Editorial selection · reviewed 31 October 2026

Best Online Photography Schools and Programs

An unranked editorial selection of photography programs delivered online, hybrid or low residency, with delivery format and documented evidence stated for each.

Unranked and grouped by kind of institution; within each group the order is alphabetical. This is not a league table, no numerical scores are given, and no school paid to be included.

Fully online

Academy of Art University: Photography (BFA)
Art school · Online · provider based in United States
Photography (BFA)Portfolio requirement not confirmedPrice not published
Why it is here: An online Photography BFA at Academy of Art University; the same school offers an online MFA with a thesis project.
Limitations: Not documented in the research: no fees are recorded in the research file; portfolio requirements are not recorded; no exhibition or final-project details are recorded; named faculty are not documented. Credits and duration of the BFA are not recorded.
May suit: Applicants seeking an online BFA from an art school.
Academy of Art University: Photography (MFA)
Art school · Online · provider based in United States
Photography (MFA)Portfolio requirement not confirmedPrice not published
Why it is here: A 63-credit online MFA that ends with a thesis project and includes a course on developing a cohesive and professional body of work for graduate committee review.
Limitations: Not documented in the research: no fees are recorded in the research file; portfolio requirements are not recorded; named faculty are not documented.
May suit: Applicants seeking an online MFA with a thesis.
Arizona State University: Online Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art - Digital Photography
University · Online · provider based in United States
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in art with a concentration in digital photographyPortfolio requirement not confirmed$580 per credit, 2026-27
Why it is here: An online 120-credit Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art with a Digital Photography focus from Arizona State University.
Limitations: Not documented in the research: no fees are recorded in the research file; portfolio requirements are not recorded; no exhibition or final-project details are recorded; named faculty are not documented.
May suit: Applicants seeking an online BFA from a large university.
International Center of Photography: Documentary Practice: Visual Storytelling
Photography school · Lower East Side, New York City, New York, United States
One-Year Certificate, Documentary Practice: Visual Storytelling (online)Portfolio requiredPrice not published
Why it is here: A one-year online certificate in Documentary Practice: Visual Storytelling; applicants submit a portfolio of 15-20 images, and the page states students may study entirely online from their home country without an F-1 visa.
Limitations: Not documented in the research: no fees are recorded in the research file; no exhibition or final-project details are recorded; named faculty are not documented. This is a school certificate, not a degree.
May suit: International applicants seeking a one-year online documentary certificate.
Maine Media College: Online Professional Certificate in Photography
College · Online · provider based in United States
Professional Certificate in PhotographyPortfolio requirement not confirmedPrice not published
Why it is here: An online professional certificate in photography lasting 30 weeks, billed by trimester.
Limitations: Not documented in the research: no fees are recorded in the research file; portfolio requirements are not recorded; no exhibition or final-project details are recorded; named faculty are not documented.
May suit: Applicants seeking a short online certificate.
Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design: Online Photography Degree
Art college · Online · provider based in United States
Online Bachelor of Fine ArtsPortfolio optionalPrice not published
Why it is here: An online photography BFA; the page states a portfolio is not mandatory but previous photography work can strengthen the application.
Limitations: Not documented in the research: no fees are recorded in the research file; no exhibition or final-project details are recorded; named faculty are not documented.
May suit: Applicants without a finished portfolio.
Southern New Hampshire University: Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Digital Photography
University · Online · provider based in United States
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Digital PhotographyPortfolio requirement not confirmedPrice not published
Why it is here: An online BA in Digital Photography where students create digital and print-ready portfolios in a portfolio course; the university states accreditation by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
Limitations: Not documented in the research: no fees are recorded in the research file; portfolio requirements are not recorded; named faculty are not documented.
May suit: Applicants who want an accredited online BA.

Hybrid and low residency

Universitat Politècnica de València: Máster de Formación Permanente en Fotografía, Arte y Técnica
University · València, Comunitat Valenciana, Spain
Máster de Formación PermanentePortfolio requirement not confirmed€8,050 whole program, 2025-26
Why it is here: A 90-credit continuing-education master (Máster de Formación Permanente) in Spanish, listed as semi-presential with 700 hours in person and 200 hours online.
Limitations: Not documented in the research: portfolio requirements are not recorded; no exhibition or final-project details are recorded; named faculty are not documented. This is a continuing-education master, not an official master's degree; the research records it as a diploma.
May suit: Spanish-speaking applicants who can attend in person in Valencia.
University of Hartford: MFA in Photography
University · West Hartford, Connecticut, United States
MFA in PhotographyPortfolio requiredPrice not published
Why it is here: A 60-credit low-residency MFA over two years with two weeks on campus each summer, with fall and spring sessions held off campus in cities in the US and abroad; applicants submit a PDF portfolio of 20-25 images.
Limitations: Not documented in the research: no fees are recorded in the research file; no exhibition or final-project details are recorded; named faculty are not documented. Residency format and the January 15 priority deadline are stated without a year.
May suit: Applicants who need a low-residency format.
University of Southern Queensland: Diploma of Professional Photography
University · Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Diploma of Professional PhotographyPortfolio requirement not confirmedPrice not published
Why it is here: A Diploma of Professional Photography studied part-time over 1.5 years; the page lists study locations as Toowoomba and Online.
Limitations: Not documented in the research: no fees are recorded in the research file; portfolio requirements are not recorded; no exhibition or final-project details are recorded; named faculty are not documented. Any on-campus requirement was not stated in the text read.
May suit: Applicants seeking a part-time vocational diploma.

What was considered

Only photography programs in the current research whose delivery is online, hybrid or low_residency: online and hybrid programs in Australia, Spain and the United States, plus one low-residency MFA in the United States. Campus-based programs are excluded. Coverage is not exhaustive.

Criteria

Photography curriculum depth: credits, duration and structure printed on the official program page
Published graduate work: final projects, theses and graduate shows described on official pages
Exhibition and portfolio opportunities: public exhibitions, degree shows and published portfolio guidance
Qualification recognition: accreditation or register entries printed on official pages or registers
Information transparency: how much of the program, admissions and portfolio information is published
Delivery format: how much study is online and whether any on-campus attendance is stated on the official page

Limitations

This is a sample of verified listings only. Every fact comes from official institution pages recorded in the project research files, each with a verbatim quote, but many photography schools and programs have not yet been researched, and some official pages could not be fetched or searched with the tools available. Facts that were not documented (tuition, portfolio rules, named faculty, outcomes) are left out rather than estimated. No rankings, scores, acceptance rates, graduate-employment figures or reviews are used. Items are unranked and listed alphabetically within groups. Sponsorship has no influence on inclusion or wording. Online delivery details such as live versus recorded teaching and equipment requirements were often not stated on the pages read.

Independence

Sponsorship never buys inclusion in, or the order of, a researched selection. Sponsored placements elsewhere on the site are labelled and kept separate.

Sources (10)