Photography Concentration
McCausland College of Arts and Sciences
School of Visual Art and Design
Bulletin Year: 2026-2027

Print this page

Semester One (17 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 101	Critical Reading and Composition (CC-CMW)	3	C
		Carolina Core ARP Requirement (CC-ARP)	3
		Foreign language3 or other Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC-GFL)	3
	ARTS 103	Fundamentals of Art (MR)	4	C
	ARTS 102	Design Technology and Concepts (MR)	4	C

Semester Two (17 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 102	Rhetoric and Composition (CC-CMW, CC-INF)	3	C		C or better in ENGL 101
		Carolina Core ARP Requirement (CC-ARP)	3
		Foreign language3 or other Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC-GFL)	3
	ARTS 104	3-Dimensional Design I (MR)	4	C
		Studio Introduction Course5 (MR)	4	C

Semester Three (13-14 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		Studio Introduction Course5 (MR)	4	C
	ARTH 106	History of Western Art II (CC-AIU)	3	C
		Foreign language3 or Carolina Core Requirement4 (CR/CC)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3-4

Semester Four (14 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ARTS 360	Advanced Film & Darkroom Photography (MR, CC-INT)	4	C	MR	C or better in ARTS 261
		Studio Introduction Course5 (MR)	4	C	MR
	Modern Art History Course:	ARTH 335 History of 20th Century Art or ARTH 341 History of American Art II or ARTH 342 Contemporary American Art or ARTH 535 History of Modern Painting or ARTH 536 History of Modern Sculpture or ARTH 537 Topics in Modern Architecture or ARTH 539 Topics in Modern Art or ARTH 545 Special Topics in Modern Chinese Art (CR)	3	C		See Bulletin listing
		History7 (CR)	3

Semester Five (14-15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ARTS 361	Digital Photography & Printing (MR, CC-INT)	4	C
		ARTH Course (CR)	3	C
		Concentration Elective (200-level and above)6 (MR)	4	C		See Bulletin listing
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3-4

Semester Six (14 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		Concentration Elective (200-level and above)6 (MR)	4	C		See Bulletin listing
		Concentration Elective (200-level and above)6 (MR)	4	C		See Bulletin listing
		ARTH Course (500-level and above) (CR)	3	C		See Bulletin listing
		Carolina Core Requirement4 or Elective8 (CC/PR)	3

Semester Seven (16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	ARTS 460	Photography Portfolio (MR)	6	C		C or better in ARTS 360 & 361
		Concentration Elective (200-level and above)6 (MR)	4	C		See Bulletin listing
		Social Science (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 or Elective8 (CC/PR)	3

Semester Eight (13-15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	ARTS 490	BFA Capstone Professional Practices (MR, CC-INT)	5	C		C or better in ARTS 360 & 361 or in ARTS 410, 415, 416, 420, 425, or 430
		Concentration Elective (200-level and above)6 (MR)	4	C		See Bulletin listing
		Carolina Core Requirement4 (CC)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement4 or Elective8 (only if needed to meet CC requirements or hours to graduate) (CC/PR)	1-3

Graduation Requirements Summary

Minimum Total Hours	Minimum Major Requirements Hours	College and Program Requirements Hours	Carolina Core Hours	Minimum Institutional GPA
120	63	15-25	32-44	2.000

1. Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA.
2. Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses. Courses indicated in this column are included in the major GPA for this program of study.
3. Students in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 122 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score.
4. The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students.
5. Studio Introduction Courses (12 hours): ARTS 210, 215, 220, 225, 230, 261.
6. Concentration Electives (20 hours): Choose 5 ARTS or SVAD classes at the 200 level and above. Two of the five should be from: ARTS 316, 415, 416, 460, 461, 564; SVAD 499
7. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences requires one U.S. History and one non-U.S. History course, both of which must be chosen from the approved Carolina Core GHS courses. Whichever is not fulfilled through the Carolina Core GHS requirement must be fulfilled through this college requirement.
8. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences.

Program Notes

• ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 must be completed in the student's first 60 semester hours of work in order for these courses to be credited toward graduation. Other courses identified as “critical” may affect time to graduation due to prerequisite requirements for subsequent required courses.
• All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. This course may fulfill any requirement in the program of study. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin.
• The last 30 credit hours toward your degree must be earned in residence at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

Code Definitions

University Requirements: Bachelor’s degree-seeking students must meet Carolina Core (general education) requirements.

Code	Definition
CC	Carolina Core
CC-AIU	Carolina Core – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding
CC-ARP	Carolina Core – Analytical Reasoning and Problem-Solving
CC-CMS	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component
CC-CMW	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written Component
CC-GFL	Carolina Core – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language
CC-GHS	Carolina Core – Historical Thinking
CC-GSS	Carolina Core – Social Sciences
CC-INF	Carolina Core – Information Literacy
CC-INT	Carolina Core – Integrative Course
CC-SCI	Carolina Core – Scientific Literacy
CC-VSR	Carolina Core – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
CR	College Requirement
MR	Major Requirement
PR	Program Requirement