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Photo & Film Technician

Types of Degrees Photo & Film Technician Majors Are Earning

Those studying Photo & Film Technician have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	162
Associate’s Degree	388
Bachelor’s Degree	57
Master’s Degree	673

What Photo & Film Technician Majors Need to Know

Studies in Photo & Film Technician emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Photo & Film Technician graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Photo & Film Technician emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Telecommunications — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Fine Arts — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Photo & Film Technician program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Monitoring — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Near Vision — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Photo & Film Technician graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	3.9 / 7
Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Photo & Film Technician professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Voice over internet protocol VoIP system software	Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software	—
Adobe After Effects	Video creation and editing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Cisco IOS	Operating system software	—
Apple iMovie	Video creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Photo & Film Technician graduates include:

• Theater Technician
• Stagehand
• Music, Sound, and Light Technician
• Video Production Specialist
• Audio Visual Specialist (AV Specialist)
• Sound Controller
• Audio Technician
• Video Installer
• Video Control Operator
• Event Technician
• Projector Operator
• Event AV Operator (Event Audio Visual Operator)
• Communications Equipment Operating Technician
• Media Technician
• AV Specialist (Audiovisual Specialist)

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	42.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	25.1%
Postsecondary certificate	19.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	11.2%
Some college courses	1.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Photo & Film Technician?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 46.2% women and 53.8% men among Photo & Film Technician graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	594	46.2%
Men	693	53.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Photo & Film Technician graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	542	42.1%
Asian	104	8.1%
Hispanic or Latino	395	30.7%
Black or African American	123	9.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	7	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	59	4.6%
Race Unknown	27	2.1%
International Students	28	2.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Photo & Film Technician Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Photo & Film Technician graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$20,139
4 years	$28,273
5 years	$32,523

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,523 — roughly 61% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Photo & Film Technician Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Photo & Film Technician. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	2	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Photo & Film Technician Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Photo & Film Technician graduates earn a median of $28,273 four years after completion — about 26% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians	10.02
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Other	10.0299
Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician	10.0202
Recording Arts Technology/Technician	10.0203
Voice Writing Technology/Technician	10.0204

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.