For more than 60 years, the School of Film and Photography has prepared students to become highly-trained creative artists. Our curriculum encourages students to develop their own voices in film and photography and to explore their individual interests with close faculty guidance and mentoring. 

The Photography Program features a range of visual approaches to the medium embracing the technical and the aesthetic. Our award winning faculty provide a solid foundation for students to enter the photography industry. MSU remains one of the only photography programs to fully teach both analog (wet darkroom), digital processes, and alternative, non-silver based photography.  

Students learn from our world renowned photography professors Christina Z. Anderson, Alexis Pike, and Ian Van Coller.  Other faculty members include Kelsey Merritt, Heather McKenney, and David Shannon-Lier.

In addition to our world class faculty, our program has the best photography equipment and facilities in the Rockies region!  Our facilities include a double cyc wall photography studio, industry standard Profoto lighting, a finishing lab, two gang black and white lab, individual color darkrooms, an alternative processes dimroom, bookmaking facilities, and digital editing labs. The equipment available to our students include a full range of cameras ranging from 35 mm, view cameras, to industry quality digital cameras, Imacon scanner, Jobo processors, and several of the newest large format color Epson printers.

Graduates of the program occupy all niches of the photography industry including photojournalism, commercial portraits, fine-arts, and action sports. Our graduates have published works in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Powder magazine and more.  Samples of our former students Diana Davis, Megan Hansen, and Nicole Wild's works can be found online. 

Student Work

The Photo program culminates in a senior capstone project where students share their senior portfolio with the SFP community and the general public. Traditionally, the Senior Photo Critique takes place on the last Monday of each semester.To see the previous senior photos, please visit our Photo Student Work webpage.

The Curriculum

The Photo Program is a four year Bachelor of Arts degree. With an emphasis in hands-on experience, students have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience using industry standard equipment provided by the department. This immersive experience begins in their freshmen year with film and photo production courses, and continues through their senior capstone.

To view the current cirriculum for the Photo Program, please visit the Undergraduate Program website.