Certificate of Achievement, Advanced Photography Digital Media

The Advanced Photography Digital Media is a certificate program that builds on the Fundamentals of Digital Media Arts program to prepare students for entry and mid-level employment in digital media production.  Students completing this certificate will be able to create advanced photography and digital media using still and motion images, new media and sound, installation and performance, exhibition and publication, and history of photography. Throughout the course, an emphasis is placed on creating a balance between creative and technical skills.

Program Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of pre-production, production and post production digital media processes.

2. Engage creativity and original thinking in the production of a Digital Media Art Production.

This certificate builds on the Fundamentals of Digital Media certificate and currently there are 60 students with 2 required courses for the Fundamentals of Digital Media Certificate and 15 with more than 2. This indicates that we will be seeing increased demand for further education and training in the Digital Media Area and this group will be a good pool to draw from for the Photography Digital Media: Advanced Production certificate. The following is from our survey of students who had successfully completed at least two photography courses in the past three years at LBCC. 

The department expects 20 graduates to complete with this certificate each year.

The Advanced Photography Digital Media Certificate of Achievement is an interdisciplinary program that builds on the Fundamentals of Digital Media Arts certificate and is designed to prepare students for entry-level employment in Digital Media Production. Entertainment and visual media play a significant role in the Southern California economy with one out of every 10 California workers being employed in creative economy related industries*. LBCC’s proximity within the Los Angeles / Orange County regional media and entertainment industries gives our students firsthand access to meaningful employment opportunities. An emphasis is placed on learning to collaborate across multiple disciplines and creating a balance between creative and technical skills.  

In the Southern California area, creative sectors supported 1 in 7 wage and salary jobs and contributed to an economic output of 10.4% of the region’s gross total. Over 44% of all works in creative occupations in California are located in the LA/OC regions. Creative occupations often require high levels of education or skills training, so an Advanced Certificate is an important part of making our students market-ready. Within these industries the Digital Media sector is seen as a growing area*. The Photography Digital Media Advanced Production program prepares students for entry-level jobs within the Production sector. A large number of independents work in the communication arts sector as graphic artists or in commercial or portrait photography. Regionally, this industry is expecting a job growth of 28% over the coming years. 

Entertainment and visual media play a significant role in the Southern California economy with one out of every 10 California workers being employed in creative economy related industries.  The Photography Digital Media Advanced Production program prepares students for entry and mid-level jobs within the Digital Media Production sector. Students completing this certificate will be able to demonstrate the production of digital media projects using creative and technical skills. Regionally, this industry is expecting a job growth of 28% over the coming years. Entry-level Digital Media Production artists can begin a career in the fields of film (TV, Web and Film), imaging (editorial, commercial, artistic, retail, comic) and video.  

The Advanced Photography Digital Media Certificate of Achievement fulfills the mission statement of the Long Beach Community College District by providing workforce development that meets the needs of student in our area. This program will train students in critical 21st century skills needed for employment within the southern California creative economy.  This program speaks directly to the value of excellence promoted at our college by providing innovative approaches to multidisciplinary curriculum within the Visual and Media Arts Department. 

Students completing this program will be able to enter in to a variety of available positions within the Digital Media industry. The types of jobs are not easy to categorize and many workers are independent contractors. Due to these factors, Otis Creative Report from 2014 described it as such, “the employment and economic contribution of digital media activities is much larger than indicated.” We have also discussed this at our Digital Media Arts Advisory Committee Meeting of May 11, 2015. The advisory committee had a presentation of the Digital Media: Advanced Production (now titled Photography Digital Media: Advanced Production) narrative and the group approved the approach of the new certificate. 

Requirements	Dept. Name/#	Name	Units	Sequence	Course Material Fees
Required Core	Phot 32     Phot 33     Phot 43	Introduction to Digital Photography   Professional Studio Lighting   Photoshop and Lightroom Management	4     4     3	Year 1, Fall     Year 1, Spring     Year 1, Fall	$0.00     $0.00     $0.00
Four Electives (12 -16 units)	PHOT 10 PHOT 34   PHOT 35   PHOT 37   PHOT 39   PHOT 41   PHOT 42     FILM 25	History of Photography Advanced Photography Applications   Photography for Publication   Portrait Photography   Photography on Location   Professional Photographic Portfolio   Experimental & New Media Photography   Introduction to Digital Cinematography	3 4   3     4   3 4   4   3   3	Year 1, Spring Year 2, Spring   Year 1, Spring   Year 1, Spring   Year 2, Spring   Year 2, Fall   Year 2, Spring   Year 2, Spring   Year 2, Fall	$0.00     $0.00   $0.00   $0.00   $0.00     $0.00   $0.00

This program will reside within in the Visual & Media Arts Department.

The following colleges have programs that are listed as Digital Media: Coastline Community College, Cypress College, Glendale Community College, Golden West College, Irvine Valley College, Santa Ana College, Santa Monica College and Santiago Canyon College.

100-200