PHOTOGRAPHY | VIDEO
Our Photography | Video program blends tradition with innovation, preparing students to push boundaries, experiment across disciplines, and craft meaningful creative works.
BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS IN PHOTOGRAPHY | VIDEO (BFA)
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography | Video at the University of Houston is a studio-focused degree that centers photography and video as contemporary art practices. Students develop a sustained, coherent body of work in still and moving images, supported by intensive studio courses, critique, and research in the histories and theories of lens-based art.
The curriculum emphasizes contemporary photographic and video art across analog and
digital processes. Students work in black-and-white and color darkrooms, large-format
and studio practice, experimental video, and digital imaging, learning how technical
decisions serve conceptual and aesthetic questions. Studio-driven questions are enriched
by studies in art history, theory, and contemporary lens-based practices that situate
student work within broader conversations in visual culture.
Students also benefit from internships with Houston-based organizations such as FotoFest,
the Houston Center for Photography, and Project Row Houses, gaining real-world experience
in alternative spaces, museums, and non-profits. Classroom instruction is supplemented
by field trips to the Print Room at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and area galleries,
and a series of prominent visiting artists. This hands-on learning complements the
program’s commitment to fostering self-awareness, technical skill, and artistic growth
in a supportive, diverse community.
Entrance into the BLOCK program represents a critical milestone for Photography | Video students. The program offers a focused and rigorous environment to refine their creative practices, experiment and develop technical skills in the context of peer critique and engagement with art history and critical discourse. Admission is determined by a competitive portfolio review, ensuring a cohort of highly motivated and committed artists. The senior year culminates in a student-organized thesis exhibition at a Houston exhibition space.
Features of the BLOCK program include:
- Advanced Studio Access: Students work in individual studios and have access to program darkrooms, the lighting studio and the printing labs at the ATC
- Rigorous curriculum: Structured courses with nationally recognized faculty provide an immersive experience in lens-based media, as students push technical and conceptual boundaries, develop visual literacy and gain facility with contemporary critical vocabulary and concepts.
- Visiting Artists and Curators: Engage with leading figures in photography and video, such as Anne Wilkes Tucker, Amalia Mesa Bains, Deborah Jack, Harry Gamboa Jr., Jess Dugan, Liz Deschenes, and Zora Murff, through visiting lectures, workshops, and critiques.
- Community Engagement: Houston’s vibrant arts scene provides unparalleled access to major institutions such as FotoFest, Aurora Picture Show, and the Houston Center for Photography, as well as exhibitions, screenings, and lectures across the city’s world-class galleries and museums.
For more information on advancing into the BLOCK program, students can contact Keliy Anderson-Staley at kanders7@central.uh.edu
MASTERS OF FINE ARTS IN PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO (MFA)
The MFA in Photography | Video at the University of Houston is a three-year, studio-intensive arts program, fully funded with the acceptance of a graduate assistantship position. As an interdisciplinary program focused on photography and moving-image, graduate students pursue experimental and expanded lens-based practices as part of a small cohort within a rigorous environment of critique, seminar, and research.
Key features of the program include:
- Comprehensive Facilities: Graduate students are provided with individual studio spaces in the well-equipped Elgin Street Studio building and have access to medium and large-format cameras, video equipment, well-equipped wet labs, and black-and-white enlarger suites.
- Rigorous Curriculum: The three-year program combines regular critiques, group seminars, and individual mentorship, encouraging experimentation and interdisciplinary exploration across photography, video, and expanded practices. Students pursue a self-directed art practice, working with award-winning, nationally recognized faculty, while learning to situate their work within contemporary art discourse and critical conversations in photography and moving-image culture.
- Engagement with Houston’s Arts Scene: There are multiple opportunities to exhibit in the Elgin Street Studios galleries, and the program culminates in a thesis exhibition at the Blaffer Art Museum. Houston’s thriving photography community, including the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Houston Center for Photography, offers opportunities for exhibitions, internships, and professional networking. The city’s biannual FotoFest draws photography enthusiasts from around the world, fostering connection.
Graduate students also extend their practice into the city through internships and collaborative projects with Houston-based institutions and alternative spaces, including Aurora Picture Show, gaining professional experience in exhibition production, programming, and community engagement.
LEARN FROM THE BEST
- Keliy Anderson-Staley, Professor, Program Coordinator
- Minwoo Lee, Assistant Professor
- Sebastien Boncy, VAP