2025 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Master's Degree Schools
Film, Video & Photographic Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #84 most popular master's degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 36 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for film, video & photographic arts students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,704 master's degrees in film, video & photographic arts to qualified students.
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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
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 take this into account we include a school'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.
Early-Career Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
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
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 Master's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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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 the United States
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in film, video & photographic arts.
10 Top Schools for a Master's in Film
University of Southern California is a great choice for students pursuing 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.
Soon after graduation, film master's recipients usually earn around $26,843 in their early careers.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from University of Southern California
New York University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in film, video & photographic arts. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.
After graduating, film master's recipients generally make about $15,801 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from New York University
It's difficult to beat Chapman University if you wish to pursue a master'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.
Master's students who receive their degree from the film program make an average of $28,832 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from Chapman University
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in film, video & photographic arts needs to look into University of California - Los Angeles. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Film, Video & Photographic Arts master's degree recipients from University of California - Los Angeles earn a boost of approximately $8,649 above the typical earnings of film, video & photographic arts graduates.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the large city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Film, Video & Photographic Arts master's degree recipients from American University get an earnings boost of approximately $20,144 above the average earnings of film, video & photographic arts graduates.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from American University
Located in the city of Savannah, SCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Those film, video & photographic arts students who get their master's degree from Savannah College of Art and Design make $6,188 more than the average film graduate.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from Savannah College of Art and Design
Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from Northwestern University
Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.
Master's graduates who receive their degree from the film program make an average of $31,087 in their early career salary.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the small city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a 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 fairly large student population.
Soon after graduation, film master's recipients usually earn around $27,650 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in film, video & photographic arts from Loyola Marymount University
