Film, Video & Photographic Arts

Types of Degrees Film, Video & Photographic Arts Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many film, video and photographic arts graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	11,759
Associate Degree	1,632
Master’s Degree	1,610
Basic Certificate	1,169
Undergraduate Certificate	514
Graduate Certificate	48
Doctor’s Degree	46

What Film, Video & Photographic Arts Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to film and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Film Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in film should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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

As a film major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• 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, Video & Photographic Arts 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, Video & Photographic Arts?

Film, Video and 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. Roughly 48% of the graduates are women, and 52% 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	748
Black or African American	994
Hispanic or Latino	1,936
White	6,075
International Students	865
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,141

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Film. About 7.4% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• India
• Brazil
• Mexico

How Much Do Film, Video & Photographic Arts Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in film was $23,085 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $21,086 (25th percentile) and $26,404 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to film so take that into consideration.

Salaries According to BLS

Film majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $61,750 to $86,830 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Film, Video & Photographic Arts

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, Video & Photographic Arts Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 651 schools offered some type of film, video and photographic arts program. 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)	87	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	8	2
Associate’s Degree	205	9
Bachelor’s Degree	20	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	136	6
Post-Master’s	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	19	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Film, Video & Photographic Arts Worth It?

The median salary for a film grad is $78,090 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 96% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $763,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Film, Video & Photographic Arts

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

Major	Number of Grads
Fine & Studio Arts	37,413
Design & Applied Arts	36,301
Music	25,910
Drama & Theater Arts	17,341
General Visual & Performing Arts	6,355
Arts & Media Management	4,788
Dance	3,288
Other Visual Art	912
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry	119
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art	10

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.