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2025 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in New York

28 Colleges in New York
2,173 Film Degrees Awarded
$25,982 Avg Early-Career Salary
Film, Video & Photographic Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #62 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 28 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in New York ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,173 degrees in film, video & photographic arts annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Film, Video & Photographic Arts School

Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in New York Your choice of film, video & photographic arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for film, video & photographic arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Film, Video & Photographic Arts Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Film
Bachelor's Degrees in Film
Master's Degrees in Film
Doctor's Degrees in Film

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in New York list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Film, Video & Photographic Arts in New York

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the film degree levels they offer.

10 Top New York Schools in Film

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
465 Film Degrees Awarded
8.4% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in film, video & photographic arts needs to take a look at New York University. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were about 465 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the film program report average early career wages of $22,591.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from New York University

2
Ithaca crest
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Film Degrees Awarded
$23,782 Median Starting Salary

Ithaca College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in film, video & photographic arts. Ithaca is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small suburb of Ithaca. This college ranks 23rd out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were roughly 108 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Ithaca in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the film program state that they receive average early career wages of $23,782.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Ithaca College

Sponsored
Associates Degree Type
AA in Digital Photography Program Name

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.

More information about a degree in AA in Digital Photography from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Film Degrees Awarded
6.3% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Syracuse University if you wish to pursue a degree in film, video & photographic arts. Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Syracuse. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.

There were roughly 64 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, film degree recipients usually make around $26,331 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Syracuse University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
137 Film Degrees Awarded
8.0% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Rochester Institute of Technology if you want to pursue a degree in film, video & photographic arts. RIT is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Rochester. A Best Colleges rank of #147 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means RIT is a great school overall.

There were roughly 137 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at RIT in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the film, video & photographic arts program at Rochester Institute of Technology get $2,876 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Rochester Institute of Technology

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In NY
32 Film Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of New York, FIT SUNY is a public school with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #32 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means FIT SUNY is a great school overall.

There were roughly 32 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at FIT SUNY in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Fashion Institute of Technology

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Film Degrees Awarded
24.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 99 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the film, video & photographic arts major at Columbia University in the City of New York make $5,105 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Columbia University in the City of New York

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Film Degrees Awarded
$26,630 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Buffalo, University at Buffalo is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #171 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University at Buffalo is a great university overall.

There were about 66 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at University at Buffalo in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the film program state that they receive average early career income of $26,630.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from University at Buffalo

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Digital Photography Program Name

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.

More information about a degree in BA in Digital Photography from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
135 Film Degrees Awarded
33.3% Growth in Graduates

New School University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #197 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means New School University is a great school overall.

There were about 135 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at New School University in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, film degree recipients usually earn about $21,523 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from The New School

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
210 Film Degrees Awarded
7.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of New York, SVA is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

There were roughly 210 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at SVA in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the film program make an average of $22,545 for their early career.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from School of Visual Arts

10
Barnard crest
Barnard College
New York, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
27th Most Popular In NY

Located in the large city of New York, Barnard is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #86 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Barnard is a great college overall.

There were about 11 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Barnard in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Barnard College

Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 334 577
Maryland 279 96
New Jersey 273 179
District of Columbia 188 77
Delaware 175 18

View All Rankings >

Film, Video & Photographic Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Film Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Film & Video Production 1,080
Film/Cinema/Media Studies 522
Photography 447
Other Film/Video & Photographic Arts 102
Documentary Production 22

View All Film Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 4,369
Fine & Studio Arts 3,544
Drama & Theater Arts 3,142
Music 2,523
Arts & Media Management 595
General Visual & Performing Arts 549
Dance 498
Other Visual Art 473

View All Film Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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