Cinematography

Types of Degrees Cinematography Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	5,517
Master’s Degree	1,011
Basic Certificate	945
Associate Degree	933
Undergraduate Certificate	567
Graduate Certificate	6
Doctor’s Degree	5

What Cinematography Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, cinematography majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Cinematography 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.
• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• 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.

Skills for Cinematography Majors

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

• 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.
• Time Management - Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Abilities for Cinematography Majors

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

• 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.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 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.

What Can You Do With a Cinematography Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with cinematography:

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
Directors- Stage, Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio	12.2%	$71,680
Film and Video Editors	17.0%	$62,650
Producers	12.2%	$71,680

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Cinematography?

Roughly 46% of the graduates are women, and 54% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	320
Black or African American	436
Hispanic or Latino	917
White	2,982
International Students	416
Other Races/Ethnicities	446

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Cinematography. About 7.5% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Cinematography

Some careers associated with cinematography 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.

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

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	8.9%
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)	4.3%
Some College Courses	10.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	12.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	30.8%
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.	0.3%
Master’s Degree	18.7%
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.	2.2%
Doctoral Degree	11.7%

Online Cinematography 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)	51	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	4	1
Associate’s Degree	90	3
Bachelor’s Degree	4	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	52	4
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Cinematography

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

Major	Number of Grads
Film/Cinema/Media Studies	5,858
Photography	2,106
Other Film/Video & Photographic Arts	1,496
Documentary Production	87

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.