<p>I completed a Bachelors degree last year in Information Systems in my country of South Africa. I have however always been a visual artist (design and photographer) at heart.</p>
<p>I'm now looking to move to the United States and study a photography course.
My one problem is that I dont have an art-related bachelors degree. Nor do I wish (or am able) to complete another 4-year degree due to the massive expense of another 4 year degree.</p>
<p>I was wondering if you guys think it worthwhile to try apply for a Masters in photography. Would my bachelors + my portfolio be enough to be considered for Masters?
Also, bar Hallmark, can you recommend any schools with respected certificate programs on the east coast? Primarilly within a large Metropolis. Ultimately I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to study in New York, and Im going to do whatever I can to make that come true, but should it be impossible, Im willing to start somewhere else as a means.</p>
<p>mythdad here (mythmom's H.) - I'm a professional photographer and the answer is dependent on what you want to do. There are many areas of photography where you don't necessarily need a degree or even a certificate. If you have a strong portfolio and "beat the pavement" of NYC you're bound to find work in the commercial side. If you would like to teach, then you need a Masters. An excellent on-line degree program both for bachelor's and graduate is The Academy of Art in San Francisco. I'm actually going for my Master's with them. They will accept life experience and your portfolio. In NYC, The International Center of Photography is excellent for both individual classes to increase your education and for certificate programs.</p>
<p>Thanks mythdad. Whilst I will definitely be emailing you to continue this discussion, I figured Id answer you here anyway to shed some light on my situation should anyone else choose to reply.</p>
<p>I have no interest in teaching photography right now. The reason I am looking into a Masters is for the simple reason that I can not do another Bachelors, and I'd assume that having a Masters would put me a step above the rest. On top of that, having a degree in the US would make getting citizenship a WHOLE lot easier ;)</p>
<p>I feel that studying photography for a year or 2 will help me determine with certainty the exact area of photography that i want to focus on, as well as give me the opportunity to build a stronger portfolio for future employers.</p>
<p>taxguy: The difficulty is the proviso of no art background. Most graduate programs in photography require an extensive art background. Art degrees (even with a photography concentration) usuallly demand basic courses in drawing, etc. It's challenging to find a program without those requirements.</p>
<p>This may be changing as digital photography dominates more and more of the photography field. Instead of a subset of art, it is emerging as a subset of computer science. Stay tuned further developments.</p>