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2023 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools

269 Colleges
$23,937 Avg Salary
$27,017 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 16,778 people earned a degree or certificate in film, video and photographic arts, making the major the #63 most popular in the United States.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 269 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for film majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Film, Video & Photographic Arts

#1

Lafayette College

Easton, PA

Our analysis found Lafayette College to be the best school for film, video and photographic arts students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the United States. Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Easton.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Lafayette College

#2

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dartmouth College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Dartmouth College

#3

Emory University

Atlanta, GA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emory University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Emory University Report

#4

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, MA

Out of the 269 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, College of the Holy Cross landed the # 4 spot on the list. Holy Cross is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Worcester.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at College of the Holy Cross Report

#5

Brandeis University

Waltham, MA

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Brandeis University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best film, video and photographic arts schools in the United States. Located in the small city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

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Winona State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

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University of Southern California ranked #7 on this year’s Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

On average, film graduates from USC take out $20,107 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $395.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Southern California Report

#8

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Carnegie Mellon University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.

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#9

National University

La Jolla, CA

National University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for film, video and photographic arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of La Jolla.

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University of California - Berkeley ranked #10 on this year’s Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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#11

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that film majors at Purdue take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $20,224.

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University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #12 on this year’s Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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Washington University in St Louis landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree film, video and photographic arts programs. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Washington University in St Louis Report

#14

University of Georgia

Athens, GA

University of Georgia landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree film, video and photographic arts programs. UGA is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Athens.

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#15

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

Florida State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for film, video and photographic arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Florida State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Tallahassee.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Florida State University Report

#16

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania ranked #16 on this year’s Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Pennsylvania

Southern Methodist University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree film, video and photographic arts programs. Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Southern Methodist University Report

#18

Chapman University

Orange, CA

Chapman University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree film, video and photographic arts programs. Chapman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Orange.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, film graduates from Chapman carry an average student debtload of $19,370. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $346.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Chapman University Report

#19

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA

With a ranking of #19, Boston College did quite well on this year’s best schools for film, video and photographic arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Boston College is a large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Chestnut Hill.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Boston College Report

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. UW Seattle is a fairly large public school located in the city of Seattle.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Washington - Seattle Campus Report

#21

New York University

New York, NY

New York University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for film, video and photographic arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that film majors at NYU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $20,797. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $1,031, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at New York University

#22

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA

Academy of Art University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for film, video and photographic arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.

Film majors at Academy of Art University take out an average of $37,548 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $789, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Academy of Art University

University of California - Irvine came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, film majors at UC Irvine accumulate an average of around $16,348 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $235.

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#24

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for film, video and photographic arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Vanderbilt University Report

With a ranking of #25, University of North Carolina School of the Arts did quite well on this year’s best schools for film, video and photographic arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, UNCSA is a public school with a small student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, film graduates from UNCSA carry an average student debtload of $25,907. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $334, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of North Carolina School of the Arts Report

Rest of the Top Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools

#27

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI
#28

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA
#30

Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA
#31

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA
#32

American University

Washington, DC
#34

University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK
#35

Emerson College

Boston, MA
#37

Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA
#38

DePauw University

Greencastle, IN
#39

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA
#40

Huntington University

Huntington, IN

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Film, Video & Photographic Arts students that almost earned our Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
41 Taylor University Upland, IN
42 Clemson University Clemson, SC
43 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
44 Harding University Searcy, AR
45 Seattle University Seattle, WA
46 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
47 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
48 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
49 Boston University Boston, MA
50 Tufts University Medford, MA
51 Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA
52 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
53 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY

Film, Video & Photographic Arts by Region

View the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 10 majors within the area of study, film, video and photographic arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Film

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 37,413
Design & Applied Arts 36,301
Music 25,910
Drama & Theater Arts 17,341
General Visual & Performing Arts 6,355

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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