1. Home
  2. Academics
  3. Departments and Programs
  4. Art and Design
  5. Majors
  6. Studio Art - Photography Concentration

Studio Art - Photography

The photography concentration gives you a well-rounded education that blends theory and practice. Through engagement with a wide variety of photographic tools and techniques, you’ll develop strong visual literacy and creative storytelling skills.

Preparing You For Success

As a studio art major, you dive into the creative process through classes in history, drawing and interactive media. While building this foundation, you also take hands-on photography courses. These experiences build versatile communication tools to tell stories in a unique visual way.

Each photography concentration is available in three paths — a B.A., B.S. or B.F.A. The B.S. and B.A. emphasize a liberal arts background, while the B.F.A. is considered the professional degree. As a result, the B.F.A. provides a studio-intensive experience encouraging focused work on the medium of your choice. Hands-on and seminar-style photography courses help you master the medium and develop your creativity. If you’re interested in broadening your career options, you can pair photography with another major or minor, such as marketing, sustainability or women’s and gender studies.

By the time you graduate, your experiences may include:

  • Networking and professional development through the Society for Photographic Education, community art projects, Bradley University Photographic Society and student media.
  • Workshops and individual critique sessions with internationally-acclaimed photographers through the Bunn Lecture Series
  • Study abroad in Costa Rica, Italy, England, France and other global hot spots
  • Exhibitions with local and regional galleries

Making Your Mark

Photography concentrations are good preparation for a variety of careers. Recent Bradley graduates are successful working artists, educators, exhibitors, business owners, and museum and gallery staff. Others have attended graduate schools like Columbia College of Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Rhode Island School of Design.

Sample Course Sequence
Request Info
Apply Now

Major Requirements

Art History Core - 6 hrs.

  • ART 140: Survey of Art History I - 3 hrs.
  • ART 142: Survey of Art History II - 3 hrs.

Art History Elective Courses (choose three) - 9 hrs.

  • ART 243: Non-Western Art - 3 hrs.
  • ART 245: American Art - 3 hrs.
  • ART 332: History of Graphic Design - 3 hrs.
  • ART 335: Medieval Art - 3 hrs.
  • ART 340: Renaissance Art - 3 hrs.
  • ART 350: 17th and 18th Century Art - 3 hrs.
  • ART 360: 19th Century Art - 3 hrs.
  • ART 375: 20th Century Art - 3 hrs.
  • ART 390: History of Photography - 3 hrs. *REQUIRED
  • ART 480: Seminar in Art History - 3 hrs.

Studio Core - 19 hrs.

  • ART 101: Drawing I - 3 hrs.
  • ART 102: Drawing II - 3 hrs.
  • ART 105: Two-Dimensional Design - 3 hrs.
  • ART 106: Three-Dimensional Design - 3 hrs.
  • ART 220: Professional Lecture Series - .5 hr.
  • ART 221: Professional Lecture Series - .5 hr.
  • ART 230: Life Drawing - 3 hrs.
  • IM 113: Introduction to Multimedia - 3 hrs.

Studio Courses - 12 hrs.

  • Four studio courses from areas other than the student’s concentration, including at least one from the 2-D areas and at least one from the 3-D areas.

Studio Electives – 9 hrs.

  • Students are required to take an additional 9 hours of elective art credits from any field of study (including their own).

Concentration Courses - 21 hrs.

  • ART 225: Basic Black and White Photography - 3 hrs.
  • ART 228: Basic Digital Photographic Imaging - 3 hrs.
  • ART 324: Photographic Concepts - 3 hrs.
  • ART 326: Manipulated Image - 3-6 hrs.
  • ART 327: Studio Lighting and Illustration Photography - 3 hrs.
  • ART 426: Photographic Portfolio - 3-6 hrs.
  • ART 427: Advanced Photographic Digital Imaging - 3-6 hrs.

Professional Orientation/Seminar Courses - 3 hrs.

  • ART 421 - BFA Seminar II - 3 hrs. (Spring semester only)

Total Hours: 79