Bachelor of Professional Photography at Pennsylvania State University
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    Bachelor of Professional Photography at Pennsylvania State University

    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America
    United States of America, University Park
    University Rank:#82
    Bachelor of Professional Photography at Pennsylvania State University

    International students can study the Professional Photography at Pennsylvania State University on the University Park campus in United States of America. This Bachelor degree is available as a Full Time program delivered on campus in English. The program has a duration of 4 years and is offered at the University Park campus. Students can apply for the next intake starting on June 1, 2027.

    About Bachelor of Professional Photography

    Photography involves using image making technologies to take visual samples of the world around us to create responses, representations, and interpretations that cause us to think about what we see, and to question what we know. This creative and critical practice emerges from innumerable motivations that arise from a deep-felt desire for personal expression, or a belief that visual arts and design can influence how we encounter and understand everyday life. Whether exploring and applying photography as a means of responding to personal ideas and issues, or using image making to meet a client's expectations, the discipline requires a range of specialized knowledge and skills in the use of tools, techniques, technologies, and processes to enable working from a concept to finished photographic forms. Hence, developing your individual visual language as a photographer involves mastery of materials, equipment, and processes, and developing a vision of aesthetic forms, functions, and content relationships.

    You Might Like this Program If...

    Your personal interests and professional aspirations are inspired by the power of photography to reach into our lives to capture the diversity, complexity, and humanity. Virtually all visual information we encounter online and in print media relies on photography to communicate content in visually stimulating and aesthetically pleasing ways. Although photographic images are found in many disciplines, the art of photography remains firmly embedded within the imagination of seeing.

    MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY

    The major in Professional Photography is a professional undergraduate degree in photography designed to provide in-depth, formal education that will prepare students for careers in client-based professional photography or related fields. Students enrolled in the program will acquire practical skills and learn creative techniques relevant to professional photographic image making. The degree program focuses on building and synthesizing career oriented competencies essential to photographers' professional, intellectual, and cultural lives.

    The learning objectives and essential competencies of the Professional Photography major align with NASAD standards for undergraduate professional degrees. NASAD is the professional agency responsible for accrediting Penn State's art and design programs within the College of Arts and Architecture. This B. Des. in Professional Photography also addresses student career success and economic development.

    Disciplines

    Arts and Architecture

    Requirements and Admission Criteria for Bachelor of Professional Photography at Pennsylvania State University

    Entry Requirements

    Penn State requires the submission of specific academic credentials to complete your application. Review the secondary and post-secondary requirements for your country below.

    If you are a first year student applying to Penn State:

    Click Apply to start your Penn State application. Before starting, you can also review the Applying Online Worksheet for more details and helpful hints about the application.

    Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the Save and Continue button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

    After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). As you begin the SRAR process, a new window will open allowing you to complete your SRAR. SRAR will focus on your high school coursework. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. Therefore, have a copy of your secondary school records available as you complete your SRAR. You will need to enter every class and every grade earned for the last three years, as well as those classes in progress.

    After completing your SRAR, you will be directed back to the Penn State application in order to complete the Program of Study portion of the application. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for first-year students.

    After completing this section of the application, you will provide some additional information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

    If you are a transfer student applying to Penn State:

    All international transfer students will be required to submit official high school transcripts in order to complete the application. International transfer students will not complete the Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR) for either their high school or college coursework.

    If you have accepted your offer of admission to Penn State:

    If you completed SRAR and are accepted to Penn State, please provide the following for grade verification:

    • Official transcript from years 9, 10, 11, and 12. If the transcript is issued in a language other than English, it must be accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.
    • Official copy of the Tawjihi, accompanied by a separate line-by-line English translation.

    English Requirements

    • IELTSMin 6.5
    • TOEFLMin 80

    Career Opportunities after Completing Bachelor of Professional Photography

    The B. Des. degree in Professional Photography will give you a comprehensive orientation to the diverse field of photography by strengthening your technical, creative, and intellectual competencies and capabilities. Your experience in this program will ensure you are well prepared to identify and create professional quality images for photographic applications in a wide variety of disciplines and careers. This professionally directed degree is consistent with the university's imperative of improving your career success, opportunities for professional development, and the impact you can make to the cultural economy.

    The creation and use of photographic images has increased exponentially since the development of digital photography in the mid 1990s and you will encounter the use of photographic images across all disciplines and in many professional careers. Advanced camera and software technology has made taking and editing photographs substantially easier and the quality achieved among practitioners has dramatically increased. Our goal is to help you achieve a balanced approach in acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge to develop your confidence and attitude in being able to pursue your professional interest in photography.

    MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRAM

    Opportunities for Graduate Studies

    A capstone photography project serves as both a culminating experience and a creative and critical assessment that will help you identify the distinctive look of your portfolio. Through peer review, and input from faculty who are all exhibiting photographic artists, you will receive mentoring about career options and further educational opportunities, such as applying for graduate school.

    MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

    Professional Resources

    • College Art Association
    • National Art Education Association
    • National Council  of Art Administrators
    • Pennsylvania Art Education Association

    Tuition and Fee Information for Bachelor of Professional Photography at Pennsylvania State University

    Application Fee 75

    How to Apply for Bachelor of Professional Photography at Pennsylvania State University

    Step 1: Choose Your Application Method

    Apply through MyPennState

    The first step of the application process is to create a Penn State account, if you do not have one already. MyPennState is where future students can access the online application.

    If you are new to MyPennState, you will need to establish a Penn State User ID and password, which you will access during the MyPennState profile creation process. Once you have your log in information, you can sign in to begin work on your application.

    When creating the profile, please use the name that is on your passport. Because materials are filed alphabetically under the family name on the application, it is important that all correspondence and records consistently use the same name (family and given) and spelling. If this name does not match your academic records, please notify us of the difference. Please note: In the U.S., the family name is usually referred to as the last name, and the given name is referred to as the first name.

    Additionally, Penn State requires a current, valid email address, as that is our primary means of communication with international students. To ensure deliverability, please make Penn State (psu.edu) an eligible sender to the account.

    Applying through the Common App

    Applying to Penn State via the Common App is available to first-year (freshman) international students. If applying through the Common App, Penn State will create a MyPennState profile when the application is submitted and you will receive instructions on how to access your profile. If you intend to apply with the Common App, you do not need create a MyPennState profile prior to submitting your application.

    Step 2: Access the Application and Review Important Dates

    While you can create a MyPennState profile at any time, the application for admission becomes available on the following dates:

    Fall/Summer Admission: August 1

    Spring Admission: June 1

    The application submission dates vary by applicant type and intended program of study. Some programs have specific deadlines or admissions requirements. Please refer to our Dates & Deadlines for more information about application deadlines, as well as our Admissions Requirements to review information about any additional materials required for your intended program of study.

    Step 3: Start Your Penn State Application

    If applying through MyPennState:

    Click Apply Online to start your Penn State application. 

    Your application work can be saved at each step of the process by clicking the "Save and Continue" button at the bottom of the page. This feature will allow you to move back and forth within the application or log off and return to complete your application at a later time.

    After completing your Academic History, you will need to provide your Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR), unless otherwise directed. You will be directed to enter information about your secondary school coursework. Please have a copy of your secondary school records as you complete SRAR. It is important that this step is a complete and accurate representation of your school record. You will need to enter every grade for every course you have taken in the last three years, as well as your current schedule of classes.

    Students educated in South Korea will not complete SRAR. The document requirements for South Korea can be found by reviewing our International Credential Requirements.

    After this section, you will be directed back to the Penn State application to complete the Program of Study portion. Here, you will indicate your desired starting semester, your intended program of study, and your starting and ending campus. For further details on how to complete this portion based on your applicant type, please see the steps to apply for either first-year students or transfer students.

    After this portion, you will provide some additional application information, an activities resume, and a personal statement. You will be able to paste in this information from other sources, but note that the formatting may not always paste in as intended.

    If applying through the Common App:

    Complete the Common App, which will then direct you to MyPennState to complete SRAR. Applicants using the Common App may feel that they provided their high school record via the Common App, but Penn State requires the completion of SRAR via MyPennState. We strongly encourage you to obtain an official copy of your high school transcript to ensure accurate entry of your coursework completed and grades earned. The SRAR will include all of your high school coursework from your last three years of work and your current year schedule. If your final year grades are available when you enter SRAR, you can enter them at that time.

    Step 4: Submit Your Application

    The application requires a nonrefundable application fee of $75 for international students. Be sure to complete the last step after Summary and Review, which finalizes payment of your fee, and be certain it is successfully submitted. Once the application is submitted, you can verify its completion by accessing your MyPennState profile.

    Step 5: Submit Required Application Materials

    In order to complete your Penn State application, we need the following materials:

    • Application
    • Secondary school record
    • Post-secondary school records (if applicable)
    • First-year applicants only: Official test scores: SAT (code #2660) or ACT (code #3656)

      Writing Component and Subject Tests

      Please note: The writing component of standardized tests (SAT or ACT) is not required. The writing component will not be used as part of our evaluation. If your test scores include the writing component, by all means, have those scores sent to Penn State. Additionally, we do not require SAT Subject Tests.

    • English language proficiency, if your native language is not English

    Please see the admissions requirements for international students to review the details about the required application materials. Some programs require additional items to complete your application. Please review our Admissions Requirements for those details.

    Penn State does not require letters of recommendation, nor are they used in a student’s evaluation (unless required for a specific program).

    Step 6: Check Your Application Status in MyPennState

    You can always check the status of your application in MyPennState. We will communicate with you via MyPennState and through a series of emails regarding the missing items for your application. When everything has arrived, you will see a status in MyPennState confirming the completion of your application.

    Please note: It is your responsibility to check on the status of your application and send us any missing materials.

    Step 7: Receive Your Admission Decision

    Once we have reached a decision regarding your application, we will update your status in MyPennState and provide a printable PDF of your decision letter. Review our Dates & Deadlines to see when you should expect your decision.

    If accepted, you can accept your offer of admission in MyPennState to begin the process of becoming a Penn State student. Visit our Accepted Students section to review the next steps in this process. Once you accept your offer of admission to Penn State, those students completing SRAR will submit their official records for validation purposes as soon as possible.

    Bachelor of Professional Photography at Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    Pennsylvania State University
    United States of America

    United States of America, University Park

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