2025 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Master's Degree Schools in California
a master's degree in
film, video & photographic arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #84 out of 343 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 11 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 877 master'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.
Learn More
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 Master's Degree
Your choice of film, video & photographic arts for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
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 master'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 much debt film, video & photographic arts students go into to obtain their master's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized film, video & photographic arts related body.
Our full 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 master's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Master's Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.
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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.
Learn More
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 Master’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 master's degree.
10 Top California Schools for a Master's in Film
It's hard to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a master's degree in film, video & photographic arts. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the film program report average early career wages of $26,843.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from University of Southern California
Chapman University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a master's degree in film, video & photographic arts. Located in the medium-sized city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
After graduating, film master's recipients typically make about $28,832 in their early careers.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from Chapman University
University of California - Los Angeles is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in film, video & photographic arts. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.
Film, Video & Photographic Arts master's degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles earn a boost of around $9,709 over the average earnings of film, video & photographic arts majors.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from University of California - Los Angeles
University of California - Santa Cruz is a good option for students pursuing a master's degree in film, video & photographic arts. Located in the small city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from University of California - Santa Cruz
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the film program report average early career earnings of $27,650.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from Loyola Marymount University
Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from San Francisco State University
Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the large city of San Francisco.
Master's recipients from the film, video & photographic arts program at Academy of Art University make $11,666 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from Academy of Art University
CalArts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Valencia.
Soon after graduation, film master's recipients usually earn about $20,842 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from California Institute of the Arts
Located in the large city of San Francisco, California College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from California College of the Arts
Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit college located in the midsize city of Pasadena.More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from Art Center College of Design
