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2025 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Virginia

4 Colleges in Virginia
286 Film Degrees Awarded
$25,982 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in film, video & photographic arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #62 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 4 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Virginia ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 286 degrees in film, video & photographic arts to qualified students.

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 Virginia Your choice of film, video & photographic arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Film, Video & Photographic Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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

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 Schools in Virginia. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Film, Video & Photographic Arts in Virginia

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the film degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Virginia Schools in Film

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Film Degrees Awarded
23.0% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Virginia Commonwealth University if you want to pursue a degree in film, video & photographic arts. Located in the midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #189 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means VCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 87 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the film program report average early career income of $23,109.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Film Degrees Awarded
$23,989 Median Starting Salary

George Mason University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in film, video & photographic arts. GMU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 42 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, film degree recipients typically earn around $23,989 in their early careers.

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

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
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In VA
50 Film Degrees Awarded

Northern Virginia Community College is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in film, video & photographic arts. Located in the suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public college with a very large student population. This college ranks 9th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were roughly 50 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Northern Virginia Community College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Northern Virginia Community College

4
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Film Degrees Awarded
$20,512 Median Starting Salary

Liberty University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in film, video & photographic arts. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 11th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were roughly 50 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the film program state that they receive average early career earnings of $20,512.

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

Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 811
Florida 282 1,217
North Carolina 279 223
Tennessee 269 220
South Carolina 248 132
Kentucky 244 24
Louisiana 242 58
Mississippi 234 3
Arkansas 234 69

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 142
Film/Cinema/Media Studies 86
Photography 58

View All Film Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Film

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 1,011
Fine & Studio Arts 733
Music 653
Drama & Theater Arts 440
General Visual & Performing Arts 279
Other Visual Art 104
Dance 67
Arts & Media Management 61
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 20

View All Film Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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