Master of Arts/Master of Fine Arts in Photography & Image-making

In this program, students explore digital image-making through practice-based and process-oriented research. At 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.

The MA/MFA in Photography and Image-Making focuses on new types of visual storytelling: still image, moving image, and multimedia, with a curriculum that emphasizes new media and transdisciplinary skill sets, and understands photography as a hybrid and emerging art form.

The program explores digital image-making as a force, and it is designed as a practice-based and process-oriented program. 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.

Students who pursue the program at Paris College of Art have the potential for connection-building while they are still in the program.

At PCA, students can complete either a Masters of Art (MA) or a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) in Photography and Image-Making. The first two semesters (fall and spring) of these programs follow a common curriculum. MFA students continue for two semesters of study in the following academic year (fall and spring) to receive the MFA degree.

The program combines technical knowledge and principles of photography and image-making research and theory. Studio classes and workshops conducted by professionals emphasize the mastery of contemporary techniques and professional practices, while theory-based and methodology courses help students develop their personal creative visions.

Thanks to internships during the photo events held in Paris several times a year and ongoing partnerships between PCA and relevant Parisian institutions, students will be well prepared to enter the job market and will have started to create a professional network by the time they graduate.

What are the advantages of studying in Paris?

Paris is an epicenter for emerging contemporary photography and image-making, between the great photo fairs and events like Paris Photo, Fotofever, Festival Circulations, and photo venues like the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, LE BAL, and the Jeu de Paume. Students will have direct access to Parisian networks and the opportunities to visit these venues regularly, participate in calls for projects and exhibitions.

For many decades, Paris has been considered the center of avant-garde art and, without a doubt, as the hub for new photography in Europe since the 1920s. If the French capital became a forum for photographers from so many different countries and backgrounds, this was because it stood as a model of modernity and a beacon of economic hope in the aftermath of the First World War, but also because it was a haven of political and religious freedom for those forced into exile. Furthermore, the international dimension of both the city and Paris College of Art provides a unique platform for students who would aspire to experience an internship or work abroad.