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FAQs for prospective students
FAQs for your family and friends
FAQs for prospective students
If I come to Boston, where will I live?
Students coming to Boston are always concerned about housing. While NESOP does not offer housing facilities or dorms, we do everything possible to help our students find suitable housing. We refer you to online resources, connect you with other incoming students seeking roommates and steer you toward reputable realtors our students have worked with in the past. Rest assured, all NESOP students find appropriate housing. No one ends up living in the lab (though it might seem that way sometimes).
How many hours will I work every week?
Full-time students need to put in 30 hours a week—18 hours of classes (about 4 days a week) and 12 hours a week of lab time. NESOP is open seven days a week, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. We also offer extended hours during finals or other peak periods.
Can I work while attending NESOP?
Many students work part-time (typically 20 hours a week) while studying at NESOP. However, since your class schedule changes every term, you will need to have a flexible work schedule.
How can I apply for financial aid?
Financial aid is available to students who qualify. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to apply and find out more. NESOP’s school code for the financial aid application is 015273.
Is NESOP an accredited institution? And what does that mean, anyway?
NESOP is accredited by ACCSCT and licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Education. Accreditation is voluntary, and means that the school is held to high standards of academic excellence and ethical practices. To achieve educational effectiveness, our accreditation focuses on outcomes. Among other factors, focusing heavily on outcomes means that we are required to meet specific completion and placement rates to prove that our program really does educate and train students to get work in the professional photography field. We believe that staying accredited keeps NESOP performing at its best—so we may best serve our students.
Is there parking at the school?
Boston frequently lives up to its reputation as one of the worst driving cities in the U.S. While driving to NESOP is an option, and on-street, metered parking is available, consider a simpler alternative. The MBTA (known as the “T”) is the oldest public transportation system in the U.S. NESOP is just one block from the Kenmore Square T stop, a major stop for both buses and the subway—allowing you to commute conveniently from many Boston neighborhoods. Monthly T passes are quite convenient and affordable.
Are there internships available?
NESOP is an integral part of the Boston photographic community, connecting you to a wide range of resources and opportunities. Although NESOP does not have a work/study or co-op program, we informally refer our students to photographers looking for interns or assistants.
What job placement help is offered after graduation?
NESOP offers job placement assistance to graduates of our two-year Professional Photography Program. NESOP believes that this service is beneficial and necessary for you as you begin your career. NESOP will proactively contact you and inform you of jobs that come through the placement office for five years after your graduation date. After this five-year period, you may contact the school for job leads for as many years as you want. Beyond that five-year period, we remove graduates from the list unless they specifically request to stay on it.
What equipment does NESOP supply? What do I need?
The equipment you will work on at NESOP is the same as the equipment you’ll work with as a professional photographer. We offer a complete range of industry-standard analog and digital equipment—including 48 black-and-white workstations in three large gang darkrooms, 22 individual color printing rooms, and an updated digital imaging lab housing 40 imaging stations (each consisting of a Macintosh G5, LaCie 19-inch monitor, Epson photo printer and a Wireless T1 Internet connection) and a variety of scanners and printers. We also have portrait studios, private film processing rooms, large-format cameras and all other elements necessary for learning all aspects of photography. You need to have your own laptop computer, small-format digital SLR camera, lenses, flash and hand-held light meter.
What is the difference between a Degree and a Certificate/Diploma?
When you graduate from our Professional Photography Program you will earn a Diploma. Degree programs require the completion of specific academic and a number of elective classes. These are not required at NESOP, since our exclusive focus is on professional photography.
Can I continue my education after NESOP?
Yes, graduates from our Professional Photography Program often choose to continue their educations at colleges and universities throughout the world. Schools that grant BA/BFAs in photography have accepted NESOP graduates. If you plan to continue your education after NESOP, check with the institution of your choice to see if it will give you credit for the courses you completed as a NESOP student. Many of our students come to NESOP after receiving their BA/BFAs, degrees in other disciplines or graduate degrees. They find that NESOP’s program helps bring together their previous education and experience. At NESOP, they gain the insights and tools they need to develop strong, marketable professional portfolios—along with relevant, hands-on skills necessary to succeed in the field.
FAQs for your family and friends
Why NESOP?
There are many reasons to choose NESOP. First and foremost is the quality of the photographic education we offer. Our two-year Professional Photography program combines practical commercial training and personal, fine-art exploration. Our students receive an intensive education in all aspects of photography—as well as opportunities to explore their areas of concentration. This combination gives our students the marketable skills they need for a career in professional photography.
Our curriculum is designed to prepare each student for a successful career in photography. By keeping pace with trends in professional photography, the education our students receive is practical, relevant and current. Hands-on classes give students practical skills and encourage individual creativity. During the first year, students work from the ground up to establish a strong technical and visual foundation—work that prepares students for their advanced second-year studies. During their second year, students choose an area of specialization from seven majors and ten minors spanning all areas of photography.
Who comes to NESOP?
Our students reflect diverse backgrounds and interests. They come from around the world to study with our faculty, receive a high-quality photographic education, join our community of photographers and begin their own careers. We have students who come to NESOP directly from high school, students who transfer from colleges and universities—as well as students with BA degrees and MBAs. The diversity of our students creates a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere that encourages intensive learning and inspires creative exploration.
Who teaches at NESOP?
Our faculty is comprised of working professional photographers with broad and deep expertise in all areas of photography. In all, we have approximately twenty instructors on our roster. Many of them teach at NESOP on a regular basis. Others rotate based on their professional schedules. Our instructors bring their cumulative experience working in photography to our students—who gain an important perspective on the real-world challenges of photography.
What is the average class size?
We keep class sizes small to offer individual attention and encourage the free and beneficial exchange of ideas—as well as a close working relationship between our instructors and students. Class sizes range from 8 to a maximum of 18 students for instructional/laboratory classes, and to a maximum of 35 students for a lecture class.
Is NESOP accredited?
NESOP is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) and licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Education. Accreditation is voluntary, and means that our school is held to high standards of academic excellence and ethical practices. To achieve educational effectiveness, our accreditation focuses on outcomes. Among other factors, focusing heavily on outcomes means that we are required to meet specific completion and placement rates to prove that our program really does educate and train students to get work in the professional photography field. We believe that staying accredited keeps NESOP performing at its best—so we may best serve our students.
Is financial aid available?
Financial aid is available to students who qualify. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to apply and find out more. NESOP’s school code for the financial aid application is 015273.
Does NESOP have housing available?
Finding housing in any urban area is always a viable concern. While NESOP does not offer housing facilities or dorms, we do everything possible to help our students find suitable housing. We refer our students to online resources, connect them with other incoming students seeking roommates and steer them toward reputable realtors our students have worked with in the past. Rest assured, all NESOP students find appropriate housing.
Does NESOP offer health insurance?
No, NESOP does not offer group health insurance. Due to the small average size of the NESOP student group, the rates we would be able to offer for limited health insurance coverage would not be competitive with those that they can obtain on their own. Most students under 25 can include themselves on their parents’ health insurance plan. Others will have to look for health coverage independently—and may find better coverage options using this approach.
Do you help students find jobs?
Upon graduation, NESOP graduates are eligible for job placement through our Placement Department, which receives various requests for photographers. The department then forwards these leads to graduates proactively for five years after their graduation date. After that, graduates can request to remain on the placement list and to keep receiving job leads. While we take an active role in connecting our graduates with potential job leads, it is their portfolios and business skills—acquired at NESOP—which help them get these jobs.
How far can a certificate/diploma from NESOP take you?
A certificate/diploma from NESOP can help graduates attain many jobs in the market—from assisting successful photographers to working for print or online media. However, it’s important to point out that much of the photography business is focused primarily on freelance/self-employed situations. Most clients and employers look at the portfolio as the key factor in deciding whether or not to hire a specific photographer. NESOP graduates have all had to present their portfolios successfully and have it accepted by a two-thirds vote of NESOP’s second-year faculty in attendance at their portfolio review. This process prepares students to discuss and defend their work—and gives them the confidence that comes from knowing that professionals in their field consider their work acceptable in their chosen areas of specialization.
Business courses and the required business concepts are integral to every Major and Minor at NESOP. This training educates students in self-promotion and business management. It also assists them in handling the many issues they will face as self-employed photographers.
NESOP graduates who want to teach photography at the high school or college level will probably need a BFA or MFA—a route that many NESOP students have pursued successfully.
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