Photography is the art of capturing light to produce images of three-dimensional events, persons, objects, or experiences in a realistic, two-dimensional visual record.
The best online photography schools should possess either regional or national accreditation from an accrediting body that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
In addition, you can often recognize top online photography schools based on:
The following levels of photography degree online programs are available:
The amount of time it takes a student to earn an accredited online photography degree depends on the level of photography degree being pursued and the pace of the student.
Typically, the breakdown is as follows:
The best online photography schools offer courses in the basic mechanics of taking photographs as well as more advanced theories on composition, storytelling in images, and marketing one’s photographic works. Typical online photography degree programs have courses including:
With the best online photography schools, students may choose to focus their studies on:
An online degree from an accredited photography school opens doors for graduates into professional photographer jobs in fine art, commercial art, fashion, and photojournalism. Photographer jobs include:
A photographer uses camera equipment to capture still or video images in film or digital media for the purpose of creating art or recording events and experiences.
In general, a photographer looks for a way to two-dimensionally represent a three-dimensional image, person, experience, or event. Photographers look for selections of a scene to preserve in a visual image that best represent an emotion, a point of view, a color, or a story and record it via camera equipment, either film, digital or video. Some photographers work in a studio environment and have customers come for arranged still pictures of individuals or groups. Other photographers take pictures on location at the scene of their subject.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that more than half of the nation’s photographers are self-employed, which means annual earnings among professional photographers may vary widely. Though photographers in some industries earn higher salaries on account of their skill, or the prestige of their subject, on average photographers earn between $20,620 and $43,530 per year. The market for photographer jobs is expected to grow at an average rate of 12% through 2018, although as it is an attractive field for its flexibility and creative scope, competition for jobs will be high.
A top photographer will be known for having a ‘good eye’ in capturing the most poignant elements of an image. Before, during, and after completing an accredited photography online degree program, developing these practical visual skills is essential. Students interested in how to become a photographer should consider that they may have more success finding commercial photographic work than as purely artistic photographers. They should keep their minds open to any professional photographic opportunities that may present themselves, and remember that such work will help them build experience and a professional portfolio that will allow them to pursue artistic photography.
| School | Certificate | Associates | Bachelors | Masters | PhD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Miami Dade College
300 NE 2nd Ave.
Miami, FL, 33132 http://www.mdc.edu/main/
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X | ||||
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Houston Community College
3100 Main Street
Houston, TX, 77266 http://www.hccs.edu
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X | X | |||
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University of Central Florida
4000 Central Florida Blvd
Orlando, FL, 32816 http://www.ucf.edu/
|
X | ||||
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Northern Virginia Community College
4001 Wakefield Chapel Rd
Annandale, VA, 22003 http://www.nvcc.edu
|
X | ||||
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University of Washington-Seattle Campus
1400 NE Campus Parkway
Seattle, WA, 98195 http://www.washington.edu
|
X | ||||
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
601 E John Street
Champaign, IL, 61820 http://www.illinois.edu/
|
X | ||||
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New York University
70 Washington Sq South
New York, NY, 10012 http://www.nyu.edu
|
X | ||||
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College of Southern Nevada
6375 W. Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV, 89146 http://www.csn.edu
|
X | ||||
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Austin Community College District
5930 Middle Fiskville Rd
Austin, TX, 78752 http://www.austincc.edu
|
X | X | |||
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University of Houston
212 E. Cullen Building
Houston, TX, 77204 http://www.uh.edu
|
X | X | |||
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Riverside Community College
4800 Magnolia Avenue
Riverside, CA, 92506 http://www.rcc.edu/
|
X | X | |||
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Temple University
1801 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA, 19122 http://WWW.TEMPLE.EDU
|
X | X | |||
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East Los Angeles College
1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez
Monterey Park, CA, 91754 http://www.elac.edu/index.htm
|
X | X | |||
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American River College
4700 College Oak Dr
Sacramento, CA, 95841 http://www.arc.losrios.edu/
|
X | ||||
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University of North Texas
Chestnut Ave.
Denton, TX, 76203 http://www.unt.edu
|
X | ||||
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Salt Lake Community College
4600 S Redwood Rd
Salt Lake City, UT, 84123 http://www.slcc.edu
|
X | ||||
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Brigham Young University
Main Campus
Provo, UT, 84602 http://www.byu.edu
|
X | ||||
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City College of San Francisco
50 Phelan Ave
San Francisco, CA, 94112 http://www.ccsf.edu
|
X | ||||
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Santa Monica College
1900 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA, 90405 http://www.smc.edu
|
X | X | |||
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Virginia Commonwealth University
910 W Franklin St
Richmond, VA, 23284 http://www.vcu.edu/
|
X | ||||
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Santa Ana College
1530 W. 17th Street
Santa Ana, CA, 92706 http://www.sac.edu
|
X | X | |||
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Mt San Antonio College
1100 N Grand Ave
Walnut, CA, 91789 http://www.mtsac.edu
|
X | X | |||
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Cuyahoga Community College District
700 Carnegie Ave
Cleveland, OH, 44115 http://www.tri-c.edu
|
X | ||||
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California State University-Sacramento
6000 J St
Sacramento, CA, 95819 http://www.csus.edu
|
X | ||||
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Columbus State Community College
550 E Spring St
Columbus, OH, 43215 http://www.cscc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Oakland Community College
2480 Opdyke Rd
Bloomfield Hills, MI, 48304 http://www.oaklandcc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Long Beach City College
4901 E. Carson St.
Long Beach, CA, 90808 http://www.lbcc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Palomar College
1140 W. Mission
San Marcos, CA, 92069 http://WWW.PALOMAR.EDU
|
X | X | |||
|
El Camino Community College District
16007 Crenshaw Blvd
Torrance, CA, 90506 http://www.elcamino.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Sacramento City College
3835 Freeport Blvd
Sacramento, CA, 95822 http://www.scc.losrios.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
College of DuPage
425 Fawell Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL, 60137 http://www.cod.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Illinois at Chicago
601 S Morgan
Chicago, IL, 60607 http://www.uic.edu/index.html/
|
X | X | |||
|
Pasadena City College
1570 E Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA, 91106 http://www.pasadena.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Montgomery College
40 W. Gude Drive Suite 220
Rockville, MD, 20850 http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Mesa Community College
1833 W Southern Ave
Mesa, AZ, 85202 http://www.mc.maricopa.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Akron Main Campus
302 Buchtel Common
Akron, OH, 44325 http://www.uakron.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Santa Rosa Junior College
1501 Mendocino Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA, 95401 http://www.santarosa.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Fresno City College
1101 E. University Ave
Fresno, CA, 93741 http://www.fresnocitycollege.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Orange Coast College
2701 Fairview Road
Costa Mesa, CA, 92626 http://www.orangecoastcollege.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
De Anza College
21250 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA, 95014 http://www.deanza.edu/
|
X | ||||
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Kent State University Kent Campus
Campus Center Dr
Kent, OH, 44242 http://www.kent.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Gallaudet University
800 Florida Ave NE
Washington, DC, 20002 http://www.gwu.edu
|
X | ||||
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Suffolk County Community College
533 College Rd
Selden, NY, 11784 http://www3.sunysuffolk.edu
|
X | ||||
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Grand Valley State University
1 Campus Dr
Allendale, MI, 49401 http://www.gvsu.edu
|
X | ||||
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San Antonio College
1300 San Pedro Ave
San Antonio, TX, 78212 http://www.alamo.edu/sac/sacmain/sac.htm
|
X | ||||
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Northern Arizona University
Knoles Drive Babbitt Administrative Center
Flagstaff, AZ, 86011 http://home.nau.edu/
|
X | ||||
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Saddleback College
28000 Marguerite Pky
Mission Viejo, CA, 92692 http://www.saddleback.edu
|
X | ||||
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Weber State University
3848 Harrison Blvd
Ogden, UT, 84408 http://www.weber.edu
|
X | ||||
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Nassau Community College
One Education Dr
Garden City, NY, 11530 http://www.ncc.edu/
|
X | X | |||
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Ohio University-Main Campus
E Mulberry
Athens, OH, 45701 http://www.ohio.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Owens Community College
30335 Oregon Rd
Perrysburg, OH, 43551 http://www.owens.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Harrisburg Area Community College-Harrisburg
One HACC Dr
Harrisburg, PA, 17110 http://www.hacc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Drexel University
3141 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA, 19104 http://www.drexel.edu
|
X | ||||
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Rio Hondo College
3600 Workman Mill Rd
Whittier, CA, 90601 http://www.riohondo.edu
|
X | ||||
|
University of Oregon
110 Johnson Hall
Eugene, OR, 97403 http://www.uoregon.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Des Moines Area Community College
2006 Ankeny Blvd
Ankeny, IA, 50023 http://www.dmacc.edu
|
X | ||||
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Cerritos College
11110 Alondra Blvd
Norwalk, CA, 90650 http://WWW.CERRITOS.EDU
|
X | ||||
|
Southwestern College
900 Otay Lakes Rd
Chula Vista, CA, 91910 http://www.swccd.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
College of the Canyons
26455 Rockwell Canyon Rd
Santa Clarita, CA, 91355 http://www.canyons.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Sinclair Community College
444 W. Third St.
Dayton, OH, 45402 http://www.sinclair.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Chaffey College
5885 Haven Ave
Rancho Cucamonga, CA, 91737 http://www.chaffey.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Lansing Community College
419 N Capitol Ave
Lansing, MI, 48901 http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us
|
X | X | |||
|
Sierra College
5000 Rocklin Road
Rocklin, CA, 95677 http://www.sierracollege.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
St. John's University-New York
8000 Utopia Pky
New York, NY, 11439 http://www.stjohns.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Grossmont College
8800 Grossmont College Dr
El Cajon, CA, 92020 http://www.grossmont.edu/
|
X | ||||
|
Milwaukee Area Technical College
700 W State St
Milwaukee, WI, 53233 http://matc.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Los Angeles City College
855 N Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA, 90029 http://www.lacitycollege.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
Syracuse University
100 University Pl
Syracuse, NY, 13244 http://syr.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
Webster University
470 E Lockwood Ave.
St. Louis, MO, 63119 http://www.webster.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Community College of Philadelphia
1700 Spring Garden St
Philadelphia, PA, 19130 http://www.ccp.edu
|
X | ||||
|
University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Campus
Ponce de Leon Ave
Farmington, PR, 931 http://www.uprrp.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Modesto Junior College
435 College Ave
Modesto, CA, 95350 http://mjc.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Bakersfield College
1801 Panorama Dr
Bakersfield, CA, 93305 http://www.bakersfieldcollege.edu/
|
X | ||||
|
Foothill College
12345 El Monte Rd
Los Altos Hills, CA, 94022 http://www.foothill.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
San Diego City College
1313 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA, 92101 http://www.sdcity.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
Mt. San Jacinto Community College District
1499 N State St
San Jacinto, CA, 92583 http://www.msjc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Daytona State College
1200 W. International Speedway Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL, 32114 http://www.DaytonaState.edu
|
X | ||||
|
CUNY LaGuardia Community College
31-10 Thomson Ave
New York, NY, 11101 http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Metropolitan Community College Area
30 & Fort Street
Omaha, NE, 68111 http://www.mccneb.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Appalachian State University
504 Dauphblan St.
Boone, NC, 28608 http://www.appstate.edu/
|
X | ||||
|
Grand Rapids Community College
143 Bostwick Ave NE
Grand Rapids, MI, 49503 http://www.grcc.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Glendale Community College
1500 N Verdugo Rd
Glendale, CA, 91208 http://www.glendale.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Madison Area Technical College
3550 Anderson St
Madison, WI, 53704 http://matcmadison.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Moorpark College
7075 Campus Rd
Moorpark, CA, 93021 http://www.moorparkcollege.edu/index.shtml
|
X | X | |||
|
Cabrillo College
6500 Soquel Dr
Aptos, CA, 95003 http://www.cabrillo.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Cosumnes River College
8401 Center Parkway
Sacramento, CA, 95823 http://www.crc.losrios.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
Antelope Valley College
3041 West Ave K
Lancaster, CA, 93536 http://www.avc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Miami
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL, 33124 http://www.miami.edu/
|
X | ||||
|
Columbia College
1001 Rogers Street
Columbia, MO, 65216 http://www.ccis.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Rochester Institute of Technology
1 Lomb Memorial Dr
Rochester, NY, 14623 http://www.rit.edu/
|
X | X | X | ||
|
Cypress College
9200 Valley View
Cypress, CA, 90630 http://www.cypresscollege.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Academy of Art University
79 New Montgomery
San Francisco, CA, 94105 http://www.academyart.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
Chabot College
25555 Hesperian Blvd
Hayward, CA, 94545 http://www.chabotcollege.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Indiana Wesleyan University
4201 S Washington St
Marion, IN, 46953 http://www.indwes.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Brigham Young University-Idaho
525 S Center
Rexburg, ID, 83460 http://www.byui.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Western Washington University
516 High St
Bellingham, WA, 98225 http://www.wwu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Ventura College
4667 Telegraph Rd
San Buenaventura, CA, 93003 http://www.venturacollege.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
Washtenaw Community College
4800 E Huron River Dr
Ann Arbor, MI, 48105 http://www.wccnet.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Bellevue College
3000 Landerholm Cir SE
Bellevue, WA, 98007 http://bellevuecollege.edu/
|
X | ||||
|
Ferris State University
1201 S State St
Big Rapids, MI, 49307 http://www.ferris.edu/
|
X |
Students need to understand that it is worth putting in the effort to develop professional connections and gain relevant career experience, even as an undergraduate. Do everything you can while you are in school to build your resume because graduating with professional experience is valuable.Read Full Interview
