- 2 private graduate darkrooms with enlargers for printing negatives up to 4x5 inches
- gang black and white darkroom with 8 Omega enlargers for printing negatives up to 4x5 inches
- alternative process darkroom
- film changing closets and film processing area
- photography-only digital printing facility with new scanners and 17 and 24 inch Epson printers
- lighting studio with hot and cool continuous lights and strobes
- student exhibition space
- classroom and critique space with a digital projector
- open lab area for finishing/framing work
- small, medium and large format cameras and related equipment for student check-out
- neutral color viewing station
- graduate studios
- Department of Art & Art History Digital Lab where students can check out equipment, reserve the studio and use large format scanners and printers
![]()
Photography student work: Nathan Sanks
gum bichromate demonstration by James Hajicek
close inspection of prints at Sheldon Museum of Art
Workspace Gallery

Photography student work: Ashley Sears
Photography student work: Megan Stokes
UNL's Department of Art & Art History provides a unique and intimate environment for the study of photography. Class enrollment is limited to 18 and is often smaller so students receive individual attention enabling a sustained line of inquiry over several semesters. We offer beginning courses in both analog and digital technologies so intermediate and advanced students are free to choose between them or use a combination to pursue their ideas. UNL photography students are actively engaged in exhibiting their work on and off campus and further broaden their education through field trips to exhibitions in other cities. They work closely with visiting artists in demonstrations, Q&A sessions and portfolio critiques to prepare for life as professional artists after graduation.
The Photography area offers a range of studio courses in darkroom and digital photography that focus on technical, conceptual and aesthetic aspects of the medium as well as photography theory, history, criticism and contemporary practice. These courses are designed to provide a foundation for independent artists who use photography as a medium of expression. Studio art majors with an emphasis in Photography can take up to six regular courses in the area as well as special topics courses and independent study hours.
List of regular course offerings in Photography for Studio Art majors
Recommended UNL courses that complement the study of photography
Photography lectures and exhibitions:
- The Department of Art and Art History's Hixson-Lied Visiting Artist program brings prominent photographers to campus for lectures, demonstrations and studio visits. Recent visiting artists include Kelli Connell, Binh Danh, Nicole Jean Hill, Alchemy Studio (Carol Panaro-Smith and James Hajicek,) Martina Shenal, Gwen Walstrand and Tomiko Jones
- Sheldon Museum of Art on campus has an extensive photography collection, print viewing and regular exhibitions. Encounters, a major exhibition of the photography collection, is up February 1 - April 28, 2013 and will be accompanied by a catalog and symposium.
- Lincoln PhotoFest is a biennial event that features photography exhibitions in multiple venues during the month of February. 2013's PhotoFest included the Sheldon collection exhibition, F. Holland Day at the Sheldon, Tomiko Jones at Workspace Gallery, UNL photography graduate students and part-time faculty at Tugboat and a UNL Fine Art Photography Club/Metro Community College Photography Club juried members show at the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery in the Department of Art & Art History.
- Nearby Workspace Gallery hosts six exhibitions of contemporary photography each year with artist or curator gallery talks for each opening reception
- The 2013 Midwest Society for Photographic Education conference will be held in Lincoln October 24-27 and co-sponsored by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Metropolitan Community College. The conference will feature lectures, panels, workshops, exhibitions and portfolio reviews for SPE members.
UNL's graduate program offers:
- Three-year, 60 credit MFA
- Private darkrooms and studio space
- 24 hour access to all Photography facilities
- Tuition fellowships
- Graduate Teaching Assistantships
- Art & Art History Department awards
- Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts awards, presentation travel grants, study abroad grants and research grants
- Studio critiques by visiting artists and scholars
- Opportunities to work with faculty from multiple studio areas
- Summer scholarships to Anderson Ranch Arts Center
- Summer study abroad courses at the graduate level in London and Paris, Florence, Athens and Japan
- Close proximity and dialog with MFA students in all studio areas and with MA students in Art History
- Solo MFA thesis exhibitions
- Opportunities to exhibit work in the many galleries and alternative spaces in Lincoln
MFA program application information- Feb. 1 deadline for fall admission
The UNL Fine Art Photo Club is a recognized student organization that extends photography activities beyond the classroom. Club members hold an annual print sale and raffle in early December that raises funds for club travel to regional and national Society for Photographic Education conferences and for participation in activities such as the traveling exchange exhibition 16x16x16.
Photo Club members at the Doug and Mike Starn exhibition, 2012 MWSPE conference in Cincinnati
16x16x16 exchange exhibition of Metropolitan Community College student work at UNL
Photography student work: Michael Maly
Photography student work: Nicole Hupp