Digital Photography (Professional Certificate)

Award: Professional Certificate
Program of Study: Digital Photography
Program Code: 1707

The Digital Photography Professional Certificate teaches photography, editing, and printing. Classes are structured around experiential learning, providing students with extensive hands-on practice with individual and collaborative projects that reflect industry standards.

The Digital Photography Professional Certificate cultivates a positive learning environment for experimentation and exploration with an emphasis on the study of photography, light, color, and composition in regards to various narrative, non-fiction, and experimental techniques. Students develop into critical, analytical, and independent problem solvers, thinkers, and creators.

The Digital Photography Professional Certificate program equips students with the technical skills, creative vision, and professional expertise needed to excel in the field of photography. The curriculum involves hands-on learning of foundational and advanced techniques in digital photography, lighting, composition, and post-processing. Students will explore various genres, including portrait, landscape, commercial, and documentary photography. Students will emerge with a compelling portfolio and the confidence to navigate the professional photography landscape.

All CMU certificate graduates are expected to demonstrate proficiency in specialized knowledge/applied learning, critical thinking, and personal and social responsibility. In addition to these campus‐wide student learning outcomes, graduates of this major will be able to:

1. Construct a summative project, paper or practiced-based performance that draws on current research, scholarship and/or techniques, and specialized knowledge in the discipline of digital photography (Specialized Knowledge/Applied Learning)
2. Describe reasoned conclusions that articulate the implications and consequences for a particular digital photography decision by synthesizing information and methodologies (Critical Thinking)
3. Reflect on and respond to ethical, social, civic and/or environmental challenges at local, national, and/or global levels in the digital photography industry. (Personal and Social Responsibility)

The following institutional requirements apply to all CMU Professional Certificates. Specific programs may have different requirements that must be met in addition to institutional requirements.

• Consists of 5-59 semester hours.
• Primarily 300-400 level courses.
• At least fifty percent of the credit hours must be taken at CMU.
• 2.00 cumulative GPA or higher in all CMU coursework.
• A grade lower than “C” in the program of study will not be counted toward meeting the certificate’s requirements.
• A course may only be used to fulfill one requirement for each degree/certificate.
• Pre-collegiate courses (usually numbered below 100) cannot be used for graduation.
• Capstone exit assessment/projects (e.g., Major Field Achievement Test) requirements are identified under Program-Specific Certificate Requirements.
• The Catalog Year determines which program sheet and certificate requirements a student must fulfill in order to graduate. Visit with your advisor or academic department to determine which catalog year and program requirements you should follow.
• See “Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees and Certificates” in the catalog for a complete list of graduation requirements. 

Institutional Certificate Requirements

The following institutional requirements apply to all CMU Professional Certificates. Specific programs may have different requirements that must be met in addition to institutional requirements.

• Consists of 5-59 semester hours.
• Primarily 300-400 level courses.
• At least fifty percent of the credit hours must be taken at CMU.
• 2.00 cumulative GPA or higher in all CMU coursework.
• A grade lower than “C” in the program of study will not be counted toward meeting the certificate’s requirements.
• A course may only be used to fulfill one requirement for each degree/certificate.
• Pre-collegiate courses (usually numbered below 100) cannot be used for graduation.
• Capstone exit assessment/projects (e.g., Major Field Achievement Test) requirements are identified under Program-Specific Certificate Requirements.
• The Catalog Year determines which program sheet and certificate requirements a student must fulfill in order to graduate. Visit with your advisor or academic department to determine which catalog year and program requirements you should follow.
• See “Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees and Certificates” in the catalog for a complete list of graduation requirements. 

Program Specific Certificate Requirements

(12 semester hours)

¹

This course has a prerequisite of ARTS 325.

Advising Process and DegreeWorks

Documentation on the pages related to this program is intended for informational purposes to help determine what courses and associated requirements are needed to earn a certificate. Some courses are critical to complete in specific semesters while others may be moved around. Meeting with an academic advisor is essential in planning courses and discussing the suggested course sequencing. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to understand and fulfill the requirements for their intended certificate.

DegreeWorks is an online degree audit tool available in MAVzone. It is the official record used by the Registrar’s Office to evaluate progress towards a certificate and determine eligibility for graduation. Students are responsible for reviewing their DegreeWorks audit on a regular basis and should discuss questions or concerns with their advisor or academic department head. Discrepancies in requirements should be reported to the Registrar’s Office.

Graduation Process

Students must complete the following in the first two months of the semester prior to completing their certificate requirements (for one-semester certificates, complete in the first week of class):

• Review their DegreeWorks audit and create a plan that outlines how unmet requirements will be met in the final semester.
• Meet with their advisor and modify their plan as needed. The advisor must approve the final plan.
• Submit the “Intent to Graduate” form to the Registrar’s Office to officially declare the intended graduation date and commencement ceremony plans.
• Register for all needed courses and complete all requirements for each degree sought.

Submission deadlines and commencement details can be found on the Graduation web page.

If a student's petition for graduation is denied, it will be their responsibility to apply for graduation in a subsequent semester. A student's “Intent to Graduate” does not automatically move to a later graduation date.