The BFA in Photography is the professional degree for Photography students in the Art Department. The BFA program will provide students with the skills to practice the art of photography at a professional level. The BFA will also qualify students to pursue the MFA degree at graduate schools in the United States.

Students will be proficient in the creation, manipulation, and printing of digital images and demonstrate the ability to use these techniques to create photographic artworks that have a personal aesthetic and are conceptually sophisticated.

Seniors in the BA Photography program will take ARTS 4913 and mount an exhibition of a body of their photographic work.

The works in the exhibitions will

• demonstrate technical proficiency with the use of digital cameras.
• demonstrate the ability to manipulate and/or adjust images with digital imaging software.
• demonstrate proficiency in digital printing techniques.
• demonstrate the student's ability to express and communicate ideas and concepts through the medium of photography.

The exhibitions will be evaluated by 2 members of the Photo faculty. The faculty will use a rubric that uses a scale of 0-100% to evaluate the abilities and proficiencies. It is expected that at least 70% of the students evaluated will score 80% or higher in each aspect of the evaluation. We have made some significant changes in the program and have changed the expectation from 80% to 70% of students will meet the standard until students adjust to the programmatic changes.  

Our sample size last year was too small to glean any meaningful data.  Faculty will increase the sample size by evaluating students in an upper level course in addition to those graduating.

The evaluation of student photography portfolios was conducted using works in an exhibition of works by students in ARTS 3376, Photographic Narratives in the LSC gallery in May 2012. Each of the students worked with a community organization and created a photo essay to document and promote the activity of the organization. The exhibition included works from each student. Each student also published a book of photographs that accompanied the exhibition. 
All of the students scored 80 or higher on each of the criteria.

The evaluation of student photography portfolios was conducted using works in an exhibition of works by students in ARTS 3376, Photographic Narratives in the LSC gallery in May 2012. Each of the students worked with a community organization and created a photo essay to document and promote the activity of the organization. The exhibition included works from each student. Each student also published a book of photographs that accompanied the exhibition. 
All of the students scored 80 or higher on each of the criteria.

Students in the BFA Photography program will have an understanding of the History of Photography. The will be familiar with contemporary theories, trends and practices in photography and be able to contextualize ideas in the continuum of this history and understand the relation of their own work to photography that has preceded it.

Students in the BA Photography program will have an understanding of the History of Photography. They will be familiar with contemporary theories, trends and practices in photography and be able to contextualize ideas in the continuum of this history and understand the relation of their own work to photography that has preceded it.

Students in ARTS 3381, The History of Photography, will write a two page evaluation of two photographs of their choice. One photograph will be from the 19th century and the second will be a work created after 1975. The evaluation will discuss the formal attributes of the photograph, the style, the social or political influences, the technology use, and the subject matter.

The essays will:
• provide a clear introduction and draw conclusions supported by visual and contextual evidence.
• move from specific examples to general statements.
• describe the works accurately and clearly.
• use vocabulary introduced in classroom lectures and photography history textbooks.
• convey a clear and convincing image of their perspective.
• use external information about the cultural context and photographic techniques gathered from readings and presentations.
• present an understanding of the works in a way that is convincing and supported by detailed evidence.
• sum up major ideas and draw convincing conclusions grounded in visual evidence and contextual information.

The essays will be evaluated by 2 members of the Photo faculty. The faculty will use a rubric that uses a scale of 0-100% to evaluate the abilities and proficiencies. It is expected that at least 70% of the students evaluated will score 80% or higher in each aspect of the evaluation. We have made significant programmatic changes, adjusted expectations from 80% to 70% of students, and raised the standard to 80%.

Last year we did not have assessment data due to the faculty member leaving the University and not providing the data.  We hope to make sure we have data results this year.

100% of the students evaluated were scored 80% or above on each aspect of the evaluation.

The professor who taught History of Photograpy in 2011-12 retired and the course is being taught by a new faculty member who has revised the course with an emphasis on concepts, synthesis, and the historical precedents of contemporary art. The course will continue to be taught with these emphases.