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Certificate

Photography: Images and Techniques

Professional Certificate

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About the Photography: Images and Techniques Program

The Professional Certificate in Photography offers concentrated study in the photographic arts and is designed for the novice and the intermediate photographer alike.

Develop a Comprehensive Photography Portfolio as you Enhance your Creative and Technical Photographic Skills.

This program will help you develop solid photography skills including an understanding of the aesthetic and technical processes essential to the field. You may choose an area of concentration and enroll in the electives that meet your personal interests and career goals.

Throughout this program, you will improve your ability to observe, find innovative solutions, and express your individual creativity. The final product of your journey is a portfolio of finished photographs.

This Program is Designed For: 

  • Novice photographers with little or no photography background.
  • Intermediate-level photographers who want to diversity their portfolios.
  • Individuals with a burgeoning career in photography who want to specialize and concentrate in an area of focus and help guide career advancement.

Program Highlights: 

  • Learn from working, professional photographers who are experts in the field. 
  • Develop your photographic skills.
  • Apply a variety techniques and tools to bring your creative ideas to life.
  • Broaden your artistic vision.
  • Work with fellow photography enthusiasts.
In-Person, Online, Hybrid, Live Online
Early enrollment discounts can reduce cost.
12 - 27 months
Varies by the number of courses taken per quarter.
$4,290
Textbooks, materials, and camera equipment are separate.

Program Benefits

  • Start in any term throughout the year. 
  • Customize specialized, elective courses to meet your personal and career goals.
  • Learn from photography professionals with years of experience, who will continually provide guidance and feedback.
  • Access to dedicated Career Resources Hub with career information, job postings, events and tutorials.
  • UC San Diego is proud to work with lenders to provide certificate students with an alternative for education funding. Extended Studies courses are not eligible for FAFSA; instead, you can apply online directly with lenders to secure the funds you need to pay for tuition and book fees. Learn More
  • Connect with our Digital Arts Linkedin Group.
  • Gain a certificate from one of the world’s top-rated universities.

Application & Course Requirements

  • Courses may be taken on an individual basis or you can apply for the Photography: Images and Techniques Professional Certification Program.
  • In order to establish candidacy in the Certification program, you must complete the application and pay the course-lock fee. 
  • A Certificate is awarded upon the successful completion of 5 required, Core Courses and 14 units of Elective Options.
  • All courses must be completed within 5 years of enrollment.
  • Camera recommendation: A fully adjustable DSLR camera, or a mirrorless camera with manual exposure mode, or a prosumer camera.
  • Some courses require: Creative Cloud Photography Plan (or the full Adobe Creative Cloud plan), Lightroom Classic (not Lightroom Creative Cloud).
  • A tripod is recommended.
  • Please check individual courses for specific equipment and software requirements. 

How to Apply

Students may enroll in individual courses without applying to the certificate program. There is a $0.00 application fee. For students pursuing the certificate, there will be a one-time $95.00 certificate fee. The certificate fee will increase to $125.00, effective May 2.

Get More Information

For detailed information, please contact our Arts, Humanities, Languages & Digital Arts department.

Photography: Images and Techniques
Classroom type:
Live Online
In-Person
Online
Hybrid
Download Course List

REQUIRED COURSES

All five are required

Artistic

Courses focus on aesthetic development

Technical

Courses focus on technical skill sets

Conditions for Admission

Please see the application for specific admission requirements for this program.

This program is open to all.

Current UC San Diego students may be considered for admission depending on their academic and career focus and educational performance.

Certificate Guidelines

To fulfill the certificate program, students must complete at least 28 quarter units in Photography. Student may enroll in the certificate program during any quarter of the year. The series of courses with both artistic and technical emphasis are organized into levels of increasing difficulty ensures that students develop and refine their skills over time. Students work at their own pace and choose from a wide variety of electives.

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FAQs

Most courses combine theory with hands-on exercises. Our courses are taught by working professionals who bring real-life projects, assignments, critiques, and examples to your course.

This program requires a total of 28 units.

There are 5 required courses, making up 14 units:

  • Digital photography Workflow
  • A Short History of Photography
  • Photo I: Aperture, Shutter Speed, & ISO
  • Photo II: Technique and Style
  • Photo III: Portfolio


The remaining 14 units are electives, in topics such as:

  • Artistic
  • Technical
  • Digital Printing & Workflow
  • Lighting
  • Special Topics
This program can be completed entirely online with asynchonous online and live online (via Zoom) courses. Live online courses may offer local field trips. Remote students are required to complete the field trips as self-guided photo shoots. A few elective courses are offered live in San Diego. For questions please reach out to unex-digital@ucsd.edu.
Yes. Our programs are designed to be working-student friendly and most of our students are working professionals. The courses vary between two and three units, which amount to approximately 18-20 hours of class time for a two unit course and 27-30 hours of class time for a three unit course.
UC San Diego is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies - like all other UC San Diego schools, colleges, and departments - is accredited by WASC through the University. All courses and certificate programs offered by UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies have been developed and are administered in accordance with Extension policy and the regulations of the Academic Senate of the University of California. 
  • UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies offers continuing education loans through UC Approved Lenders. Each institution offers low competitive interest rates and flexible payment options. You are also encouraged to contact your personal financial institution about possible lending solutions. Direct links to UC Approved Lenders can be found on our website’s Financial Resources page.
  • The Employment Development Department (EDD) provides a comprehensive range of employment and training services in partnership with state and local agencies/organizations. More information is available on their website at edd.ca.gov.
  • Career Centers Located throughout San Diego County offer their communities comprehensive employment and training services benefiting both business and job seekers. More information is available on their website at workforce.org.
  • Please click here for information about Veteran’s Benefits.
  • Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) funds are limited to degree programs only, and cannot be used for courses or certificate fees at UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies.
Yes, the program is open to non-California residents, including non-US residents. The tuition is the same for all students. If you have questions about how enrolling in courses may or may not affect your visa status, please contact our International Department at ipinfo@ucsd.edu or (858) 534-6784.
No, we do not currently offer job placement assistance, internships, or career services assistance.

In Photo III: Portfolio which is the capstone course in the Photography: Images & Techniques program, student's will develop a portfolio and learn essential business practices to market themselves in the photography industry. For more detailed information on the the learning outcomes for Photo III: Portfolio please visit the course homepage.

You may take courses in the order you prefer, keeping in mind that some courses do have prerequisite requirements. 

You may enroll concurrently in more than one course, as your schedule permits. 

Certificate students should begin the program with Photo I: Aperture, Shutter Speed, & ISO.

STEP 1: Click on the "Apply Now" button on the certificate page. Complete the required fields on the application. Then click the "Save" button. Once you have saved the application, the "Submit" button will appear. Click on the "Submit" button to submit your application for review and consideration. Once submitted, your application cannot be changed. You can track the progress of your application at MyExtension. 

STEP 2: If you have a MyExtension student account, skip to Step 2. If you do not have a MyExtension account, go to myextension.ucsd.edu, click "Create an account" on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions to create an account. Once you have a MyExtension account, continue to Step 2.

Yes, you may enroll in the program at any time. However, it is recommended that you enroll as soon as possible. The program curriculum may be updated at any time; if certificate requirements change, you must adhere to the curriculum at the time of your enrollment into the certificate. Enrolling in the certificate also gives you access to quarterly, personalized enrollment reminders from the program manager.
Yes, you may take any course in this program without registering for the certificate.
We recommend enrolling as soon as possible. Many of our core certificate courses may fill up before the course start date. Each quarter we also offer an early enrollment discount of $25 on select courses if you enroll by the discount deadline.
Students are advised to be enrolled no later than the day before the start date of the course.
 
Enrollment in a class may be blocked in the following situations:

◦The class is closed (see FAQ on when enrollment closes).
◦The class is at capacity. If the class is at capacity you will only be able to join the waitlist.  
◦The class is cancelled due to low enrollments.
◦The class has prerequisites that you have not completed yet.

For these reasons we recommend that you enroll early.
Students are expected to attend all class meetings, participate in class, and complete all homework assignments. Attendance is factored as a part of students’ final grades, and varies by instructor. Typically students can miss one class meeting without it impacting their final grade as long as they still complete their homework. Students who miss a class meeting should always reach out to their instructor regarding late work and homework.
If you have enrolled at least three days before the course begins, you will have access starting on the first day of class. You should receive an email from Student Services with instructions for how to login to the course. If you have enrolled on or after the start date of the course, you will have access to the course within one business day.
 

You will have access to the online Canvas course on the official start date of the class/exam/info session.  Access will be available at 12:01am Pacific Time.

Enrollment to online classes can take up to 24 hours to process and sync up to our online platform, Canvas. For example, if a class started on Tuesday and that is the day a student enrolled, they will likely not have full access to the class until 24 hours later on Wednesday.

Each student has their own learning style so this can vary greatly. As a rule of thumb, expect to spend an average of two hours studying for every hour you spend in-class. For online courses, students should plan to spend approximately 8-10 hours per week viewing lectures and completing coursework.
Format: Online asynchronous. There are no set meeting times, however, students follow a weekly schedule and there will be deadlines to meet in terms of course requirements. This course cannot be completed at an accelerated rate. UCSD Extended Studies operates in Pacific Standard Time and therefore any deadline. is considered 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
The program courses are taught by seasoned professionals and overseen by an advisory board of leaders in the field. You can view the advisor list under the “Advisors” section on this certificate page. You can find information about a course instructor, including a biography and credentials, on the course page.
Our live, elective courses are held at our University City Center location. For directions please visit: https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/about-us/locations.
Students can transfer in up to two courses that match the content of our required courses. Please email unex-digital@ucsd.edu for more information about the transferability of previously completed courses.

If you are interested in taking courses at UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies, you will need to obtain written approval from your school principal or counselor. The approval must be signed and printed on school letterhead, and must be included with your registration. If you are homeschooled, your approval needs to be signed by your contact in your local school district.

The letter should verify that you, the student, have the maturity and academic readiness to attend a post-baccalaureate level or college-level course.

Approvals can be emailed to unex-reg@ucsd.edu.

We are unable to accept letters signed by your parent, even if your parent is your teacher and/or school administrator. If you have taken community college courses, an official transcript from that college verifying coursework will be accepted in lieu of a letter from your high school or district. College transcripts must reflect a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

**Please note that some courses may address adult themes or use nude models.

Advisory Board

Don Bartletti, 2003 Pulitzer Prize

Photojournalist,
Los Angeles Times

Becky Cohen

Photographer

Brian Cross

Associate Professor, Visual Arts
UCSD

Carol McCusker

(Former) Curator of Photography
Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA)

Lea Rudee

Founding Dean, Engineering
UCSD