Master's Degree in Photography and Design

The Master's Degree in Photography and Design is a postgraduate programme based on the photographic practice that treats photography as an open discipline through which the student is encouraged to create extensive photographic projects of high complexity, and to explore the more contemporary approaches to photography.

The Master attracts students from around the world and places an emphasis on innovation, experimentation, and theoretical and practical practice in where students are encouraged to actively engage with contemporary photographic art practice through publications, exhibitions and participation in real photographic projects.

The Master's Degree in Photography and Design offers a dynamic and exciting environment for studying the practice of photography enabling students to acquire advanced photographic skills, both theoretical and practical, and apply them to self-generated projects. This is one of the characteristics of our Master in Photography and Design, which, brings photographic education up to date with contemporary photographic practice. It also pays attention to the dissemination of photographic work, exhibition and publication and focuses on the reasons by which the meaning of an image is shaped by its use and contextualization.

Drawing on the expertise of a diverse range of professional photographers, guest lecturers and technical advisers, you will enhance your knowledge and skills through a series of photographic projects based on practice-led research. By the end of the Master you should be able to produce contemporary photographic work that uses photography effectively to express and communicate complex ideas, by exploring beyond the specific boundaries of photography in order to produce innovative solutions to new areas and methods of display and contextualization of pictures.

Studying photography in Barcelona

Barcelona is a city with very particular characteristics that make it stand out as an important metropolis and an international benchmark. It stands out for its great architectural, cultural, gastronomic value and for being the cradle of design. In addition, geographically it is also located in a unique environment and its climate is pleasant. For all this, if you are thinking about studying photography, there is no doubt that Barcelona can be the ideal setting in which to specialize in the practice of this art. 

Our school is located in the heart of Barcelona, in one of the most emblematic areas of the city and within a few metres of the harbour. And idyllic environment that favours creativity, design and creation. Elisava represents the best place to study photography for a lot of reasons. Next, you will find out some of them.

Grants to study photography in Barcelona

To know the different financing systems and grants to study photography that you can apply to, we recommend you to have a look at Financing and grants for masters. 

Official master in Photography

When assessing where to study a master's degree in photography and which school to choose, you must keep in mind that there are currently many possibilities, given the growing demand for professionals specializing in this field. However, not all schools and training centers can offer you the same guarantees.  

At Elisava we have extensive teaching experience and an advanced training system. We are backed by the good results, the satisfaction of our students and the recognition of our centre as one of the most internationally recognized university design schools. Our regulated studies in Photography will allow you to achieve success and excellence in all your future projects.

Studying our master's degree in photography in Barcelona will provide you with necessary tools to become a professional that adapts to the real needs, both present and future, that emerge from the sector. Below, we set out the fundamental objectives of the Master in Photography and Design and tell you what are the main skills you will acquire in the course of this new stage of learning. 

• Provide a flexible but structured interdisciplinary context in which students can rigorously pursue a self-directed research project whose outcomes are embodied within the systematic production of a specific and original body of work within the field of photography.
• To provide students with the necessary visual tools to be able to build a photographic project from beginning to end. 
• To give students the necessary knowledge to be able to express ideas with a photographic project in an effective way.
• To encourage the development of each student’s own critical reflection as the basis for developing as independent learners capable of advancing their own skills, knowledge and professional and research practice.
• Provide students with the means for establishing and understanding the place of their own work within the context of relevant and contemporary academic and professional situations and debates.
• Provide students with professional photography technical skills and be able to be successful in any professional circumstance.
• To encourage the development of research strategies that reflect the contemporary context in theoretical discourse and creative practice and form the basis for informed speculation about future directions.
• To engage with real audiences, generating new challenging narratives about the nature of the work itself and its relation with changed modes of production, dissemination and consumption.
• To provide professionals specialising in the area of photography with multidisciplinary training so that they can use photography as a tool for conveying concepts and ideas.