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2025 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region

28 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
1,712 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 reviewed 28 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of film, video & photographic arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,712 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 the Great Lakes Region 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 picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 the Great Lakes Region

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 Great Lakes Region Schools in Film

1
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
88 Film Degrees Awarded
1.1% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in film, video & photographic arts needs to check out University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 88 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the film program report average early career income of $25,565.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
198 Film Degrees Awarded
$24,415 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in film, video & photographic arts has to take a look at Columbia College Chicago. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #212 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great college overall.

There were about 198 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, film degree recipients generally earn about $24,415 at the beginning of their careers.

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

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
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL

It's hard to beat Northwestern University if you wish to pursue a degree in film, video & photographic arts. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 14 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In OH
50 Film Degrees Awarded

Ohio State University - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in film, video & photographic arts. Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

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

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Ohio State University - Main Campus

5
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
198 Film Degrees Awarded
$25,671 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were roughly 198 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the film program state that they receive average early career income of $25,671.

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

6
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In MI

Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were about 12 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
79 Film Degrees Awarded
19.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Allendale, GVSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #342 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means GVSU is a great university overall.

There were about 79 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at GVSU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, film degree recipients generally earn about $25,256 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Grand Valley State University

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
Kenyon crest
Kenyon College
Gambier, OH
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In OH
33.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the rural area of Gambier, Kenyon is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #333 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Kenyon is a great college overall.

There were roughly 9 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Kenyon in the most recent data year.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In OH

OHIO Athens is a fairly large public university located in the town of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #184 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means OHIO Athens is a great university overall.

There were approximately 20 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at OHIO Athens in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Ohio University - Athens Campus

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Film Degrees Awarded
$23,840 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were approximately 87 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at UWM in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the film program earn about $23,840 for their early career.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best film, video & photographic arts schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 414
Ohio 314 297
Illinois 304 535
Indiana 294 78
Wisconsin 273 166

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 742
Film/Cinema/Media Studies 573
Photography 261
Other Film/Video & Photographic Arts 123
Documentary Production 13

View All Film Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 5,430
Fine & Studio Arts 4,323
Music 3,842
Drama & Theater Arts 2,285
Arts & Media Management 601
General Visual & Performing Arts 429
Dance 342
Other Visual Art 78
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 11

View All Film Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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