SVA Makes Practice-Based Education Globally Accessible

Online Information Session: Monday, December 8, 6:30 - 8:30pm
Register at www.sva.edu/gradopenhouse/app

New York, NY—November 12, 2008—Beginning in the fall of 2009, the School of Visual Arts (SVA) will offer the Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Digital Photography Online/Summer-Residency degree. Expanding on the success of the MPS in Digital Photography, which is a residential learning program, the new degree takes a unique approach by combining web-based education with a summer residency. This one-year, low-residency program is designed for working professionals who are looking to advance their skills in digital image capture, management and high-quality output, or make a career change into the field of digital photography.

Katrin Eismann, photographer, author and chair of the MPS in Digital Photography Department at SVA remarks, “This program is ideal for anyone who has a deep passion for exploring the confluence of photographic aesthetics and digital technology but can’t relocate to New York for a full calendar year of study. Ideal candidates include working photographers, photographic educators and fine artists who are interested in developing a professional and unique body of work.” The program will be conducted online during the fall and spring semesters using state-of-the-art technology and will culminate in an intensive 9-week summer session in New York City, where students will produce a thesis project and the prints and collateral materials for a group exhibition.

The MPS in Digital Photography Online/Summer-Residency is comprised of a rigorous curriculum designed to advance students’ understanding and application of cutting-edge digital imaging technologies through in-depth online coursework composed of weekly classes and assignments, extensive discussions and critique sessions. Required classes include: Color Management and Output; Digital Materials and Processes; The Art of Editorial Photography; Advanced Image Processing; Photo Illustration; Studio Management and Practices; Thesis Development; and Scripting and Automation. Under the guidance of leading photographers, industry experts, retouchers, designers and studio managers, students master the latest tools and techniques to create technically perfect and aesthetically compelling images. Students also become versed in the critical aspects of marketing their work, studio operations and current business practices.

To provide students with a complete learning experience, SVA has developed a feature-rich online environment, including interactive video and audio components, allowing for synchronous and asynchronous meetings, exchanges in real time, virtual office hours and live feeds of lectures and events. Students will be able to make use of SVA’s library holdings online, in addition to other resources available to residential students, and will have 24-hour access to the course content.

As Eismann explains, “In creating this program, we thought a lot about how to bring SVA to you, wherever you are—everything from a sense of community with classmates, to abundant feedback from instructors, to access to technical support and student discounts.”

Katrin Eismann has written and lectured extensively on the latest digital imaging techniques and technologies as well as their impact on professional photographers, artists and educators. She has worked with Adobe Systems, Apple Computer, Eastman Kodak, Nikon and other companies to develop and refine photographic software and hardware. She is the author of multiple books on digital photography and digital imaging techniques, including Real World Digital Photography (Peachpit Press, 2003), Photoshop Masking & Compositing (New Riders Press, 2004), Adobe Photoshop Restoration & Retouching (New Riders Press, 2005) and The Creative Digital Darkroom (O’Reilly Media, Inc., 2008). Eismann is a featured columnist in American Photo and Photoshop User.

The study of the lens-based arts at School of Visual Arts encompasses commercial, fashion, fine art and documentary photography. Students have the opportunity to master multiple genres and image-making vocabularies in order to produce work that is both personally meaningful and marketable. In addition to the MPS in Digital Photography Online/Summer-Residency, SVA offers a BFA in Photography; an MFA in Photography, Video and Related Media; an MPS in Digital Photography (residency program launched in 2007); a one-year certificate for international students, called PhotoGlobal; and nearly 50 photography courses and workshops in the Division of Continuing Education.

School of Visual Arts is a comprehensive college of art and design which has been authorized by the New York State Education Department to confer the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts in advertising; animation; cartooning; computer art; film and video; fine arts; graphic design; illustration; interior design; photography; and visual and critical studies; and to confer the degree of Master of Fine Arts in art criticism and writing; computer art; design; design criticism; fine arts; illustration as visual essay; interaction design; photography, video and related media; social documentary film; and the degree of Master of Professional Studies in art therapy and digital photography; and to confer the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching in art education.

School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the faculty has been comprised of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose.

The online information session for the program will take place on Monday, December 8, from 6:30-8:30pm. To RSVP for the session, please visit www.sva.edu/gradopenhouse/app. For additional information on the program, please visit www.sva.edu/digitalphoto.

##