The University of Central Florida’s Bachelors of Science in Photography degree program provides a balanced photographic education by incorporating strong technical, creative, and critical skills to empower our graduates for life long success in a variety of professional photographic fields.

Working with a diverse professional faculty in an environment that encourages excellence and innovative approaches to photography, the studies offered at UCF present students with an opportunity to further explore their creative potential while positioning graduates to compete in a rapidly changing industry.

The UCF B.S. in Photography is a 2+2 degree program. Partnering with the Daytona State College A.S. in Photographic Technology program it allows those who have completed the A.S. degree from DSC to seamlessly merge into their third and fourth years at the university level. Students coming from other A.S. in Photography degree programs or those having the appropriate first and second year photography courses are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Both photography programs are located on the UCF Eastern Region campus at Daytona State College and occupy a two story, fifty-six thousand square foot building with state of the art studio, computer, darkroom, and classroom facilities. The prestigious Southeast Museum of Photography is also located on campus.

The two schools and the museum are known as the Southeast Center for Photographic Studies. The college is situated on International Speedway Boulevard just a few miles east of the Daytona International Speedway, west of the World’s Most Famous Beach and a little north of the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral.


The Bachelor of Science in Photography degree program provides a balanced photographic education by incorporating strong technical, creative, and critical skills to empower our graduates for lifelong success in a variety of professional photographic fields. Working with a diverse professional faculty in an environment that encourages excellence and innovative approaches to photography, the studies offered at UCF present students with an opportunity to explore their creative potential while positioning graduates to compete in a rapidly changing industry.

The UCF B.S. in Photography is a 2+2 degree program in partnership with Daytona State College’s A.S. in Photographic Technology program. Students who have completed the 2-year A.S. degree from DSC merge seamlessly into their junior year at the university level. Students who have an A.S. in Photography degree from another institution or those with the appropriate first and second-year photography courses are considered individually. Both programs are located on the UCF Eastern Region campus at Daytona State College and occupy a two-story, fifty-six thousand square foot building with state of the art studio, computer, darkroom, and classroom facilities. The prestigious Southeast Museum of Photography is also located on campus.


● The Photography B.S. program is limited-access and open to students who complete an A.S. in Photographic Technology from Daytona State College or equivalent coursework.

● The B.S. Photography degree program is offered exclusively at UCF Daytona Beach.

● The UCF Undergraduate Catalog provides information about degree requirements and course descriptions.

●  42 total hours of upper division photography courses.

●  Two required elective courses.

●  A capstone course where students create work to be included in an exhibition at the Southeast Museum of Photography.

●  A low student to faculty ratio. Students in the major are engaged by talented, experienced, and accessible teachers and advisors.

●  Established industry partners for internships.

●  An opportunity for students to tailor their photographic studies toward specific goals.

Photography (B.S.)

College of Arts and Humanities, School of Visual Arts and Design

The B.S. in Photography degree is a 2+2 program between the University of Central Florida and Daytona State College and is offered by UCF at the Daytona Beach Campus. The B.S. in Photography degree prepares students for profession practice with strong technical, creative and critical skills.

Photography is also available as an area of specialization on the Orlando campus through the School of Visual Arts and Design (SVAD) as part of the Art, Studio Track (B.A.) and Studio Art (B.F.A.) programs.

Admission Requirements

Completion of an Associate of Science in Photographic Technology from Daytona State College or equivalent coursework.

Program Requirements

  • Students who change degree programs and select this major must adopt the most current catalog.
  • Minimum of 42 upper level hours are required for this program. Students in this program will receive a maximum waiver of 6 hours toward the 48 hour upper level University requirement, if needed.
  • Departmental Residency Requirement consists of at least 36 semester hours of regularly scheduled 3000-4000 level courses taken from the UCF School of Visual Arts and Design
  • Students must earn at least a "C" (2.0) in each required upper level course and achieve an overall GPA of at least 2.0
  • Upper-division electives, internship credit, and course substitutions must be approved by the program coordinator.
  • Students should consult with a Photography advisor before selecting this major, and at least once per semester thereafter.

Degree Requirements 

1. UCF General Education Program  (36 credit hours)

Students who have not satisfied General Education Requirements before transferring will complete the remaining courses at UCF. The specific courses will depend on the general education courses completed as part of the articulated A.S., and will come from the following areas:

A. Communication Foundations  (9 credit hours)

¹ENC 1101 Composition I  (3 hrs)
ENC 1102 Composition II  (3 hrs)
SPC 2600 Speech  (3 hrs)

B. Cultural & Historical Foundations  (9 credit hours)

A year sequence in AMH, EUH, HUM, or WOH (6 hrs)
¹ARH 2051 History of Western Art II  (3 hrs)
or ARH 2050 History of Western Art II  (3 hrs)

C. Mathematical Foundations¹ (6 credit hours)

Required MAC 1105C College Algebra   (3 hrs)
MGF 2106 College Mathematics or (3 hrs)
MGF 2107 Mathematics for Liberal Arts (3 hrs)
Computer Science or Statistics (3 hrs)

D. Social Foundations¹ (6 credit hours)

AMH 2020 U.S. History: 1877-Present (3 hrs)
Psychology or Sociology (3 hrs)

E. Science Foundations (6 credit hours)

Physical Science (3 hrs)
Life Science (3 hrs)

¹If not already completed as part of the A.S. degree, after acceptance into the program.

2. Common Program Prerequisites (CPP)

Included in A.S. or B.S. requirements. See "Common Prerequisites" in the Transfer and Transitions Services section of the catalog for more information. Subject to change. Prerequisites have not been set by the state.

¹ARH 2051 History of Western Art II (3 hrs)
or ARH 2050 History of Western Art I
²PGY 3651C Narrative Photography (3 hrs)
¹PGY 1800 Photography and Image Making (3 hrs)

  ¹Already included in A.S. requirements.
²Already included in B.S. requirements.

3. Core Requirements: Basic Level (49 hrs)

Completed in the A.S. in Photographic Technology at Daytona State College, or equivalent coursework.

4. Core Requirements: Advanced Level (30 credit hours)

PGY 3002  Contemporary Photography (3 hrs)
PGY 3205C Photographic Lighting Techniques (3 hrs)
PGY 3276  The Professional Environment (3 hrs)
PGY 3472C Photo Visualization (3 hrs)
PGY 3651C Narrative Photography (3 hrs)
PGY 3653C Advanced Editorial Photography (3 hrs)
PGY 3751C Videography (3 hrs)
PGY 3821C Advanced Digital Printing (3 hrs)
PGY 4003  Image, Culture, and Society (3 hrs)
PGY 4228C Advanced Illustrative Photography (3 hrs)
PGY 4471  Photography Thesis (3 hrs)
ARH 3710 History of Photography I (3 hrs)

5. Restricted Electives (6 credit hours)

Select two of the following courses:
PGY 3451C Alternative Processes (3 hrs)
PGY 3480  Museum and Gallery Practices (3 hrs)
PGY 4235C Professional Photographic Workshop (3 hrs)
PGY 4493C Photography and Art (3 hrs)
PGY 4941  Internship (3 hrs)

See the Course Descriptions for specific information on the individual courses in the UCF B.S. in Photography degree program.

For a full list of UCF's classification and numbering system for all courses in the B.S. in Photography degree program see the alphabetical listings of courses by prefix and the state's Common Course Numbering System in the Undergraduate Catalog.

6. Capstone Requirements

PGY 4471C Photography Thesis

7. Foreign Language Requirements

Admissions: Two years of one foreign language in high school, or one year of one foreign language in college (or equivalent proficiency exam) prior to graduation.

Graduation: None

8. Departmental Exit Requirements

Achieve at least a "C" or better in all courses used to satisfy major requirements.

9. University Minimum Exit Requirements

  • A 2.0 UCF GPA.
  • 60 semester hours earned after any CLEP award.
  • 48 semester hours of upper division credit completed.
  • 30 of the last 39 hours of course work must be completed in residency at UCF.
  • A maximum of 45 semester hours of extension, correspondence, CLEP, Credit by Exam, and Armed Forces credits permitted.
  • Completion of the General Education Program, the Gordon Rule, and nine semester hours of Summer credit.

Total Undergraduate Credit Hours Required—127 hours

Related Minors

  • Journalism Minor
  • Business Minor
  • Creative Writing Minor

Transfer Notes

  • Students transferring from any Florida public institution with an A.A. degree or with the general education program (GEP) requirements of that institution met have thereby satisfied UCF GEP requirements.
  • Lower division courses do not substitute for upper division courses.
  • Transfer courses must be evaluated for equivalency credit and/or for use in the area by the department. The student must provide all supporting information.

Acceptable Substitutes for Transfer Courses

  • Acceptable substitutes for General Education and Common Program Prerequisites will be determined by the School of Visual Arts and Design and the University.

Program Academic Learning Compacts

Equipment Fees

  • Full-Time Student: $90 per term
  • Part-Time Student: $45 per term

Curriculum Requirements

To view the most recent curriculum requirements, please visit the UCF undergraduate catalog page. Catalogs are updated every year, and curriculum requirements may change from year to year. Please select the catalog year that applies to you; your catalog year is the year you first entered UCF (or another Florida state university). For previous catalog years, please visit the UCF Catalogs Archive.


Disclaimer
: The information provided above is only for informational purposes and the convenience of the UCF student body, and is not considered an official version of the UCF Catalog. The printed copy of the catalog for the appropriate year you entered UCF are the only official versions.