MassArt's 60 credit, full-time MFA in Photography guides students through extensive study of the practice of photography, critical theory, and the contemporary multi-disciplinary environment. Over the course of the program’s thirty year history, we have cultivated an intellectual environment in which graduate students refine methods of visual communication and arrive at shared meaning. Faculty in the Graduate Photography Program are dedicated to supporting students as they produce rigorously considered and visually accomplished bodies of work conveying new observations regarding perceptions of art and our complex world. Straight photography, mixed and new media, material explorations, and moving image are all encouraged. The welcoming atmosphere in our department, in combination with our first-rate facilities available to graduate students, provides an environment where students converse and experiment as they strive to produce work that is meaningful both to the individual and to others.

Visiting artists are an integral part of our curriculum, often under the auspices of our exceptional Photography Lecture Series. Graduate students frequently meet individually with the prominent photographers, critics, and curators who visit our department each semester.

MFA students are also afforded numerous opportunities for classroom teaching experience. Paid teaching assistantships in our undergraduate program are available every semester, and students can co-teach at least one course during their time at the College. MFA students may choose to undertake a six-credit College Teaching Certificate which focuses on college-level art instruction. Graduate students interested in teaching K-12 may explore a three-year MFA/MAT Program in which they receive a MAT degree through our esteemed Art Education Department in addition to their MFA in Photography.

Post-graduate residencies in China and India are offered through the Graduate Program Office as well as a teaching fellowship at the college. Scholarships and numerous paid assistantships defray the cost of our relatively low tuition, enabling us to make graduate study affordable and equitable.

Electives
A minimum of 12 credits of studio electives, and with 3 of the 12 credits designated as a major studio elective are required. A minimum of 6 credits of Liberal Arts, History of Art, Art Education (LA/HA/AE) electives are required.

Major Studio**
In the final MFA semester, most students enroll in 9 credits of Major Studio. Students may also take 6 credits of Major Studio and 3 credits in a studio elective that is integral to their thesis project.