In our contemporary, media-driven world, photography and video are the most influential visual mediums for documenting the world and conveying ideas.
Launch a career in visual storytelling
JCCC’s Photography, Film, and Media Studies programs prepare you to work in the fields of film, digital media, photography, art, and so much more. Through our programs, you can:
- Earn an Associates of Fine Arts (AFA) with a pathway in Film and Media Studies or Lens-based Media (photography)
- Focus on Photography courses
- Concentrate on Film and Media Studies courses
- Create a tailor-made degree path specifically designed for your career preparation
Why JCCC is the right choice for Photography and Film & Media Studies
Our AFA degree is designed for students who want to earn a degree in two years, and/or students who plan to transfer to another college or university to earn a bachelor's degree. It requires:
- A minimum of 60 college-level credit hours within specified categories with a 2.0 or higher GPA
- A minimum of 34 credit hours of Kansas Systemwide General Education courses and 25 additional credit hours of electives. These electives can be chosen from a list of art electives, including classes in Photography, Film and Media Studies, Recording Arts/Music, Animation, Fine Arts, and others, based on your degree pathway or career goals.
- The completion of a JCCC Cultural Diversity designated course
Take advantage of our two-plus-two agreements with the University of Kansas, University of Missouri-Kansas City, and other universities in the region and across the country that ensure your courses transfer at the junior (third-year) level. JCCC Transfer Information and Services has specific information on transferring your JCCC credits to another school.
While working toward your AFA degree, you will have hands-on opportunities—beginning with your first semester—to learn both technical and visual literacy skills. You will also develop critical thinking skills, technical abilities, and personal vision to prepare you for transferring to a bachelor’s degree program at a four-year institution.
Develop formal, technical, and conceptual skills in photography as you learn to use professional equipment to shoot and process analog, digital, and experimental images.
Create a polished portfolio for transfer applications as you practice your technical skills in digital studios using:
- The latest photo-editing software
- Epson Fine Art printers
- A large and highly equipped darkroom
- Professional shooting and lighting studios
Pursue a career as a gallery employee or curator, wedding or portrait photographer, journalism or fine arts photographer, documentarian, aerial or commercial photographer, or advertising or fashion photographer, among many others.
Learn to use professional cameras, sound recording, and lighting gear to captivate audiences using time-based media, the creation of moving images and sound using traditional methods and/or new digital technology.
Also explore expanded media, which incorporates experimental approaches to art and includes performance, projection mapping, and installation, in addition to video and sound. This type of work creates art that unfolds over time—video, film, audio, or computer-based installations.
Develop technical skills and a polished portfolio in our high-tech studios and labs, preparing yourself to become a:
- Visual artist
- Theater technician
- Gallery art preparator
- Technical producer, director, lighting technician or camera operator in the entertainment industry
- Creator/installer of immersive spaces
- Learn inside our 37,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Fine Arts and Design Studios (FADS) building with access to high-tech lighting studios and analog and digital studios.
- Be inspired by the internationally recognized Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art on campus and home to a world-class collection of permanent works and traveling exhibitions.
- Attend lectures and presentations from visiting artists—and have your portfolio reviewed on- and off-campus by some of the best local, regional, and national talent.
- Use our easy scholarship application to see if you qualify for art- or non-art-related scholarships for incoming first-year students and continuing students.
- Prepare to apply for first-year scholarships and make the transition into college art classes by getting your high school portfolio reviewed for free by the department.
Contact info:
Tonia Hughes, Chair, Department of Photography, Film, and Media Studies
913-469-8500, ext. 3649
Location: FADS 224
thughes38@jccc.edu
