Contact
Ken Harper, Program Director
315-443-6131
kharpe01@syr.edu
Faculty
Seth Gitner, Ken Harper, Gregory Heisler, Paula Nelson, Milton Santiago, Michael Snyder, Renée Stevens, Bruce Strong, Claudia Strong, Jason Webb
Program Description
The Multimedia, Photography and Design graduate degree is for students who want to customize their education around their career objectives. The program offers tracks in Cinematography, Photography, and Graphic Design , and students take a foundational and an advanced course in their area of focus. Students then select electives to either deepen that area of expertise or broaden their knowledge base and skill sets into complementary areas. To work with publications, corporations and non-profit organizations on real-world projects, the program encourages collaboration among students, faculty and professionals. To augment the emphasis on visual communication, the program also includes communications research, media law, visual communications theory and current business practices. The course work for this program may be completed in 12 or 18 months.
This 34-credit program leads to a Master of Science (M.S.) in Multimedia, Photography and Design.
Admission
A portfolio is required for admission into the Master’s program and should be sent separately to Associate Professor Ken Harper, Graduate Program Director, Visual Communications Department. Images should be presented on a personal website, cloud drive ,or through social media channels.
Please send relevant URLs to Professor Stevens at rcsteven@syr.edu. If you do not have some type of portfolio, GRE test scores must be submitted instead.
Student Learning Outcomes
In addition to the comprehensive Newhouse School learning outcomes listed in the school’s Educational Mission, students in the Multimedia, Photography and Design program are expected to achieve the following learning outcome:
- Produce professional quality cinematographic and photographic stories or design work by synthesizing the best practices and current theories of traditional graphic design, still, motion, and emerging media
Program Requirements
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| COM 698 | Media Law | 3 |
| |
| Advertising & Public Relations Law | |
| Telecommunications Law&Policy |
| VIS 601 | Photography and Multimedia Fundamentals | 3 |
| or VIS 607 | Graphic Design Fundamentals |
| VIS 602 | Essentials for Visual Communicators (Advanced Productivity, Writing, Portfolio Design) | 3 |
| VIS 622 | Visual Communications Theory | 3 |
| VIS 642 | Professional Practices for Visual Communicators | 3 |
| VIS 669 | Portfolio Review | 0 |
| 16 |
| COM 675 | Communications Industry Practicum | 1 |
| VIS 659 | Proseminar in Multimedia, Photography, and Design | 2 |
| Total Credits | 34 |
Concentration
(Choose One, 16 credits)
Photography Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| VIS 604 | Foundations in Camera, Light and Concept | 3 |
| or VIS 605 | Photographic Storytelling |
| 3 |
| Visual Editing and Project Development | |
| Commercial & Advertising Photography and Multimedia | |
| Advanced Light and Concept | |
| VIS 639 | Advanced Projects | 3 |
| 7 |
Graphic Design Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| VIS 617 | Typographic Design | 3 |
| or VIS 647 | Motion Design |
| 3 |
| Type and Image Design | |
| User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design | |
| Immersive Design | |
| 10 |
Cinematography Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| Nonfiction Video Storytelling | |
| Cinematography I: Fundamentals | |
| Cinematic Light & Lens | |
| Topics in Cinematography | |
| Cinematography II: Cinematic Storytelling | |
| Specialized Practice (Topics include: Color Correction) | |
| 10 |
Students are encouraged to take both VIS 601 Photography and Multimedia Fundamentals and VIS 607 Graphic Design Fundamentals during Summer Session II. If they choose to take both in SSII, then they will take the required law course during the fall or spring semester.