Master of Arts/Master of Fine Arts in Photography & Image-making
Paris, France
MA
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 32,640 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international students | 16,320€/year: EU/EEA/CH/UK nationals
Key Summary
About: MA/MFA in Photography & Image-making at Paris College of Art treats photography as a hybrid art form. PCA is US NASAD accredited. Curriculum blends studio practice, critical studies, art history, still and moving image, and new media. First two semesters share curriculum; MFA students continue for two additional semesters to prepare for academic careers. It trains visual thinkers to use technology for inventive storytelling.
Career Outcomes: Graduates enter creative sectors in photography, video, multimedia, editing, curating, museum & gallery roles, web design and teaching. PCA offers guest speakers, alumni networks, portfolio reviews and career services; some pursue research, academia.
The program focuses on new types of visual storytelling: still images, video, and multimedia, with a curriculum that emphasizes knowledge and transdisciplinary skill sets and understands photography as a hybrid and emerging art form.
The program is suitable for students who want to understand better how to navigate in an image-driven society, to be not only makers but visual thinkers, capable of relating to different fields with a critical analytical capacity, inventiveness, knowing how to juggle with the technological and communication means available today, and ready to offer creative solutions through images.
Based on the intersection of visual phenomena, new media, critical studies, and creative production, the program offers a unique blend of studio practice and theoretical and art historical training. At PCA, students can complete either a Master of Art (MA) or a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Photography and Image Making. These programs’ first two semesters (fall and spring) follow a common curriculum. MFA students then continue for two semesters of study in the following year to receive the MFA degree, suitable for an academic career.
MA Curriculum
One-year program
- Seminar 1: Portfolio Development
- Contemporary Issues 1
- Digital Lab 2: Photo
- Photography & Marketplace
- Masters Electives
- Digital Video Lab
- Seminar 2: Portfolio Development
- Contemporary Issues II
- Degree Project
- Masters Electives
MFA Curriculum
Year One
- Seminar 1: Portfolio Development
- Contemporary Issues 1
- Digital Lab 2: Photo
- Photography & Marketplace
- Introduction to Research & Methodology
- Digital Lab 1: Video
- Seminar 2: Portfolio Development
- Contemporary Issues II
- Intermediate Research & Methodology
- Educational Principles & Radicals
Year Two
- Digital Lab IlI: New Media and Technology
- Contemporary Issues III
- Seminar III: Portfolio Development
- Written Thesis
- Masters Electives
- Seminar IV: Portfolio Organization
- MFA Degree Project
- Masters Electives
Students with an undergraduate background in photography and demonstrated technical skills (black & white and color photography, digital photography, lighting techniques, common software programs for editing) will be considered for admission.
Students graduating from the MA/MFA programs would be prepared to enter the international job market with specific knowledge and skills in photography and image-making, but also in a wide range of disciplines and fields, including fine art, commercial photography, video and multimedia production, editing, college-level education, web design, curating, and museum & gallery management
The Master in Photography and Image-making offers to students a practiced-based opportunity with a professional creative production. The program focuses on tailored education and an individual approach giving to students the possibility to expand their network with of professionals (e.g. museums, galleries, industry, etc.) through guest speakers, meetings with alumni, monthly portfolio reviews, access to the career services office, industry credentials and contacts, etc. The first-year also provides an excellent preparation for higher level research degrees, with an increasing number of graduates undertaking research in photography and image making related subjects, in practice or theory or entering academia.
Registration for our two-week summer classes is still open! Come study art and design in Paris, see our campus, and gain hands-on studio experience in your field of interest. Open to all age 16 and up.