Columbia College Chicago is a private, nonsectarian institution that specializes in fine-arts programs and serves as home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The college offers both a bachelor of arts (BA) and a bachelor of fine arts (BFA) in photography. The primary difference between the two majors is that the BFA requires more courses related to fine arts, while the BA has additional liberal arts requirements. Both programs require students to complete coursework in two-dimensional design, dark room techniques, digital imaging and the history of photography. Elective courses are offered in photojournalism, documentary photography and website publishing. The BFA program also requires students to complete a senior photography project. Internships are available for undergraduates, and the college frequently hosts visiting photographers who conduct workshops, teach courses and give exhibitions. The school's digital imaging lab has 120 workstations available, and its dark room has 150 enlarging stations. A master of fine arts (MFA) degree is also offered. Columbia College Chicago offers scholarships specifically for photography students.
Columbia College Chicago
600 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60605
312-344-7130
colum.edu
A private institution, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago has a combined enrollment of more than 3,100 undergraduate and graduate students. The college received the second-place ranking among all photography programs in the United States from U.S. News and World Report in 2008 (the last year that rankings were released as of September 2010). The college grants a bachelor of fine arts degree in photography, which requires classes in digital imaging, color and black-and-white techniques, lighting and exploratory media. All students must participate in a senior exhibition of their work prior to graduation. The university is located next door to the Art Institute of Chicago museum, and classes make frequent trips to the institution to see examples of topics covered in class put into real-life practice. Equipment and facilities include 12 enlargers and a digital imaging workroom with 12 printers and state-of-the art computer work stations and scanners. A master of fine arts degree in photography is also granted. Around 70 percent of all freshmen and 74 percent of continuing students receive some form of financial aid, according to the "2009 Barron's Profiles of American Colleges."
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
37 S. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL 60603
312-629-6100
saic.edu
With an enrollment of more than 43,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. The college's photography undergraduate program offers a bachelor of fine arts degree. Students in the program take classes in the history of photography, view cameras, raw digital photography, design, drawing and art history. All fine-arts majors are encouraged to participate in an internship prior to graduation, and a senior year exhibition is mandatory. The university has mural-printing rooms, video editing facilities, digital cameras and portable lighting for student use and shooting rooms in addition to its digital imaging and dark room facilities. Around 41 percent of students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign benefit from financial aid, reports the "2009 Barron's Profiles of American Colleges." Illinois residents receive tuition discounts.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
601 E. John St.
Champaign, IL 61820
217-333-0302
uiuc.edu