2025 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
a bachelor's degree in
film, video & photographic arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #42 out of 363 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.
College Factual reviewed 28 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of film, video & photographic arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,722 bachelor's degrees in film, video & photographic arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
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Featured Film, Video & Photographic Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
AA in Digital Photography
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
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BA in Digital Photography
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn More
Choosing a Great Film, Video & Photographic Arts School for Your Bachelor's Degree
The film bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Earnings
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on film, video & photographic arts students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other film, video & photographic arts students want to attend this school to pursue a bachelor's degree.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for film, video & photographic arts to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized film, video & photographic arts related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for film, video & photographic arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The film school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
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Featured Film, Video & Photographic Arts Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Digital Photography
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
Learn More
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Film, Video & Photographic Arts in California
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for film, video & photographic arts students seeking a a bachelor's degree.
10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Film
University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in film, video & photographic arts. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Those film, video & photographic arts students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Southern California earn $8,597 more than the average film grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in film, video & photographic arts from University of Southern California
It is difficult to beat Chapman University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in film, video & photographic arts. Located in the midsize city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the film, video & photographic arts degree program at Chapman University get $10,205 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in film, video & photographic arts from Chapman University
University of California - Santa Barbara is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in film, video & photographic arts. UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.
Bachelor's recipients from the film, video & photographic arts degree program at University of California - Santa Barbara make $3,018 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in film, video & photographic arts from University of California - Santa Barbara
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in film, video & photographic arts needs to check out San Francisco State University. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Soon after graduation, film bachelor's recipients generally make an average of $18,654 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in film, video & photographic arts from San Francisco State University
Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the film program state that they receive average early career earnings of $23,614.
More information about a bachelor’s in film, video & photographic arts from University of California - Santa Cruz
UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Film, Video & Photographic Arts bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles receive an earnings boost of about $4,106 above the typical earnings of film, video & photographic arts graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in film, video & photographic arts from University of California - Los Angeles
UCR is a very large public university located in the large city of Riverside.
After graduating, film bachelor's recipients usually earn an average of $24,840 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in film, video & photographic arts from University of California - Riverside
Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.
Those film, video & photographic arts students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Berkeley receive $3,421 more than the typical film graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in film, video & photographic arts from University of California - Berkeley
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Soon after graduation, film bachelor's recipients typically make around $24,561 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in film, video & photographic arts from Loyola Marymount University
Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the film program make an average of $21,397 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in film, video & photographic arts from University of California - Irvine
