by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 6 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Photography Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 118 bachelor's degrees in photography to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The photography 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for photography students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Photography Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in photography.
It is difficult to beat Academy of Art University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in photography. Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from Academy of Art University
It is difficult to beat Art Center College of Design if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in photography. Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Pasadena.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from Art Center College of Design
California Institute of the Arts is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in photography. CalArts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Valencia.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from California Institute of the Arts
California College of the Arts is a wonderful choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in photography. 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 bachelor’s in photography from California College of the Arts
Sac State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Sacramento.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from California State University - Sacramento
Cal Baptist is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Riverside.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from California Baptist University
Explore all the Best Photography Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 521 | 1 |
| Oregon | 343 | 6 |
One of 4 majors within the Film, Video & Photographic Arts area of study, Photography has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Film/Cinema/Media Studies | 1,363 |
| Film & Video Production | 955 |
| Other Film/Video & Photographic Arts | 286 |