I guess my first question would require some introspective on her part and maybe some honest assesment on your part. Does she shoot already, is there some raw natural talent already starting to show through?

I am guessing there are LOTS of success stories of people using such a degree to their benifit. I am also guessing I have never heard them as of yet. I would probably be very interested in seeing portfoloios of alumni.

What school are we talking about? Is this a photographic only school, or a degree program withn an acredited college? Does the ciriculum match your nieces goals?

Now the next part, I offer more as a warning. My only exposure to graduates of such a degree is on line personality that asked to pick the best of a series of photographs for their final photographic thesis. All of the 4 posted looked like snap shots that looked worse than any beginner would have taken with a P&S. And when people started to ask if it was a joke, the person obviously got severly offended, offering that their teachers saw "Pure Genius" in their shots.

If the school seems legit, and your niece has some solid artistic natural foundation, and the school has a well rounded circulum, that it probably couldn't hurt to have a degree.

I would offer this though. If she DOES have natural talent...that art based brains rarely have good business sense as well as the people come usually from diffrent regions of the brain. With that said, make sure the degree program has business based classes, as that seems to be the bane of most talented photographers....is knowing how to market their product.

Maybe the 2 year photographic program and another 2 year business program?

Just some suggestions.

Roman