This is an applications and technology oriented photography program designed to prepare students primarily for work in a technical, corporate, industrial, or scientific environment. Imaging and Photographic Technology is a unique major in photography. It blends a contemporary professional photography program with specialized education in technical, industrial and scientific imaging applications.

Graduates of this program are well rounded individuals, with a background adaptable to a variety of photography and imaging related fields. Their technical skills are complemented by traditional coursework in mathematics, computers, science and liberal arts, including technical writing.

This solid base of skills allows graduates to obtain a variety of positions in the field of technical imaging, scientific photography and imaging applications engineering. In their last two years they may specialize in an individualized Concentration Track that could include photographic instrumentation, optics, graphic arts, imaging chemistry, motion picture and video, multi-media production, still photography, color science, processing and finishing, business, and science and engineering.

It is important to note that while the core program completed by each graduate is similar, the actual background of the students varies with their choice of Concentration area(s). As a result, it is difficult to define specifically the exact career that the students are preparing for. On the other hand, an examination of the positions secured by graduates of the program shows that the broad based education associated with the Imaging and Photographic Technology program allows them to consider a large variety of career options in the broad discipline of imaging and related fields.

A unique feature of the Imaging and Photographic Technology program is that graduates complete at least two required Cooperative Education work blocks prior to graduation.

Graduates can function at the junior engineering level in a number of imaging related disciplines, or as photographic technologists or research associates in various industrial, scientific, or business enterprises. They also qualify as skilled studio or laboratory assistants in industrial and commercial enterprises. Imaging and Photographic Technology graduates are working in photographic and related industries nationwide. They are employed by such corporations as Polaroid, Eastman Kodak, NASA-Johnson, NASA-Lewis and NASA-Ames, Sandia, Popular Photography, Hallmark Cards, TGS Corp., Sinar Bron, Agfa, Fairchild, White Sands Missile Range, Krug, DuPont, General Electric, FBI, Naval Surface Weapons Center, DS America, Milton Roy, Ilford, the Defense Intelligence Agency, Konica, US treasury, Labsphere, National Geographic and many other industrial, government and corporate concerns.

Select Lisa Vasaturo to connect with the Imaging and Photographic Technology's representative at the Cooperative Education and Placement Office at RIT. Whether you are a student seeking assistance or an employer looking for an Imaging and Photographic Technology student for a coop or full-time position she can be of enormous help.

If you are a potential employer of Imaging and Photographic Technology students who may be seeking cooperative employment or about-to-graduate seniors looking for full-time employment, visit our Students looking for Employment webpage.

In addition, here is a form you can fill out right now! if you'd like to offer an opportunity for an interview to an Imaging and Photographic Technology student. You can use it for either Coop or Full-time positions anywhere in the US, or even overseas.

Dr. Ronald Francis was a faculty member in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. He established the Dr. Ronald Francis Photographic Chemistry Laboratory and a fund from which fourteen $5,000 scholarships are awarded annually to Imaging and Photographic Technology students on the basis of excellence in academic performance and scholarship. To learn more about these scholarships choose Dr. Ronald Francis Scholarships

If you would like to add to the endowment established in memory of Dr. Francis, who had a special interest in photographic chemistry, or start an endowment or scholarship program of your own, or simply make a contribution of any kind (including equipment) to the Department, these will all be gratefully accepted. Please contact the Department through its Chairman, Prof. Andrew Davidhazy.

Beyond the special Dr. Francis Scholarships there are other scholarships available through the RIT Financial Aid Office. Information about these is made available to you as part of the application process and also if you specifically request financial aid and/or additional scholarship information.

It is possible to transfer into the program. Courses completed at accredited Community Colleges or Universities can reduce the time it takes to finish this program or at least provide additional time that a student can devote to studies or coop experiences. If you are contemplating transfer, it is recommended that you prepare by taking courses in basic Calculus, Physics and Liberal Arts. Unless you complete a very strong program in photography elsewhere and it is oriented towards studio skills and general commercial or industrial photography, probably any other photo courses would not transfer. In order to transfer photography course credits, a comprehensive portfolio demonstrating the skills mentioned above must be submitted.

The IPT program has a significant number of transfer students. There is also available a comprehensive Summer Transfer Program that prepares you for entry into the Sophomore year of the program in the Fall assuming you are bringing with you transfer credits for liberal arts, math and/or science courses. For information about the Summer Transfer Program please contact Prof. Andrew Davidhazy or request information about it from Admissions or by filling out this form.

In March 1995 the TPSA organized a field trip to the Kennedy Space Center and members of the group were allowed to install several cameras at a remote site within a 1/4 mile from the launch pad of STS-31, the Endeavour. One of their cameras, automatically triggered by the thundering roar of the Shuttle engines, captured this image of the take-off (select the thumbnail image to see it larger).

Beyond the faculty associated with the Department, the students have access to the rest of the 45 full time faculty of the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences who work in the several distinctive departments and programs comprising the School. Among these you will find Imaging Systems Management, Contemporary Photojournalism, BioMedical Photographic Communications, Advertising Photography, and the Fine Art undergraduate photography programs as well as the MFA graduate program in Imaging Arts with specializtion in Photography.

Beyond the School, within the same College, students also can easily interact with the faculty, facilities and programs of the School of Printing Management and Sciences and those of the newly established Center for Imaging Science in the College of Science.

If you think this program may be of interest to you as a future student or an employer of its graduates, contact the Tech Department and ask to be placed on the interdepartmental e-mail distribution list. This way you can get an "inside" look at the educational and social activities within the department.