Please note: The art photography M.F.A. program is not accepting applications for Fall 2026.
Interested students can apply to the School of Art’s studio arts M.F.A. program, where they can take courses in art photography, ceramics, drawing, painting, print media and graphic art and sculpture. Please contact Laura Heyman, art photography program coordinator, with any questions.
Our master of fine arts (M.F.A.) degree program in art photography attracts students who have established a strong body of work and are committed to further their engagement with contemporary photographic practices. You work closely with our faculty along with distinguished scholars throughout Syracuse University to further your artistic research.
As a program, we are not interested in promoting a single philosophy or aesthetic; rather, we select students who have begun to crystallize an original perspective. Our goal is to create artists with unique visual voices. Through an intensive study that includes tutorial and group critique along with courses in history, theory and criticism, you benefit from an intense and passionate learning environment that emphasizes contemporary art and practice. In addition, most of our M.F.A. students have the opportunity to teach their own classes.
Art photography students benefit from a close affiliation with Light Work, a world-class photo gallery, publisher and artist residency housed on the Syracuse campus. This relationship allows you to interact with a roster of international photographers through lectures, internships, and classroom visits. Many of our graduate students are offered a semester assistantship to work directly with their staff and visiting artists. You can use production facilities at Light Work, in addition to the analog and digital facilities for art photography graduate students within the Department of Film and Media Arts.
