Photography (N0211A310019)

Programme objectives

The aim of the follow‑up Master’s programme in Photography is to support the advanced artistic, intellectual and research‑based development of the student, deepening their authorial position in relation to their individual focus and abilities. The programme emphasises intensive studio‑based work and artistic research carried out in close cooperation with teachers, and develops the student’s capacity for critical reflection in both creative and theoretical contexts. It encourages curiosity, an authorial and research‑driven approach, openness to dialogue and the ability to engage critically with different perspectives while maintaining intellectual and artistic integrity. The programme develops the ability to work with feedback, critique and dialogue as essential tools for the articulation, development and contextualisation of artistic and research‑based practice within contemporary cultural and social frameworks.

Profile of a programme graduate

A graduate of the Master’s study programme in Photography is an independent and critically oriented author whose artistic practice is grounded in advanced studio‑based work and artistic research. They develop a clearly articulated artistic position through long‑term projects realised within the framework of Studios KF and the MgA Project, integrating theoretical reflection, research methods and experimental approaches into their own practice. Graduates are capable of critically engaging with photography and technical images within broader visual, cultural and social contexts, and of situating their work within contemporary artistic discourse. They cultivate a reflective awareness of the role of the artist‑researcher in society, actively engage with current cultural and social issues, and are able to articulate, present and defend their work in professional and public contexts. Based on an informed understanding of artistic, cultural and institutional structures, graduates are prepared to critically reflect on and intervene in these structures through their artistic and research‑based practice.

Expertise

Graduates of the programme:

• possess advanced knowledge of contemporary concepts and theories of photography, technical images and visual culture
• understand and are able to apply research methods from the humanities and social sciences, particularly within the framework of artistic research, as an integral part of their own creative practice
• are capable of critically situating their work in relation to current artistic, cultural and media discourses
• are able to reflect theoretically and critically on their own practice and place it within historical and contemporary artistic contexts
• are familiar with the institutional, curatorial and organisational frameworks of exhibitions, galleries, festivals and related cultural platforms, and are able to navigate these contexts as part of their professional artistic activity

Professional skills

Graduates of the programme:

• are able to develop and realise complex, long‑term artistic and research‑based projects grounded in studio‑based practice and artistic research
• creatively and critically use photography, technical images and cross‑media approaches as means of inquiry, experimentation and artistic articulation
• integrate artistic research methods, theoretical reflection and experimental strategies into their own authorial practice
• are able to articulate, present and defend their artistic and research‑based work in professional, academic and public contexts
• can work independently as well as collaboratively within interdisciplinary artistic, research and curatorial environments
• are capable of initiating, developing and managing artistic projects within institutional, exhibition and cultural frameworks
• can critically reflect on their own working processes and adapt their artistic strategies in response to research outcomes, feedback and public presentation
• are prepared for professional artistic practice within contemporary art contexts, including collaboration with curators, theorists and cultural institutions

General competencies

Graduates of the programme:

• are capable of independent, long‑term artistic and research‑based work grounded in a clearly defined authorial position
• are able to critically engage with contemporary cultural, social and political issues through artistic practice and research
• can work autonomously as well as collaboratively within interdisciplinary and international artistic and research contexts
• are able to initiate, develop and manage complex artistic projects within institutional, curatorial and cultural frameworks
• demonstrate the ability to communicate, present and defend their artistic and research‑based work in professional and public contexts
• are capable of reflective self‑evaluation and continuous professional development as artists and artist‑researchers
• are prepared for further academic and artistic research, including doctoral study, or for sustained professional practice in contemporary art and cultural institutions

Rules and requirements for creating study plans

The basic framework for the conception of curricula at AMU is created, firstly, by the AMU Internal Evaluation Rules, specifying the basic principles of the accreditation process; the current practice is further formally anchored by the AMU Accreditation Regulations; it defines the parameters common to all study programmes taught at AMU and at the same time delegates part of the responsibility for subject specifications (theatre, music, dance, film/television) to the faculties.

The curriculum is created in accordance with the AMU Study and Examination Regulations, which, based on the specifics of higher artistic education, defines the main compulsory subject within the typology of subjects: it is a key artistic (or talent) subject of a profiling basis, for which the assessment is always carried out on a commission basis and which does not allow for re-attestation. An important role in the assessment system is played in many disciplines by the so-called 'cloistered examination', i.e. the presentation of an artistic output before a committee: the principle is a comprehensive assessment of the student's knowledge and skills acquired in several sub-subjects and applied in a collectively produced work (e.g. in theatre disciplines). Another specificity of the curricula is the flexibility allowed in the distribution of credits (60 ECTS per academic year) between the winter and summer semesters, based in some disciplines on the more significant study and creative load associated with the completion of artistic outputs in the summer semester.

The theoretical and historical basis of the field is a compulsory part of all study programmes, in the case of academic programmes in the form of compulsory subjects of a profiling basis co-determining the profile of the graduate and forming part of the state final examination.

Each study plan also includes compulsory completion of discipline-specific English language instruction, with a minimum of 6 ECTS per study cycle.

Classification is awarded according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), which was introduced under the Bologna Agreements of 1999 with the aim of unifying and integrating the higher education system in the European Union.

Courses completed by examination are graded on an A-E scale (F = fail), other courses are graded pass/fail; a combination of both certifications is not possible.

The standard length of a lesson is 45 minutes. The basic organizational forms of instruction are lecture, seminar, exercise, and workshop; the last three forms of instruction include, to varying degrees, the creation of artistic outputs. Teaching takes place either on a weekly basis or in the form of intensive blocks or workshops.

The curriculum automatically assumes prerequisites in the form of sequences of courses, indicated by an ascending number after the course title. This type of prerequisite is not specifically mentioned in Annex BIII for individual courses. If a course has a non-sequential prerequisite, it is explicitly listed in Appendix BIII for the course. In the same sense, we do not list prerequisites; these are determined by the mandatory inclusion of the course in a particular year and semester along with other courses. The curriculum does not make use of equivalencies.

In all semesters, students complete one of the parallel studios (classical photography, imaginative photography, documentary strategies, new aesthetics, or intermedia), and they may change studios each semester. Studio work is followed every semester by the final commission. Students also attend guest lectures throughout all semesters of their studies. In addition: The first year includes seminars in critical reading, artistic research courses and introduction to Czech language, culture and society. The second year concentrates on the creation of the final graduation project and the written master‘s thesis.

Next to these required courses, students have to complete required elective courses (typically 1 per semester) organised by the department, focusing on specific artistic and technical skills and approaches (e.g., photobook, videoessay, screen printing, landscape photography, theatre photography…).

Elective courses are typically completed at other departments of FAMU and AMU and through ad hoc modules.

General information about admission process

The admission procedure consists of two rounds.

For the first round, applicants submit a portfolio and motivation letter, and their talent aptitude is assessed without the presence of applicants on a two-level basic (pass/fail).

The second round consists of:

1. conceptual assignment,
2. interview with the admission committee.

The talent aptitude, creative ambitions, motivation and suitability for bachelor’s-level study are assessed by evaluating 1) and 2) with points; applicants who pass a minimum overall threshold will be recommend to the Dean of FAMU for acceptance into the programme.

Applicability to other types of academic programmes

The Master's degree programme in Photography is a continuation of the Bachelor's degree programme in Photography. Graduates of the follow-up Master's programme in Photography are eligible to apply for admission to the doctoral programme in Film, Television and Photographic Arts and New Media.

The programme is also open to graduates of Bachelor's degree programmes from art schools of various disciplines, as well as from schools providing education in the humanities and social sciences. In principle, the programme is open to all talented and motivated graduates of undergraduate programmes in any field.

Parts of the state final examination and their contents

The university qualification thesis (VŠKP) consists of two parts:

1. The Graduation Performance
2. Written Thesis

State final exam consists of 3 parts:

1. The Graduation Performance linked to the courses Studios KF 7–10, Final Commission 7–10, Artistic Research 1–4, Master Project 1–2)
2. Thesis defense linked to the courses Master Thesis 1-2, Artistic Research 4
3. Theoretical examination in the history and theory of photography linked to the courses Texts and Contexts 1-2, Artistic Research 1-4.

The examination verifies the student’s ability to critically reflect on photography, technical images and contemporary visual culture within historical, theoretical and interdisciplinary contexts

In the theoretical oral examination, two questions/topics are drawn (see list of topics below). The student has 30 minutes to prepare independently. The examination consists of two parts:

• Theoretical oral examination - lecture: a coherent presentation by the student in the form of a ten-minute lecture on the first topic drawn. Additional questions from the committee members are asked after the lecture. The lecture does not have to exhaust the topic systematically; the student should present his/her approach to the topic and combine historiographical data with theoretical opinion. It is advisable to choose a few specific examples (artists, theorists, etc.) on which the student will demonstrate his/her attitude and understanding of the problem convincingly.
• Theoretical oral examination - debate: Debate with the members of the committee on the second topic drawn.

Thematic areas of the theoretical oral examination

1. Specificity of photography and intermediality
2. Reproducibility (graphic, photographic and digital reproduction techniques; the problem of reproduction and documentation of art)
3. Photographic portraiture and the problem of identity in modern and contemporary times
4. Objectivity as an epistemic ideal: scientific photography
5. Photographer as witness: ethical and political dimensions of photography
6. Vernacular (amateur and commercial) photography
7. Apparatuses and machines of vision: the technical conditions of photography
8. Art as post-production: found, appropriated, recycled, archived photographs
9. The photographic canon and its institutionalization (historiography, exhibition, market)
10. Photography and new media (remediation, calculated and operative images, technological convergence)

The list of literature on SZZ is published on the department's website: https://photography.famu.cz/en/exam-history-and-theory-photography

Other academic duties

-

Characterisation of professional practice

-

Anticipated job placement for graduates (typical employment)

Due to the systematic care and attention given to their talent, the graduate is an artistic personality or professional with a solid educational foundation and the potential for further creative growth. In addition to various opportunities in different genres of photography (artistic, documentary and documentary, reportage, advertising, fashion, portrait, industrial or scientific photography, for example), they are also equipped for publishing, curating, teaching and collaborating on audiovisual works. Furthermore, they can work as a freelance visual artist, team photographer, freelance photographer or art director. Graduates can also find employment in scientific projects or within various cultural platforms (galleries, magazines, festivals, agencies, etc.). Graduates can continue their studies in the doctoral programme at FAMU or in doctoral programmes of other Czech or foreign schools.