Why is it that KC, Mo doesn't have any schools that offer a photography/film degree???

Question

Besides the KC Art Institute there seems to be no other school around here that offers it. I'm hoping to keep recieving the pell grant for as long as I can but it wouldn't cover all the costs of KCAI. I plan on applying for scholarships soon after I raise my GPA but I don't know how much scholarships would offer. JOCO has a few good photography courses but I don't think they offer a degree.
I really don't feel like moving to Chicago just to get a cheaper degree in what I want.
What's the deal with this city. It's the city of fountains (which is about art) and there are photographers everywhere around here but it's so expensive to get a degree in photography here and you wouldn't even be able to get a desent paying job in photography around here most likely.

Answer 1

Art programs are indeed expensive to manage, and since the KCAI is one of the top programs in the country, regional colleges and universities typically will not compete with them.

If you are trying to stay in the KC area, I recommend the University of Central Missouri (formerly CMSU) in Warrensburg. They have a great bachelor's program in photography. And a state school will be significantly less expensive than a private school. If you have low grades to start with, scholarships may be difficult even later down the road - but always try for everything. Grants will be a great source for you as well if you attend UCM.

good luck - hth

Answer 2

Money. The cost per student per year ratio is too high. For example, Dental Lab Technology versus Medical Transcriptionist, is $11,000 per student per year versus $3,000 per student per year....so you see a lot of schools offering Medical Transcriptionist courses and very few offering Dental Lab Technology. I would imagine that photography/film would be one of the more expensive courses that a university might offer. On a limited budget and hundreds of possible degree options, a school has to make some choices...and a part of that decision would be studies on how many students per 100,000 have shown an interest in that field.