About The Program
Learn everything about photography from the pros at The Chicago Photography Center! Our Certificate Program (CPCCP) will take students through a series of photography classes that will inspire you to take your photography further. Start as a beginner and work towards the top! Students may use either digital or film depending upon their desired focus.
Required Course Work
Core Classes
Each student must complete the all of the following courses to be eligible for the CPCCP.
- Fundamentals of Photography (Either Film or Digital)** Includes lab requirement
- Intermediate Photography (Either Film or Digital)**
- Advanced Photography
- Fundamentals of Studio Portrait Lighting
- Flash Photography
- Photoshop for Photographers
- History of Photography
** Note: Classes must be taken in the same field, either Film or Digital
Electives
Each student will have to complete three of the following courses to be eligible for the CPCCP.
- Multi-Exposure Photography
- Capturing Beauty
- Photojournalism
- Street Photography
- Any other class regularly offered at CPC
Boot Camps
Each student would have to complete two of the following boot camps to be eligible for the CPCCP.
- Table Top Photography
- Wedding and Event Photography
- Architectural Photography
- Film Boot Camp (If certificate is in Digital)
- Digital Boot Camp (If certificate is in Film)
Volunteering
Students are required to donate 50 volunteer hours while completing their coursework. Opportunities are listed below.
- Administrative Duties
- Gallery Assistance
- Marketing
- Fundraising
Suggested Course Schedule
It is recommended that students follow this suggested course schedule
Session I
- Fundamentals of Photography
- Boot Camp I
Session II
- Intermediate Photography
- Fundamentals of Portrait Photography
- Photoshop for Photographers
Session III
- History of Photography
- Elective I
Session IV
- Advanced Photography
- Elective II
Session V
- Flash Photography
- Elective III
- Boot Camp II
Pricing
Students have the option to pay one of the following ways. Online registration is not currently available for the CPCCP. Please call (773) 549-1631 or stop by to register in person!
Option I
Paying in full for complete program
Total : $3,000.00
Option II
Paying amounts at the beginning of each session
$640.00 per Session
Total : $3,200.00
Option III
A la Carte. Pay as you go, each class is full regular price
Estimated Total : $3,663.00
** Note: Payment includes 7 core classes, 3 electives and 2 boot camps.
** Note: When paying A la Carte, classes may still be canceled due to lack of enrollment.
Attendance Policy
Because much of the material that is covered in class is built upon the previous class lessons, attendance is a must.
- Once a Student has enrolled in the CPC Certificate Program, they will have two (2) years from the first session of classes that they take to complete all requirements needed for the program.
- Students missing more than one (1) class in a session without making it up with the instructor will receive an incomplete.
- Students may take up to one (1) make up session of a class at no extra charge to student.
- Any student with two (2) consecutive incompletes for a given class will be asked to pay full price on the third attempt of a class.
Evaluation Policy
There are two evaluations that a student may attain in any given class.
- Pass (P) : Meets all requirements of the given class.
- Incomplete (I) : Does not adhere to the attendance policy, or needed to switch out of a session due to family or personal emergency. Students may transfer a class to a later session ONCE without penalty OR if they do not meet requirements of the given class.
Volunteer Policy
Each student must log in 50 hours of volunteer service with CPC.
- CPC Staff will maintain a volunteer log for each student.
- Pre-certificate volunteer hours may be used toward payment of classes (CPC dollars) but may not be used towards the required volunteer hours.
- All hours that are required must be completed while the student is registered in the program.
- Any student failing to meet the required volunteer hours will not receive his or her certificate.
** Note: The Chicago Photography Center is not an accredited institution. Certificates will state that the student has completed the required course work. The CPC will back the student and stand as a reference for all future photography endeavors.
