mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Anybody know anything about this college in Santa Barbara that has a degree program for photography? Any info is welcome. Thanks.

donrent Loc: Punta Gorda , Fl

All I know is that they have been around for years and years and - well you git what I mean... I would have to say that since they're still in business means something...
I can remember seeing they're advertising from the early fifties... Hit search and poke around....
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Here some good info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks_Institute

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

School website:
http://www.brooks.edu

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

Tuition & Fees:
http://www.careered.com/~/media/Disclosures/BI/Brooks-Institute/Brooks-Institute-001123-00-Tuition-Debt-Disclosure.ashx

vallabh1

Excellent school and had great photographers who have graduated are now working in top industries like Budwiser, NY Time name a few.

Roger Salls Loc: Stratford, CT

Brooks Industrial Photography 1974, I believe Nikonian is also a Brooks grad. Brooks was an excellent school at the time. Today I don't know as the Brooks family sold the school a few years ago and I'm not sure the quality is the same. I do have a friend who teaches there though, guess I should ask him.[quote=mdorn]Anybody know anything about this college in Santa Barbara that has a degree program for photography? Any info is welcome. Thanks.[/qu

BuckeyeBilly Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

Brooks has a terrific reputation and, if you can afford it and move there, it would be worth it. Another school you might like to investigate, one that I myself was seriously considering until I decided on an entirely different field, is the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. The advantage it has over Brooks is that all of your classes can be taken online if you're not able to move to San Fran. It has Associate's, Bachelor's, and Master's degrees available. Cost is about $17-$20K per year, and all types of student financial aid are available (grants, loans). Here is the link for it:

http://online.academyart.edu/schools/photography/

Some people wrinkle their nose at online schools but I really don't know why they do. I'm currently taking claases with an online school, a legitimate one, and got my Bachelor's degree and am now pursuing my Master's. It IS the modern way of getting an education, so don't just flippantly dismiss the Academy of Art because of the online aspect of it. Like I said earlier, you can also move to San Fran and take classes on its physical campus, and you'll still be taught classes from award-winning photographers, whether online or on campus.

Grumpy D Stevens

Are you wanting a degree or an education?? You might want to check out the Rocky Mountain School of Photography. They are located in Missoula, Montana. They do seminars and classes all over the country as well as what they call their "Summer Intensive" photography course in Montana.
I have taken a few courses from them over the years and have found them to be extremely educational. Outstanding instructors who have well above average teaching skills. They know how to communicate with beginners as well as pros. Check out: www.rmsp.com

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

If you select Brooks you will thoroughly enjoy the So. Calif. scene and weather. It is winter here and partly cloudy, with an average temp. of 65 degrees.

You will have photographic opportunities from the coast of San Diego to San Francisco, and the wild ocean coastline to the top of the Sierra Nevada Mountains (Yosemite).

Housing in Santa Barbara may be a problem, but you will find lots of opportunities within 20 miles of the college campus (Ventura County), Ventura, CA. If you decide to expand your education you could look at a degree program at Channel Islands University, California State University Channel Islands(CSU Channel Islands).

Michael G

Surfer

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

I've visited the place a couple of times in the early 90s, when I was living about 80 miles north of there, and while I can't vouch for it from a students' viewpoint, I found it oddly depressing. Many campuses have a sort of vitality and enthusiasm to them which I didn't feel at Brooks. But then, I was just visiting, not studying, and besides, I don't like Santa Barbara very much; it feels like the last suburb of Los Angeles at that, and one of the less pleasant ones, if you're from Northern California. The Ventura branch didn't exist in those days.

They are honest enough to publish both positive and negative comments from students on their site: follow the links given by Douglass, above. The main complaints seem to be that it is very expensive and that they were sometimes taught by people who were not really very good. The Wikipedia entry also gives the good side and the bad side of the school.

Also, it is not regionally accredited (though it is nationally accredited), so credits gained at many other universities are not recognized, nor are Brooks credits transferable. The big drawback to ANY photography school is that there are always far more graduates than jobs available.

Cheers,

R.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

A Bachelor's Degree and an education are not mutually exclusive. A bonafide degree in any field tells an employer (or a client) that you have completed a multi-year assignment to a specified criteria, and that you have a recognized level of education in that field.

Brooks Institute awards Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master degrees in Professional Photography. Degrees are awarded only for well-rounded educations; these are not just certificates of course completion.

That being said, having the head knowledge to take a good photograph, and actually producing exceptional work are two different things.

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Thanks all for the great links and feedback.

I'm an old man and have no desire to return to college and pursue another degree. My 17 yr old son, on the other hand, would like to pursue a career in photography. Despite my best efforts to dissuade him, he insists he's going to be famous and make lots of money---when have we all heard that before? Perhaps once he wakes up from his dream, I'll be able to talk some sense into him? :-)

Truth be told, I have not been the best influence... I would love to do what he is dreaming of, but alas, I have financial responsibilities now that must be addressed first. :-) Anyway, I promised to look at Brooks as an option for him. Since we live in Oregon, I'd rather he go to a college like OSU or UofO. Of course, he thinks Santa Barbara is the ultimate place to live---sun, beaches, lifestyle, etc. Again... he dreams a lot, and it rains a lot here.

Again... thanks for posting.

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

I think what the OP was looking for is a Technical School with an artistic point of view, that is why I included UCCI for additional education.

Michael G

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

Did you show him the tuition fees?
http://www.careered.com/~/media/Disclosures/BI/Brooks-Institute/Brooks-Institute-001123-00-Tuition-Debt-Disclosure.ashx

At $76,600 tuition + rent + living expenses, I could not afford to attend Brooks today. It was a bit more affordable in the late 70s. I saved for 2-years prior to Brooks, and I rode the GI Bill. BIP used to be 3-semesters a year, with just a week break between semesters. I completed a 4-year course in 2.6-years, but NO social life outside of class, studio shooting, field shooting, and darkroom (I still hate the smell of fixer).

sinatraman Loc: Vero Beach Florida, Earth,alpha quaudrant

my dad graduated from brooks in 66, worked for the santa barbara free press for a year and then was hired to be director of photographic services for Ferris State College in michigan from 1968 to 1995 when he retired. He always valued his education there, what little i rember of santa barbara is the beautifal mission there, watching the film production of batman with adam west at the santa barbara pier, and the 101 dinner cause their neon sign was shaped like a fork a bowl and a knife. (i was only 6 at the time. reputation wise i heard that its brooks and rochester institute of technology in Kodak's hometown at the top of the food chain. as for online education, one of the major benefits of a college education is meeting people of different backgrounds and socialy interacting. actually getting to know your classmates and professor. online education deprives you of that important expierence. i know in some situations it cant be avoided (serving on an aircraft carier in the persiaan gulf for 7 months for example. college is for more than just carear traing, it is to give you a well rounded education, which you can't get online or from keiser or ITT