Tyler’s MFA in Photography includes the full spectrum of image making tools from traditional photographic techniques to the exploration of emerging technologies. The program encourages a critical understanding of photography’s dynamic role in contemporary culture. Our MFA candidates refine their artistic voice through a conceptual and interdisciplinary approach that spans analog, digital and time-based media, preparing them for a thoughtful, innovative practice.
Tyler’s Photography Program blends analog and digital practices, encouraging critical thinking, experimentation, and interdisciplinary exploration to challenge conventions and reshape how photography is understood practiced today.
Tyler’s MFA in Photography offers a comprehensive, forward-thinking curriculum that combines the mastery of traditional photographic techniques with the exploration of new technologies. Students engage critically with the medium, examining photography’s evolving role in contemporary culture.
The program’s interdisciplinary and conceptual approach encourages experimentation across analog, digital and time-based media, fostering a deep understanding of both the technical and artistic dimensions of photography. With small class sizes and individualized mentorship, students develop their artistic vision in a collaborative environment that encourages creative risk-taking. Tyler’s impressive and modern facilities and resources ensure students have the tools to refine their practice and prepare for innovative careers in fine art, education and other creative industries.
The Tyler School of Art and Architecture features its own admissions team, who can provide you with the information you need to make the best decision for your educational and career goals.
The Photography program at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture is a two-year, 60-credit program leading to the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. The program offers students close mentorship, top facilities and interdisciplinary approaches, drawing on the resources available in Tyler’s broad range of studio art programs as well as its architecture and environmental design programs. Whether students want to make bold moves into other disciplines through the lens of photography or be trained as classic still photographers, the breadth of faculty expertise and programs at Tyler offers a pathway, guided by one-on-one attention from faculty.
The MFA in Photography program is a well-rounded, forward-thinking image-making program, emphasizing creativity, technical skill and professional development.
You will be equipped with the tools and knowledge to develop a unique, professional artistic practice.
You will be encouraged to experiment with diverse media and technologies to push boundaries technically and conceptually.
Situated in a school with a graduate program in art history, students learn about photographic history and criticism and expand their capacity to analyze and critique both their work the broader photographic field.
You will receive the professional preparation needed for for a successful career as an artist, educator, documentary photographer, or in other creative fields.
Our students go on to pursue a wide variety of careers in fields such as:
Museum or gallery curator, gallery showings, assignment or commission work, book publishing, consulting, university teaching, fine art printing, stock photography, art and craft shows, local showings.
High-end retouching and compositing, digital montage work, consulting, medical and scientific photography, technician.
Magazine and news photography, web and print photography, special assigned essays, assignment work, sports, entertainment, music photography, editorial work.
Advertising and editorial portraits, fashion photography, high-end wedding photography, producer, studio manager, in-house and event photography.
The Photography MFA program is housed in a 9,000 square-foot facility with professional workspaces, wet labs, cutting-edge digital studios with ample computer workstations. The labs are equipped with high-air-exchange ventilation and chemical storage areas. Key features include:
Explore the inspiring stories of Tyler’s photography alumni as they reflect on their creative journeys, accomplishments, and perspectives. From innovative projects to impactful contributions, these artists are shaping the future of contemporary photography.
MFA in Photography ’14
Joe Hocker is an artist and educator living and working in Phoenixville, PA. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is held in public and private collections. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Photography and Digital Art at Albright College.
MFA in Photography ’89
Donald E. Camp has a strong reputation in Philadelphia with his work featured in museum collections and exhibitions in respected institutions across the United States. In 1995, Camp was awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship by the prestigious Pew Center for Arts and Heritage solidifying his reputation among scholars, critics, and patrons. He went on that same year to garner awards from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. With these endorsements of his work by some of the most important funders in the artistic community, Camp developed his signature work further to expand his renowned series, Dust Shaped Hearts. Camp’s work is appreciated and collected by patrons, critics, and institutions interested in photography, contemporary art, and African American artists. He is a Professor Emeritus at Ursinus College, where he had been an Artist in Residence for over 10 years and where there is a photography collection in his name.
“Having an opportunity to work with faculty within photography that were vastly different from each other allowed me to find my own path forward in my making and approach to the medium.”
"I entered Tyler as an adult student at age 42. The faculty and I were pretty much the same age. I learned that most people who have majored in art give up too early. I figured that I’d be fifty one day and I’d be fifty with or without my MFA degree. I shared that at a pubic meeting and became the first Future Faculty Fellow at Temple University.”
“Tyler recomposed my intellectual capital. It filled in gaps that launched my self-determination and leaps of faith into more studio and creative practice. I was well trained, qualified, and confident upon graduation.”
“Tyler has a great culture of cross-pollination. Faculty take their work and their students seriously, and include students in their research, which helps model the academic vocation. I’m a better artist and thinker for having gone to graduate school at Tyler.”
Explore the work of our students, emerging artists, pushing the boundaries of photography. Through analog and digital practices, critical inquiry, and experimental approaches, these students reimagine the medium and reflect on contemporary culture and image-making.
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Tyler’s Photography faculty are accomplished artists and educators whose work spans analog, digital, experimental, and time-based media. Their diverse practices and critical approaches shape a dynamic learning environment rooted in experimentation and mentorship.
