Imaging and Photographic Technology
Minors and Concentrations Guidelines
Rochester Institute of Technology
School of Photographic Arts and Sciences

Concentration tracks were a requirement of the Imaging and Photographic Technology program in the past. These have been replaced by Open electives and General Education electives and the institution of a university-wide program of MINORS as of Fall 2005.

OPEN electives are courses from anywhere in the Institute. General Education electives are any courses from the College of Liberal Arts or the College of Science.

You have the opportunity to create your own area of specialty by selecting appropriate courses from anywhere in the Institute and/or from the above to Colleges in the case of selecting Gen Ed appropraite courses.

You are automatically qualified to earn a MINOR in Applied Imaging Sytems since four of the courses in that minor are already a part of your program. This minor is described in detail below:

Applied Imaging Systems
Minor Adviser: Nitin Sampat

The purpose of the minor in applied imaging systems is to offer students an introduction to the business and technology of photographic imaging, primarily as it relates to image output and lab operations.

A minor in applied imaging systems requires the student to take a total of 20 credit hours. The courses include topics that span the components of an imaging system, from capture to print. These include, but are not limited to, digital capture, output technologies, color management and imaging workflows. Topics are taught from an applied, hands-on perspective. Lab assignments are an integral part of the curriculum, and students will work with a variety of imaging instruments and output devices. 

All matriculated RIT undergraduate students are eligible to apply for the minor. Majors within CIAS seeking this minor can substitute courses they already have taken as part of their major (up to a maximum of eight credit hours, assessed on a course-by-course basis in consultation with the minor coordinator).

Prerequisites:
2076-211, 212, 213 Materials and Processes of Photo I, II, III (or permission of minor adviser.) As a general guideline, this minor is best suited for third- and fourth-year students.

Required Courses:
2976-411    Imaging Systems (Systems Design for Imaging and Photo Tech majors)
2076-412    Color Management for Photographers
2076-413    Imaging Workflows

Electives–Choose at least two of the following courses*:
2061-361    Web Design Using Photography
2076-491    Introduction to Digital Imaging
2076-492    Electronic Sensitometry
2082-317    Website Design for Graphic Media
2082-337    Digital Asset Management
2082-401    Digital Print Processes
2083-368    Image Retouching and Restoration

*Equivalent courses may be considered in lieu of these courses by permission of the minor adviser.

However, in addition, since you have 24 credits of OPEN ELECTIVES you could custom make for yourself an area of CONCENTRATION or a MINOR from the College of Engineering, College of Busines, College of Applied Science and Technology, your own college, the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, etc.

For example you might want to emphasize photography. In this case you could enroll in courses offered throughout the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences in which there is room and you have the prerequisites or the permission of the instructor. Courses such as Photo Arts 4, 5 and 6, Digital Photography, Color Workshop, etc. can all be applied against the 24 OPEN electives requirements.

Or maybe you are into computer programming. In that case you might consider courses such as Intro to Programming, Java Programming, Programing for Technologists, C++ Programming, etc. which by temselves don't form a "minor" but they can be considered a self-designed area of "concentration" if you complete 3-4 courses in this area.

Or maybe you are interested in business and mareketing. In that case the College of Business offers a number of minors which can be applied to the OPEN Electives requirements. All you need to do is to follow the instructions for registering for those minors.

Any courses or any MINORS offered by the College of Science or the College of Liberal Arts will be applied agains your General Education Elective requirements. This means you could do a MINOR in Astronomy, Biology, Color Science, Languages, History, Literature, etc. Seek the assistance of your advisor or the department chair if you need help identifying such programs.

Imaging and Photographic Technology Professional Guidelines for ELECTIVES

Early in the third year of the program you will be qualifying to chose electives. You may, in fact, have the possibility of enrolling in elective courses even before that time especially if you are a transfer student. Since you may have questions about the process and about how "concentrations" and minors 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 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 PERSONAL INTEREST.

Use these listings as a guide. Remember that you may choose electives from among several areas or specialize in only one.  You may assemble a set of 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 theelectives. Students must determine the prerequisites and enrollment guidelines associated with their choice of electives.

NOTE that if you are thinking about possibly enrolling in a graduate program in the future you could be tailoring your 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 Algebra and Trig, Calculus for Technologists and Data Analysis courses or the University Physics course for the College Physics courses. Some graduate programs at RIT, such as the MS in Color Science, have tailor-made instructions for you to follow.

Again, for consultation or advisement in the event that you need assistance identifying a concentration area or choosing OPEN or Gen Ed electives you may consult with your advisor or with any faculty member of the Imaging and Photographic Technology department.

Here are some course electives grouped into areas of interest for you to consider.

TECHNICAL PHOTOGRAPHY - applicable to OPEN electives

# Scanning Electron Micrography
# Holography I
# Applications of Holography
# Photoinstrumentation Applications Seminar I, II, III
# Photographic Scanning Systems
# Photo Electronics Workshop
# Electronics in Photography

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 - applicable to OPEN electives

# Technical Photographic Chemistry
# Survey of General Chemistry
# SpTop. - Historic Photographic Processes
# Independent or Senior Project
# One Chemistry Elective (see below).

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 - applicable to OPEN electives

# Intro Digital Image Processing
# Electronic Still Photography
# Advanced Electronic Still Photography
# Standard Graphic Arts Software Packages
# Programming with classes
# Computer Concepts and Software Systems
# Introduction to Animation

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 - applicable to OPEN electives

# Architectural Photography
# Introduction to Corporate Photography
# Intro to Photo for Publications
# Nature Photography
# Portrait Photography
# Special Effects Photography


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.


GRAPHIC ARTS  and PRINT MEDIA - applicable to OPEN electives

# Reproduction Photography
# Color Separation Systems
# Electronic Color Imaging and Color Control

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!

PRINT MEDIA offers several courses of particular interest to IPT students. Several grads are employed in this field as a result of choosing electives in this area. Make sure to speak with the Print Media advisor to selecti your initial courses in this School.  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.

Recommended Printing courses are:

# Introduction to Printing
# Lithography Process
# Flexography Process
# Screen Printing Process
# Pre-Press Imaging Concepts
# Desktop Pre-Press Systems
# Color Perception and Measurement

PREPARATION FOR MS IN COLOR SCIENCE ELECTIVES
(These courses can be applied to your General Education requirements)

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 <a  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:

# Psychology of Perception 0514-445
# Elementary Statistics 1016-309
# Matrix Algebra 1016-331

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 - applicable to General Education electives

Students considering this unique degree program are encouraged to take Applied Colorimetry (1050-702) as a  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


MINOR in ASTRONOMY (SPSA) - applicable to General Education electives

An Interdisciplinary Minor Offered Jointly by the Department of Physics and the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science (Administered through the Department of Physics).

Rationale: Students will have the opportunity for additional study in astronomy in order to build a secondary area of expertise in support of their program or other areas of interest.

Requirements: A student must be matriculated in a baccalaureate program. A student must successfully complete a minimum of 20 quarter credit hours from the listings below with a 2.0 minimum GPA. At least 12 quarter credit hours must be in courses not required by the student's home program and must be completed in residency at RIT. Specific minimum course requirements:

University Astronomy 4 qch
One theoretical course 4 qch
One experimental course 4 qch

Two additional courses 8 qch

Course Title Credits (Prerequisites) Offered Type

1017-301 University Astronomy 4 (1017-311) F,S Foundation
"xxxx-xxx* (General Elective see below) 4 each
1017-440 Stellar Astrophysics 4 (1017-314) W Theoretical
1017-441 Galactic and Extragalactic Astrophysics 4 (1017-314) S Theoretical
1017-445 Observational Astronomy 4 (1017-301) F Experimental
1051-446 Multi-Wavelength Astronomical Imaging 4 (1017-301) S Experimental
1051-528 Design and Fabrication of an Experimental Solid State Camera 4  (perm. of instructor) W Experimental
1017-539** Astrophysics Research var (1017-445 or perm. of instr.) F,W,S Research

* Check with dept. for list of electives.

** A maximum of 4 credit hours of 1017-539 will count toward the minor.

Courses offered in various RIT departments that presently qualify for ``General Elective'': Course Title Credits (Prerequisites) Offered

1017-314 Modern Physics I 4 (1017-313) F,W,S
1051-461 Digital Image Processing I 3 (1016-305, prog. language) F
1051-462 Digital Image Processing II 3 (1051-461) W 1051-511
1051-313,401,462 Imaging Systems Analysis I 4  F
1051-512 Imaging Systems Analysis II 4 (1051-511) W

Two 3-credit courses may be used in place of a single 4-credit course. Course content is deemed to be of significant value to a practicing astronomer. Other courses may be added to the list after approval of the Astronomy Minor advisor.


MINOR in PHYSICS (SPSR) - applicable to General Education electives

Rationale: Students will have the opportunity for additional study in physics in order to build a secondary area of expertise in support of their program or other areas of interest.

Prerequisites: A student must be matriculated in a baccalaureate program and must have successfully completed the following courses: 1017-311 University Physics I 1017-312 University Physics II

Requirements: All courses listed are 4 quarter credit hours. A student must successfully complete a minimum of 20 quarter credit hours (5 courses) from the listing below with a 2.0 minimum GPA. A student must take courses marked **. At least 12 quarter credit hours must be in courses not required by the student's home program and must be completed in residency at RIT.

MINOR in IMAGING SCIENCE - applicable to General Education electives

Students have the opportunity for additional study in Imaging Science, in order to build a secondary area of expertise in support of their major program or other areas of interest. Prerequisites: students must be matriculated in a baccalaureate program and must have successfully completed (or be enrolled in) the following courses to be eligible to begin coursework toward an Imaging Science Minor: Ê

1017-311/2/3  University Physics I/II/III
1016-251/2/3  Calculus I/II/III
4002-208  Introduction to Programming (or equivalent)

Many Imaging Science courses have additional prerequisites and students should consult the course catalog and the CIS Undergraduate Coordinator for further information.

For more details of what is required in order to pursue this minor click on Imaging Science Minor

OPTICS electives - applicable to OPEN or Gen Ed electives

A general proficiency 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. Those offered by the College of Science can be applied as Gen Ed electives. The rest as OPEN electives.

# Photographic Optics (IPT)
# Geometric Optics (CIS)
# Physical Optics (CIS)
# Scanning Electron Microscopy (IPT)
# Microscopy (Biomed)
# Ophthalmic Photography (Biomed)
# Optical Physics (Physics)
# Optical Devices and Systems (Eng.)
# Fiber Optics Theory and Application (Eng.)

* Senior Project or Independent Projects in Optics also strongly encouraged

FILM/VIDEO/ANIMATION electives - applicable to OPEN electives

# Intro to Portable Video
# Sound Recording
# Introduction to Animation
# Film History and Aesthetics

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. Malcolm Spaull) or course instructor for permission to register for any of the courses offered by this School.

BUSINESS electives - applicable to OPEN electives

# Management of a Photographic Business
# Organizational Behavior
# Legal Environment of Business
# Personnel and Human Resources Management
# Management Science
# Business Law

Please check with the College of Business for appropriate courses and also to examine their extensive list of MINORS. Also, the  Photographic Arts department may offer other business related photography courses.

SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING electives - GEN ED electives fromn the College of Science and OPEN electives from elsewhere

Any combination of appropriate courses from the following areas: Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Drafting, CAD, Computing, Electrical Engineering, etc.