Documentary Production

Types of Degrees Documentary Production Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many documentary production graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	43
Bachelor’s Degree	34
Undergraduate Certificate	4
Basic Certificate	3
Graduate Certificate	3

What Documentary Production Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to documentary production 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 Documentary Production Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in documentary production 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.
• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

Skills for Documentary Production Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to documentary production:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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.
• 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 Documentary Production Majors

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

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

What Can You Do With a Documentary Production Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with documentary production:

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
Technical Directors/Managers	12.2%	$71,680

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Documentary Production?

The major attracts more women than men. About 56% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	7
Hispanic or Latino	1
White	22
International Students	2
Other Races/Ethnicities	1

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Documentary Production, too. About 5.9% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Documentary Production

Some careers associated with documentary production require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for documentary production careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	7.4%
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)	3.5%
Some College Courses	8.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	10.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	33.4%
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	23.5%
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.	0.6%
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.	1.8%
Doctoral Degree	11.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.3%

Online Documentary Production 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)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	0
Bachelor’s Degree	4	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	9	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Documentary Production

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

Major	Number of Grads
Film & Video Production	8,984
Film/Cinema/Media Studies	5,858
Photography	2,106
Other Film/Video & Photographic Arts	1,496

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.