Photography, Cinematography & Design Minor
Contact
Renée Stevens, Chair
315-443-3367
rcsteven@syr.edu
Goal
Visual storytelling is one of the most powerful skills you can bring to any career. The Photography, Cinematography and Design minor equips students with the technical expertise and creative vision to produce compelling, high-quality images and media — and to use those skills with intention. Whether you're communicating research, building a brand, documenting communities, or telling stories that matter, this minor gives you the tools to do it well.
Audience
Open to all Syracuse University students except those enrolled in the Television, Radio and Film BS or the Visual Communications BS, this minor is designed for anyone who wants visual communication skills to amplify their primary field of study. Photography, video, and design are professional differentiators across virtually every discipline — from architecture and biology to fashion, education, social science, environmental studies, journalism, and beyond. If your work involves communicating ideas to an audience, this minor makes you better at it.
Entrance Requirements
Applicants are admitted on a space-available basis depending upon a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. To be eligible, a student must have completed 30 credits at Syracuse University in courses graded A-F. Students should declare their Photography, Cinematography & Design minor by the spring of their sophomore year. Students who apply after their sophomore year may have to commit to being on campus for an extra semester to complete the requirements of this minor. Applications should be submitted to the Newhouse Advising Office (316 Newhouse 3).
Restricted Graduate Credit
With permission after completion of the departmental review of their work, a student may choose to take 6 of their remaining 12 credits in the minor at the graduate level. If this option is chosen, the graduate level courses may be used towards the Multimedia, Photography and Design master’s degree. Students have from the time grades are posted for the course(s) up until the fall of their senior year to declare if the graduate credit will count in their minor or if they are going to use it towards their graduate degree. If completing the graduate credits and continuing into the graduate program, students will be required to drop the minor before graduation in order for these credits to count in a graduate degree. If students are not going to use the graduate credits in a graduate program, they will need to petition the University to allow those credits to be used in their undergraduate requirements.
For students that choose to apply for the Multimedia, Photography and Design master’s program, a portfolio is required for admission and should be sent separately to Professor Ken Harper, Graduate Program Director, Visual Communications Department. Images should be presented on a personal website or through social media channels. Please send appropriate URLs to Professor Harper at kenharpe01@syr.edu. If you do not have some type of portfolio, GRE test scores must be submitted instead.