I'm a photography major and need to buy a digital camera.... HELP!?

I can't spend too terribly much on this camera but i need it to allow me to start my career. I am looking for a good quality, professional grade camera. Any suggestions would be appreciated!!

thank you : )

As they said above check with your school before buying anything. Some do require that you start with film. Some colleges have digital only courses. My brother just took one.

That being said you will find there are many people who have strong opinions about which is the best camera. Its like asking what is the best car in some ways. Nikon, Cannon, Fuji, Sony, Olympus ( and more) all make digital SLRs. There is a particular rivalry between Nikon and Cannon. In truth they both make good cameras ( I use Nikon). Whatever brand you want a DSLR. So a few suggestions
1) read the reviews go to places like dpreview.com and ken rockwell.com see what people like and do not like about each camera
2) go to your local photography store and handle the cameras find out how they fit in your hand and where the controls are, are they easy for you to find and use
3) shop for prices, remember to check the mail order and as a student make sure and look at the used market there are lots of good slightly used cameras out there now. Be carefull of the too good to be true prices from some places on new cameras they may not include things like cords, camera batteries and chargers that usually come with new cameras. When you compare prices know what you are getting included with each one.
4) make sure what you buy has a US warranty (if you are in the US)
5) remember you will have to buy things like memory cards, UV or skylight filters to protect the lens, lens cleaning supplies, software figure this in your budget.
6) Check to see if your college has any or all of these available at student rates, they may have special purchase arraingements for students at you college book store.

If you like Nikon D40/60 would be a good student digital camera that would probably serve you well throughout your education. ( I think the cannon equivalent is the xti but I could be wrong) I would personnaly recommend this level of camera for school as whatever you get there will be something much more advance available by time you get out of school

If you want more professional the D-300, D-700 and D-3 are worth looking at but the price jumps exponentially it seems. You probably can find a D-200 or D2 used at a good price but still the D40/D60 will be less.

As a photo major, they should be starting you out using film ... my school had us buy a 4x5 view camera ... most require at least a 35 mm SLR.

By the time I finished school, I had two SLR bodies and ten lenses .... purchased one at a time, used, but in excellent working order.

Before you buy a $2000 DSLR and a couple of lenses ($700 and up), check with your school and see if you will be using film for at least the first year.

When you say professional grade in DSLR's you are talking about a Nikon D300 or D700 or a Canon 5D or 40D.

The professional cameras the D3 and 1Ds Mark III over $5000. ... for a student, that might be considered terrible

I agree with the other answerer; wait and see what camera your school needs you to buy. I doubt you'll have to buy a 4x5 view camera, but you'll most definitely need a film SLR, like a Nikon FM10 or a Canon K2.

well the canon g9 is a good camera, and it has a lot of ffeatures, and its not too expensive. idk if its what your looking for, but i love mine.