The master’s program »Photography Studies and Practice« is aimed at everyone who is fascinated by the present and future of photography and who seeks to deepen their engagement with this multifaceted medium. At the same time, it forms part of a unique partnership within Europe together with the Master’s program Photography Studies and Research, which is dedicated to the theory and history of photography. As two independent yet closely connected programs, their direct proximity enables an intensive transdisciplinary dialogue between artistic and scholarly interests. Together, we explore new, forward-looking approaches to engaging with one of the most important media of our time.
As an advanced degree program, the two-year master’s in »Photography Studies and Practice« offers students from around the world the opportunity to further develop and refine their own artistic practice, both conceptually and aesthetically. The aim is to professionalize artistic work at a high visual and theoretical level. At the core of the program is the investigation and advancement of photographic modes of representation. In the face of constantly changing aesthetic, technological, and social conditions, the potentials of the medium are continually challenged and reimagined.
Five professors teaching in the master’s program represent different fields of expertise and provide diverse opportunities for students to deepen their individual photographic practice and expand it through new methods of working. Over the course of four semesters, students are expected to develop their own projects and experiment with presenting them in the form of exhibitions, books, and online formats. At the beginning of the third semester, all students from both »Photography Studies« master’s programs have the opportunity to actively engage in dialogue with the public through an exhibition and a symposium, both named »Stopover« In addition, Galerie 52 continuously offers students the possibility to realize their own projects in exhibition form. Joint colloquia, project-based courses, and excursions provide important opportunities for dialogue between practice and theory.
The program is intended for graduates of artistic and design-related disciplines such as photography, fine arts, and communication design. Applications are invited once a year. Each year’s application deadline is March 15. All important information regarding the application process, examination regulations, and module handbook can be found here.
The program always begins in the winter semester. The master’s program can also be completed on a part-time basis; individual arrangements can be made as needed.
The semester contribution amounts to €356.80 (as of the summer semester 2025). This fee already includes a public transport ticket valid throughout the entire state of North Rhine-Westphalia.