Every so often questions arise as to what is meant by Concentration Electives and how one goes about completing this requirement for the IPT degree. There seems to be a significant level of anxiety surrounding these electives and yet the intent of the faculty who put this requirement in place was not to cause difficulties but to encourage IPT students to "think outside the box" and to give them an opportunity to select some courses on their own rather than force everyone to complete all the same courses. So, here is the the latest version of the CONCENTRATIONS file. We hope you find it useful.
Imaging and Photographic Technology Concentrations Guidelines
Early in the third year of the program you will be qualifying to chose "concentration" electives. You may, in fact, have the possibility of enrolling in a concentration elective course even before that time especially if you are a transfer student. Since you may have questions about the process and about how "concentrations" work, how they are selected, or what possibilities may exist in terms of choosing these electives the following material is intended to help you. You may wish to save this memo in your files for future reference.
To assist you in making decisions about areas of possible concentration and courses probably available to you within those areas, the Faculty of the Imaging and Photographic Technology department has compiled the following listings in consultation with the departments offering them.
PLEASE NOTE THAT CONCENTRATION ELECTIVES ARE NOT A SET OF PRESCRIBED COURSES BUT RATHER A SET OF ELECTIVES THAT ULTIMATELY YOU SELECT ON YOUR OWN TO MEET A SET OF INDIVIDUAL GOALS OR EXPECTATIONS.
BELOW ARE LOOSE GUIDELINES THAT YOU MAY USE TO SELECT AREAS OF CONCENTRATION.
You can claim a CONCENTRATION in a given area if you complete at least THREE courses from any given area listed below, or from an area that you identify on your own. Note that individual course credits may vary but the elective credit total should add up to at least 24 credits. Note that several courses included in areas of concentration are also part of the regular program requirements. In this case the required course can be counted as part of the THREE courses making up a claimed area of concentration.
Use these listings as a guide. Remember that you may choose electives from among several areas or specialize in only one. However, it is suggested that you minimally explore two areas of concentration. You may also design your own Concentration area and courses not listed below are also acceptable for application as a Concentration electives. You may assemble a set of Concentration Electives according to personal criteria such as personal interest in a discipline, applicability of a course to current or future employment or educational purposes, or potential of a given course to enrich your level of technical or professional awareness.
NOTE that enrollment in courses outside of the department is subject to the guidelines established by the departments offering the Concentration Electives. Students must determine the prerequisites and enrollment guidelines associated with their choice of Concentration Electives.
NOTE that if you are thinking about possibly enrolling in a graduate program in the future you could be tailoring your concentration electives so that you would be meeting the entry prerequisites of that graduate program. For example, to be better prepared for future entry into a science oriented program you could be preparing for admission by enrolling in advanced courses in calculus, chemistry, and physics instead of taking what is minimally required in the program. For example, if you feel you are prepared and can handle a regular Calculus course or University Physics you can count on being able to substitute these courses for the Intro to Calculus and College Physics courses. Some graduate programs at RIT, such as the MS in Color Science, have tailor-made instructions for you to follow.
"I have a question about concentrations. It is my understanding that course requirements cannot also be counted as concentration credits. For instance, DIP and Programming with Classesare both course requirements. However, they are listed as possible Electronic Imaging concentration classes Can they be both? I'm confused. Your help is appreciated."
They CAN be counted (but not twice for _credits_ towards graduation) ... Required courses are "required" courses and they must stay in their place on your worksheet. If you "apply" them towards a concentration that is up to you but you are still responsible for earning the required number of credit hours for your degree.
The content of a given Concentration (or "minor") is NOT based on hard and fast "rules". Whether anyone "counts" or applies a given elective or required course to them or not is up to the student herself or himself. NOBODY will check up on what anyone claims is an area of concentration.
Caveat: The only person who might question whether you have any kind of expertise in an area you claim to have some expertise in is possibly a future employer. You can ethically claim an area of "concentration" if you think you have a specialized body of knowledge (made up of a mix of required and elective courses) in your background. You would not exagerate, would you?
For consultation or advisement in the event that you need assistance identifying a Concentration area or choosing electives you may consult with your advisor or with any faculty member of the Imaging and Photographic Technology department.
If you have any suggestions or constructive comments please let the Department faculty or your advisor know your thoughts.
TECHNICAL PHOTOGRAPHY / PHOTOINSTRUMENTATION CONCENTRATION
Other courses, such as High Speed/Time Lapse, that deal with the application of photographic techniques and methods, useful in a quantitative or qualitative sense to scientists and engineers, or which contribute to such use of the photographic process, qualify for this Concentration area.
IMAGING CHEMISTRY CONCENTRATION
Recommended: 0305-221 Intro to Microlithography, or 1011-202 Organic Chemistry,
or 1011-203 Biochemistry. If you are thinking about museum curation or image
conservation, most post-graduate programs require a quarter in Organic
Chemistry to apply.
ELECTRONIC IMAGING AND COMPUTING CONCENTRATION
Other courses offered by such groups as Computer Science, Film/Video, Imaging Science or Fine Art that deal with Computer Graphics, Digital Image Processing, Computer Animation, etc. also fit this category.
STILL PHOTOGRAPHY CONCENTRATION
Other studio, commercial, advertising or photojournalism courses from the Applied Photography department are also acceptable. Scheduling of these courses varies and enrollment is subject to meeting prerequisites and space availability. Although a popular concentration, jobs are not easy to find in this area.
COLOR PRINTING CONCENTRATION
Selected courses offered by the Imaging Systems Management department may also be applied to this concentration area.
GRAPHIC ARTS CONCENTRATION
The above three courses are the most common ones that IPT students take. They must be taken in the listed order and you must achieve a grade of at least "B" in Color Separation to be allowed to enroll in Electronic Color.
Note that Printing courses are 3 credit hours each. This means that in three courses only add up to 9 credits, 6 to 18. This means that you may have to take extra courses to make up the 24 credit Concentration requirement. This will surely be the case if all you select are printing courses!
Graphic Arts is a fairly popular concentration track. Several grads are employed in this field as a result of choosing this concentration. Make sure to speak with Mr. Bill Birkett who will suggest an appropriate advisor to consult with. If you are interested in Graduate programs in the SPMS contact one of the Graduate Coordinators there for advise on prerequisit courses for their various graduate programs.
Other recommended Printing courses are:
PREPARATION FOR MS IN COLOR SCIENCE CONCENTRATION TRACK
The Color Science master of science degree program is an interdisciplinary program consisting of required courses in color vision, psychophysics, colorimetry, optical radiation measurements, color appearance, and color modeling, elective courses that build on the student's background and interests, and either a research thesis or graduate project. Graduates are in high demand and have accepted industrial positions in electronic imaging (Xerox, Kodak, Hewlett Packard, Apple, Tektronix, Dupont, Canon, Polaroid) color instrumentation and formulation (Macbeth, Hunter, Xrite), and basic and applied research (Gemological Institute of America, International Paper).
You can obtain further details about the this MS program at the < href="http://www.cis.rit.edu/academics/colorscience.html">Munsell Color Science Laboratory website.
Students interested in this degree program need background in the following subject areas: Calculus (numerical integration), Matrix algebra (matrix multiplication and inversion), Statistics (descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, regression), Psychology, Technical writing, Programming (C++, or IDL, or Matlab)
Most of these topics are contained within the Imaging and Photographic Techology degree requirements. However, it is recommended that students considering the MS in Color Science graduate program after the BS in Imaging and Photographic Technology complete the following concentration electives for greater depth:
Note: Completion of the above math courses would enable you to later take additional courses in Applied and Mathematical Statistics such as Multivariate Analysis I and II, 0307-830,831.
Applied Colorimetry
Students considering this unique degree program are encouraged to take Applied Colorimetry (1050-702) as a Concentration Elective during their Senior year providing their GPA is 3.0 or above. This course is offered every Fall quarter.
Note: Enrollment in this course is an aid in obtaining highly-competitive graduate support in the form of tuition and stipend. The instructor, Dr. Roy S. Berns, is also the Coordinator of the Color Science program. By taking this course, he will get to know you and your capabilities.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Roy S. Berns
R.S. Hunter Professor
Munsell Color Science Laboratory
Phone: 716-475-2230
E-mail: rsbpph@rit.edu
OPTICS
A concentration in Optics can be achieved in many different ways. Any course which deals with image formation or technical communications may apply. Below is a list of suggested courses which may be taken in any one of several departments.
PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSING AND FINISHING CONCENTRATION
NOTE/
that there is a degree program in this field that you can transfer to at the end of your sophomore year. However, selective enrollment in some of these courses would probably make you quite competitive in terms of employment in this specialty. Contact Dr. Milton Cofield for advice related to courses in this area. His email is mlcpph@rit.edu
FILM/VIDEO/ANIMATION CONCENTRATION
Other courses may also be available but note that availability of space in Film/Video courses is highly restricted. You must always check with the Chairman of the School of Film and Animation (Prof. Howard Lester) or course instructor for permission to register for any of the courses offered by this School.
BUSINESS CONCENTRATION
Please check with the College of Business for appropriate courses. Also, the Applied Photography department may offer other business related photography courses. Contact Prof. John Retallack for information about such courses offered in the Adveretising/Commercial Photography department of the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences.
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CONCENTRATION
Any combination of appropriate courses from the following areas: Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Drafting, CAD, Computing, Electrical Engineering, etc.
Note that you may also take selected courses offered by the Center for Imaging Science but you must seek their permission to do so. You must have appropriate prerequisites for many of the courses offered there, especially a background in calculus.