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Photojournalism

Types of Degrees Photojournalism Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Photojournalism may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	2
Bachelor’s Degree	64
Master’s Degree	25

What Photojournalism Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Photojournalism emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Photojournalism graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Photojournalism emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Communications and Media — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Telecommunications — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Photojournalism program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Photojournalism careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Photojournalism graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.6 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Photojournalism professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	✓
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Adobe Premiere Pro	Video creation and editing software	✓
Video editing software	Video creation and editing software	✓
Hypertext markup language HTML	Web platform development software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Photojournalism graduates include:

• Film Editor
• News Videotape Editor
• Cue Selector
• Contract Video Editor
• Video Content Creator
• Video Tape Transferrer
• Digital Media Coordinator
• Non-Linear Editor
• Electronic News Gathering Editor (ENG Editor)
• Multimedia Specialist
• Filmmaker
• Video Production Editor
• Videotape Editor
• Video Editor
• News Editor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Photojournalism graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	54.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	16.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	16.2%
Some college courses	6.6%
Postsecondary certificate	2.8%
Less than a high school diploma	1.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.9%
Master’s degree	0.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Photojournalism?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65.9% of Photojournalism degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	60	65.9%
Men	31	34.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Photojournalism graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	53	58.2%
Asian	1	1.1%
Hispanic or Latino	13	14.3%
Black or African American	10	11.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	1.1%
Two or More Races	10	11.0%
Race Unknown	1	1.1%
International Students	1	1.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Photojournalism Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Photojournalism graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$36,675
4 years	$49,199
5 years	$57,526

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $57,526 — roughly 57% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Photojournalism Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Photojournalism graduates earn a median of $49,199 four years after completion — roughly 29% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Journalism	09.04
Broadcast Journalism	09.0402
Business and Economic Journalism	09.0405
Cultural Journalism	09.0406
Journalism, Other	09.0499
Journalism	09.0401
Science/Health/Environmental Journalism	09.0407
Radio and Television	09.0701
Communication, General	09.0100

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.