What can you do with a photography degree?

A photography degree gives you the perfect opportunity to develop and refine your technical skills and methods (traditional darkroom processes, lighting, advanced digital editing, etc.) which are essential to work as a professional photographer, but you will also develop a broad range of transferable skills which are desired by a wide range of employers. These include:

Studying photography at University of Plymouth will open a wide range of career choices. You could look at channelling your artist talents by pursuing a career as a professional photographer. There are a variety of opportunities including those that specialise in taking photographs of specific subjects (sports, music and performance, fashion) or those that specialise in using different techniques.

Opportunities include aerial or drone photography, fine art photography, portrait photography, current affairs/news photography, commercial/ advertising photography, corporate photography or working as a scientific/ medical photographer.

Whether you choose to be a self-employed freelancer or in-house photographer you can work in a variety of industries including fashion, fine art, advertising, education, science, graphic design, film or digital/ web design. Typical employers include magazines, newspapers, journals, retail websites, catalogues and large companies. To find out more about going freelance or running your own business check out our self-employment and freelancing page.

Due to the variety of transferable skills you gain from studying photography you could also enter into the creative industries as retouchers, picture researchers, art and photo editors, art directors, graphic designers, art buyers, researchers or museum/ gallery curators.

You could also use your creative skills to inspire others and work as a teacher (primary, secondary, further education) or higher education lecturer. Teaching opportunities are also available outside of a traditional classroom setting and you could consider using your artist flair to engage with people as a Community Arts Worker.

When considering your options, remember that your physical and digital portfolio are essential to presenting your work to potential employers and evidencing your skills.

Many photographygraduates take the skills they have learnt elsewhere and find their way into less directly related graduate professions including marketing, the civil service and the charitable sector.

*Data is from the Graduate Outcomes Surveys covering the three years of 2019/20 – 2021/22. Graduates were surveyed 15 months after graduating. Data displayed is for UK-domiciled, first degree, full-time graduates who are working, studying or looking for work.

It is also worth investigating what further study options the University has to offer as you may find the perfect course for yourself in an institution you already know. There are also sometimes financial benefits of staying on such as a fee discount to Alumni – find out your funding options .

Accessing support from the Careers Service couldn’t be easier, come along to the Careers Service Helpdesk in the Student Hub or access our 24/7 online resources .

Workshops are delivered by the Careers Service, however they are also an opportunity to learn from your peers, share experiences and ask questions. Visit myCareer to see the full range of activities and to book your place.

Build your network and job sector knowledge using LinkedIn’s alumni tool. This will allow you to see the career journeys of graduates from your programme, the qualifications they completed, the skills they developed and employers they worked for. You can then ‘connect’ with people of interest:

For more information about the alumni tool select the LinkedIn alumni tool guide. If you are looking for help to set up or learn how to make the most out of your LinkedIn profile, select the LinkedIn guide for students or come to one of our workshops .

Build your network and job sector knowledge using LinkedIn’s alumni tool. This will allow you to see the career journeys of graduates from your programme, the qualifications they completed, the skills they developed and employers they worked for. You can then ‘connect’ with people of interest:

For more information about the alumni tool select the LinkedIn alumni tool guide. If you are looking for help to set up or learn how to make the most out of your LinkedIn profile, select the LinkedIn guide for students or come to one of our workshops .