Prior to the School of Film & Photography, Montana State College had one University photographer, Paul Jesswein, and one University cinematographer, Jack Stonnell. Jesswein and Stonnell took assignments from the university recording events such as senator visits on campus and football games. Out of their activity came the development of an academic program led by Jesswein, Stonnell, and Fred Gerber, a television scriptwriter with industry experience.

In the 1960's, the program was created, containing majors with three options: photography, film, and television. Theatre, at the time, was still a separate major taught in the English department. The first students in the early 1960's helped the teaching staff on various projects. Over time, TV and film merged into one major. The faculty consisted mostly of staff of MSU Television Services and documentary/experimental filmmakers.

Until 1984, the Department was housed in both Montana Hall and McCall Hall. In that year, the Visual Communications Building was completed, bringing the film, video, and photography programs literally under one roof.

In the 1987-1988 academic year, theatre merged with film, video, TV and photography to create what was known as the Media and Theatre Arts Department. In 2006, the Black Box Theater was constructed in a new wing of the Visual Communications Building. In late 2008, the Department of Media & Theatre Arts evolved to what is currently known as the School of Film & Photography.

The School of Film & Photography has focused on the hiring of filmmaker/teachers with feature, experimental, or national documentary experience in order to maintain a "hands-on" philosophy of teaching filmmaking. With the exception of the history/theory faculty, all the tenured and tenured-track faculty are active filmmakers with nationally distributed films and award-winning festival works.

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