduate students. Each year several fellowships are generally awarded to graduate students within the department and the Department of Art provides competitive teaching assistantships, financial support and encouragement. Graduate teaching assistantships, which include a full tuition waiver, a $1,098 per month stipend for nine months, plus additional benefits.

FACILITIES:
A technical assistant supervises the photographic facilities which include: black-and-white labs, a color gang lab with 30-inch-wide processor for C prints, an alternative processes lab, large print lab, enlargers and view cameras through 8 x 10 inches and a lighting studio. Photography has incorporated digital into the program and now has a digital photography lab, which includes 22 Mac stations, 35mm to 4x5 film recorders, four flat bed scanners, four 17-inch Epson printers and two 44-inch 9800 Epson printers. Haskett Hall also provides private and semi-private studios for graduate students as well as the new facilities for the Printmaking and Art and Technology labs, including holography labs shared with the OSU Department of Physics.

INDIANA UNIVERSITY, HENRY RADFORD HOPE SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS
Bloomington, Indiana

WEB SITE:
indiana.edu/~finaweb/fa.php

DEGREES OFFERED:
BA in Studio Art, BFA and MFA degrees in Photography. The Master of Fine Arts for Teachers (M.A.T.) is offered in most areas of studio art, except in painting. Before applying, students should contact the faculty in their area of interest to determine if the M.A.T. is available for the following academic year. Students without certification must fulfill certification requirements with the School of Education. The M.A.T. is a 36 credit hour degree with 20 credit hours taken in studio courses, approved by the student’s advisor, and 12 credit hours taken in at least two areas of art history. Students are also required to successfully complete an oral review and develop a body of work to be exhibited in one of the school venues. Continuation in the program is based upon regular reviews by the faculty. Enrollment in the M.A.T. program varies with roughly one student being admitted every other year.

LENGTH OF GRADUATE PROGRAM:
3 years, 60 credit hours.

STUDENT POPULATION:
Approximately 39,000.

SIZE OF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS:
500 to 600 undergraduates (junior & seniors) across 9 disciplines, 100 in BFA track, approximately 80 MFA students, 9 to 10 Photography MFA’s.

GRADUATE TUITION AND FEES (2007):
In state: $265.43 per credit hour.
Out of state: $773.03 per credit hour.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
Three different types of financial assistance are available to graduate students: (1) One-year Recruitment Fellowships which include a tuition waiver of 18 credit hours, plus $11,500 to enable students to pursue their work. All disciplines in the department compete for these awards and one applicant is nominated for each of 8 studio areas. Four fellowships are typically awarded each year, giving the photography department a 50 percent chance of receiving a fellowship. (2) Two Graduate assistant positions are available for first year photography students (a stipend of $8,500, plus a credit hour fee remission of 30 credits). Students work 15 hours a week as either the digital or photo lab tech. (3) Four to five Associate Instructor positions are available for second and third year students (a stipend of $10,600, plus a credit hour fee remission of 30 credits). Students work approximately 20 hours a week to teach Photography 1 or other courses in the fundamental curriculum. Several small endowment scholarships are also available to undergraduate students based on merit.

FACILITIES:
Students are given a fully furnished individual darkroom and semi-private studio space. State-of-the-art color printing facilities include a 20-inch wide processor for C prints. In addition, MFA photography students have access to an extensive digital imaging facility equipped with high-end 44-inch and 24-inch Epson large-format archival printers as well as a high-resolution medium-formatfilm scanner and a large-format flat bed/film scanner. Computer labs in the Fine Arts building have Macintosh and Silicon Graphic computers, 35mm film and flat bed scanners and an HP large-format inkjet printer.