Do you have to know how to draw to major in photograghy?

<p>I was just researching majors and wanted to know. Any other information photograhy as a college major is welcomed!
thanks!</p>

<p>Many art major programs require drawing foundation classes (no matter the concentration) but it really is a good opportunity since it mainly just focuses on improving technical skills.</p>

<p>The school my daughter attends requires two drawing classes for all majors. There are many who have never taken a drawing class in their life who find themselves sitting next to kids who can draw beautifully with their eyes closed.</p>

<p>But according to my daughter, the grades were not based on how WELL you could draw but on the IMPROVEMENT and understanding of drawing concepts has occurred from the start of class to the end.</p>

<p>She told me her professors have to take each students’ skill level into consideration and determine benchmarks for them to meet at each level of the class. Someone with a great deal of skill might need to demonstrate a far greater level of skill at the end than one who only knew how to draw stick figures at the start of class.</p>

<p>What was encouraging to hear was that the more skilled drawing students actually helped the ‘newbies’ along without any degree of competitiveness.</p>

<p>Drawing is about seeing. The teacher will grade you based on how well you demonstrate drawing concepts in your work, not on if your as good as Michaelangelo. If your task is to draw something in perspective and you get a “D”, it’s because you werent drawing what you were seeing but from memory.</p>

<p>Many art colleges may require traditional foundation year courses, but schools such as School of Visual Arts and Parsons in NYC, have direct entry photography programs, where freshman jump right into photography courses. Also, some schools, such as Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore group freshman by experience and interest, so that a photography major with little drawing experience might be put into a drawing foundation class with others of the same background. Go to National Portfolio Days in the fall (google the same and you will get site with calendar) – they are held all over the country on different dates and you can meet with admissions counselors, etc. from art colleges to show your current portfolio and ask questions.</p>