by our College Data Analytics TeamDocumentary Production was the 1,106 most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 78 degrees in this year alone. This represents a 17.9% reduction in documentary production degrees awarded over the prior year's total of 92.
This year's Best Documentary Production Schools ranking compares 7 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Explore this or one of our many other custom documentary production rankings further below.
Talking to others to convey information effectively has been highlighted as one of the most essential skills for careers related to documentary production. Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times and understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents are all required skills for careers related to this major.
A high school diploma or equivalent is typically required for most documentary production degree programs and many students will need a minimum GPA and SAT/ACT score depending on the school. In addition to these basic documentary production program qualifications, to serve in some documentary production careers, special certification may be required outside of your degree.
There are many different documentary production degree levels. You can get anything from a in documentary production to the highest documentary production degree, a . The time it takes to complete a documentary production degree varies depending on the program.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to documentary production, with approximately 37.8% of workers getting one. People currently working in careers related to documentary production tend obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 33.4% |
| Master’s Degree | 23.5% |
| Doctoral Degree | 11.3% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 10.0% |
| Some College Courses | 8.3% |
About 66.4% of workers in careers related to documentary production obtain at least bachelor's degrees. View the chart below to get an idea of what degree level most of those in documentary production careers have.
This of course varies depending on which documentary production career you choose.
Want a job when you graduate with your documentary production degree? Documentary Production careers are expected to grow 12.0% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to documentary production.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Producers and Directors | 151,200 | 12.2% |
| Art, Drama, and Music Professors | 137,200 | 12.0% |
| Film and Video Editors | 40,000 | 17.0% |
| Communications Professors | 37,500 | 10.0% |
| Television, Video, and Motion Picture Camera Operators | 26,900 | 7.2% |
As you might expect, salaries for documentary production graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for documentary production graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers documentary production grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Producers and Directors | $89,840 |
| Film and Video Editors | $86,830 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Professors | $82,560 |
| Communications Professors | $78,090 |
| Television, Video, and Motion Picture Camera Operators | $61,750 |
With over 24 different documentary production degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased documentary production school rankings to help you with this.
One of 4 majors within the Film, Video & Photographic Arts area of study, Documentary Production has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Film & Video Production | 7,768 |
| Film/Cinema/Media Studies | 5,191 |
| Photography | 2,184 |
| Other Film/Video & Photographic Arts | 1,557 |
