Jul 17, 2025

2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

Photography, B.F.A.

Media Arts
615-898-2084
Jonathan Trundle, program coordinator
Jonathan.Trundle@mtsu.edu

The Photography program combines aesthetic and technical skills with a foundation in photographic theory and history to prepare students for diverse careers within today’s evolving photographic ecosystem.

Housed in a dedicated, modern facility, the program supports a full range of photographic practices. The building includes digital classrooms, post-production labs, traditional and alternative process darkrooms that accommodate everything from 35 mm to 8x10 film and a wet area for film processing. Two fully equipped studios-one designed for tabletop work and the other featuring a Cyc-wall-support a range of lighting and shooting needs. A high-end digital printing lab offers a variety of large format inkjet printers, controlled lighting for print evaluation, and flat file storage for student work. The facility also includes a student gallery that showcases work throughout the academic year.

The program is also home to the Baldwin Photographic Gallery-one of the few university galleries in the country dedicated exclusively to photography. The gallery presents rotating exhibitions by internationally acclaimed artists and practitioners, offering students direct access to lectures, critiques, and public programs that significantly enhance the curriculum. The gallery is the site of each year’s Photography Capstone Exhibition, allowing students the opportunity to show their work in a professional space before graduation. The program also manages the Baldwin Photographic Collection and Archive, which includes important works by many of the world’s most celebrated photographers.

Students are encouraged to participate in the MTSU Photo Society, a student-led organization that hosts visiting artists, collaborates with organizations across campus, publishes a zine, and organizes regional field trips for shooting and other photography-related opportunities.

NOTE: Majors must complete all major course requirements with a grade of C (2.00) or better.

Admission to Candidacy

To be admitted to candidacy in Photography, the student must meet the following requirements:

36 hours completed before applying for candidacy
Passing grade in EMC 1010
Grade of B- (2.67) or better in each of the following:

Grade of C (2.00) or better in each of the following:

EMC 1020 / RIM 1020 / JOUR 1020

ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020

ART 1610

Academic Map

Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses

Photography, B.F.A., Academic Map

Degree Requirements

True Blue Core (TBC)	41 hours
Major Requirements	51 hours*
College Core	9 hours
Photography Requirements	39 hours
Photography Elective	3 hours
Auxiliary Major Requirement	10 hours
Minor	17-18 hours
Electives	0-9 hours
TOTAL	120 hours

*This program requires courses that can also fulfill requirements of the True Blue Core curriculum. If program requirements are also used to fulfill True Blue Core requirements, the number of elective hours will increase.

True Blue Core (41 hours)

True Blue Core (TBC) requirements (shown in curricular listings below) include courses in the Foundational Skills areas of Written Communication (WC), Information Literacy (Info Lit), Non-Written Communication (NWC), and Quantitative Literacy (Quant Lit). Knowledge Domains include Human Society and Social Relationships (HSSR), Scientific Literacy (Sci Lit), Creativity and Cultural Expression (CCE), and History and Civic Learning (HCL), which include Discovery and Explorations categories. Students must choose at least one course from each Discovery category.

The following courses required by the major meet True Blue Core requirements:

EMC 1020 /JOUR 1020 /RIM 1020 (HSSR)
ENGL 1010 (WC)
ENGL 1020 (Info Lit)
ART 1030 (CCE) or ART 1920 (CCE)

Major Requirements (51 hours)

Electives (0-9 hours)

Recommended Curriculum: Photography

Freshman Fall

ENGL 1010 - Expository Writing 3 credit hours (WC)
EMC 1010 - Orientation to Media Arts 1 credit hour
PHOT 1050 - Basic Digital Photography 3 credit hours
VFP 1060 - Basic Video Production 3 credit hours
Quantitative Literacy 3 credit hours
EMC 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours (HSSR) OR
JOUR 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours (HSSR) OR
RIM 1020 - Introduction to Media and Entertainment 3 credit hours (HSSR)

Subtotal: 16 Hours

Freshman Spring

ENGL 1020 - Research and Argumentative Writing 3 credit hours (Info Lit)
PHOT 1800 - Narrative Strategies in Photography 3 credit hours
History and Civic Learning 3 credit hours
Non-Written Communication 3 credit hours
ART 1610 - Two-Dimensional Design 3 credit hours OR
VFP 1080 - Post-Production I 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Sophomore Fall

Creativity and Cultural Expression Literature 3 credit hours
PHOT 2000 - History of Photography 3 credit hours
PHOT 2500 - Photographic Lighting I 3 credit hours
PHOT 3200 - Intermediate Digital Photography 3 credit hours
VFP 3020 - Screenwriting I 3 credit hours OR
IAM 3060 - Writing for Interactive Experiences 3 credit hours OR
JOUR 2710 - Media Writing 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Sophomore Spring

PHOT 3900 - Photography Seminar 3 credit hours
Human Society and Social Relationships 3 credit hours
Scientific Literacy 4 credit hours
Minor course 3 credit hours
ART 1030 - Introduction to the Visual Arts 3 credit hours OR
ART 1920 - Survey of Western Art I 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 16 Hours

Junior Fall

PHOT 3550 - Photographic Lighting II 3 credit hours
Creativity and Cultural Expression 3 credit hours
History and Civic Learning 3 credit hours
Minor course 3 credit hours
Scientific Literacy 4 credit hours

Subtotal: 16 Hours

Junior Spring

PHOT 3100 - Contemporary Issues in Photography 3 credit hours
PHOT 3300 - Picturing People 3 credit hours
Minor course 3 credit hours
PHOT elective 3 credit hours
PHOT 3520 - Alternative Processes in Photography 3 credit hours OR
PHOT 3540 - Exploring Camera Formats 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Senior Fall

PHOT 4001 - Professional Practices in Photography 3 credit hours
PHOT 4900 - Photography Capstone I 3 credit hours
Minor course 3 credit hours
Elective 3 credit hours
EMC 4250 - Media Law 3 credit hours OR
JOUR 4250 - Media Law 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Senior Spring

PHOT 4910 - Photography Capstone II 3 credit hours
Elective 3 credit hours
Minor course 3 credit hours
Minor course/elective 3 credit hours

Photography, B.F.A.

Admission to Candidacy

Academic Map

Degree Requirements

True Blue Core (41 hours)

Major Requirements (51 hours)

College Core (9 hours)

Photography Requirements (39 hours)

Photography Electives (3 hours)

Auxiliary Major Requirement (10 hours)

Required Minor (17-18 hours)

Electives (0-9 hours)

Recommended Curriculum: Photography

Freshman Fall

Subtotal: 16 Hours

Freshman Spring

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Sophomore Fall

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Sophomore Spring

Subtotal: 16 Hours

Junior Fall

Subtotal: 16 Hours

Junior Spring

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Senior Fall

Subtotal: 15 Hours

Senior Spring

Subtotal: 12 Hours