The SVA photography MFA will be discontinued at the end of the 2027–28 academic year, according to an August email from Jason Koth, the School of Visual Arts provost and vice president of academic affairs.
Koth said the decision stemmed from the institution’s ongoing financial pressures, a nationwide drop in graduate enrollment in photography programs, and broader federal policy and financial headwinds that have made the program’s current model unsustainable.
Students currently enrolled in the MFA in photography, video, and related media will be able to complete their degrees. Koth pledged a seamless teach-out process for those cohorts.
Launched in 1988, the program is the latest reduction to SVA’s offerings. Earlier this year the school announced it would end its curatorial master’s program in 2027. Since 2019, SVA’s overall registration has fallen by 34 percent, and the school is facing a reported structural budget deficit of 22 million dollars this year, described as the largest in its 80-year history.
SVA’s move aligns with actions by other institutions that are reshaping curricula in response to shifting political and technological forces.
Founding chair Charles Traub, who established the program, said the closure might have been avoided with better coordination and a more assertive approach to the future of AI. He argued that rethinking how AI is integrated could have helped sustain the program.
The rapid adoption of AI has affected fields central to the program, with users increasingly turning to AI-generated imagery in place of stock photos and videos. While regulatory debates continue, some universities are incorporating AI into coursework. Syracuse University, for example, launched a Center for the Creator Economy while pausing admissions to 20 undergraduate majors, including fine arts and digital humanities, as part of a broader restructuring last year.
Elsewhere, some colleges have closed outright or been absorbed by larger universities. One recent example cited was Vanderbilt University’s acquisition of the California College of the Arts.
Federal policy has also weighed on arts and education funding in recent years. Tighter restrictions on international students during the Trump administration reduced enrollments nationwide. At SVA, international students reportedly made up nearly 45 percent of the student body last fall.
SVA photography MFA faces enrollment and budget pressures
The SVA photography MFA announcement underscores overlapping trends: shrinking graduate enrollment in visual arts, financial strain on specialized programs, and the disruptive impact of AI tools on image-making markets. SVA officials said the school will focus on supporting current students through completion while reassessing long-term academic priorities.
The SVA photography MFA news arrives as the broader photography world continues to evolve, from commercial studios to major contests such as the Ocean Photographer of the Year, where artists are also adapting to new technologies and changing markets.