Film

Types of Degrees Film Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many film, video & photographic arts graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	12,664
Master’s Degree	1,871
Basic Certificate	1,672
Associate Degree	1,531
Undergraduate Certificate	697
Doctor’s Degree	57
Graduate Certificate	39

What Film Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to film were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Film Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Film Majors

film majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Film Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a film student include the following:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Film Major?

People with a film degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Art, Drama, and Music Professors	12.0%	$69,960
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture	7.2%	$54,570
Communications Professors	10.0%	$68,910
Directors- Stage, Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio	12.2%	$71,680
Film and Video Editors	17.0%	$62,650
Producers	12.2%	$71,680
Program Directors	12.2%	$71,680
Technical Directors/Managers	12.2%	$71,680

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Film?

Film, Video & Photographic Arts runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #42 out of all the undergraduate majors we track. In 2021, about 11,759 graduates completed their bachelor’s degree in this field. According to recent stats this major attracts about equal numbers of men and women. Roughly 49% of the graduates are women, and 51% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of film majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	826
Black or African American	1,131
Hispanic or Latino	2,257
White	6,313
International Students	985
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,152

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Film, too. About 7.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Film

Some degrees associated with film may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to film have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.8%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	10.5%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	4.0%
Some College Courses	8.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	11.4%
Bachelor’s Degree	35.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.2%
Master’s Degree	17.9%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.4%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.3%
Doctoral Degree	8.6%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.0%

Online Film Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	89	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	8	2
Associate’s Degree	214	11
Bachelor’s Degree	23	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	141	7
Post-Master’s	6	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	19	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Film

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to film.

Major	Number of Grads
Fine & Studio Arts	36,332
Design & Applied Arts	36,019
Music	26,167
Drama & Theater Arts	16,853
General Visual & Performing Arts	6,785
Arts & Media Management	4,722
Dance	3,233
Other Visual Art	1,026
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry	102
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art	6

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.