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Cinematography and Film Production: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries

Program Overview

Designed for aspiring filmmakers and visual storytellers, this program equips students with the technical expertise and creative vision needed to produce compelling cinematic works across diverse formats. Through hands-on training and theoretical foundations, learners master the full spectrum of film and video creation—from concept to final delivery—while developing a deep understanding of narrative structure, visual aesthetics, and production logistics.

  • Film theory and history: Explores the evolution of cinema as an art form and cultural force, analyzing key movements, directors, and critical frameworks that shape modern storytelling.
  • Film technology and equipment operation: Provides practical training in industry-standard cameras, lighting systems, sound recording gear, and other essential tools used in professional production environments.
  • Film production management: Covers pre-production planning, scheduling, budgeting, casting, location scouting, and on-set coordination to ensure efficient and effective project execution.
  • Film directing and performance coaching: Develops skills in guiding actors, shaping visual tone, and translating scripts into dynamic, emotionally resonant scenes.
  • Cinematographic art and visual storytelling: Focuses on framing, composition, camera movement, and lighting techniques to convey mood, theme, and narrative intent through imagery.
  • Film editing and post-production: Teaches the art of assembling footage, timing sequences, integrating sound, and applying visual effects to craft a cohesive and impactful final product.
  • Audio design and sound editing: Addresses the integration of dialogue, music, ambient sound, and sound effects to enhance immersion and emotional impact.
  • Computer-generated imagery (CGI) and digital compositing: Introduces techniques for creating and manipulating digital visuals, including 3D modeling, animation, and visual effects workflows.
  • Multi-media production and cross-platform content creation: Prepares students to produce content for film, television, online streaming, social media, and interactive platforms using adaptive storytelling methods.
  • Specialized film genres and formats: Offers focused study in documentary, narrative fiction, experimental cinema, advertising, and other production styles with distinct technical and creative demands.

Cinematography and Film Production Graduate Trends (2010-2024)

9,544
Total Graduates (2023-2024)
285
Universities & Colleges
4
Career Pathways

Cinematography and Film Production Career Pathways & Salary Outlook

The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Cinematography and Film Production degrees, including Producers and Directors, Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary and Film and Video Editors. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 296,480 professionals.


National Average Salaries

Occupation Median Salary Salary Range Total Employment Hourly Rate
Producers and Directors 27-2012 $83,480 $43,060 - $198,530 145,270 $40.13
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1121 $80,190 $47,040 - $194,530 97,890 N/A
Film and Video Editors 27-4032 $70,980 $39,170 - $145,900 28,860 $34.12
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film 27-4031 $68,810 $36,240 - $131,420 24,460 $33.08

Cinematography and Film Production Salary Map by State

Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $45,388 in Arkansas to $103,235 in California—a 127% difference. The highest-paying states include California, New York, and District of Columbia. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 296,480 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.

Average Salary Range:

Top Universities for Cinematography and Film Production by Graduate Enrollment

Below are the top 100 institutions offering Cinematography and Film Production programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Cinematography and Film Production is found at New York University (NYU) (525 graduates), Emerson College (470 graduates), Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) (348 graduates), New York Film Academy (NYFA) (347 graduates), and DePaul University (304 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 8,082 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.

College Name Award Levels Graduates Location Control Website
New York University (NYU)
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
525 New York, New York Private nyu.edu
Emerson College
Bachelor's
470 Boston, Massachusetts Private emerson.edu
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
Bachelor's
Master's
348 Savannah, Georgia Private scad.edu
New York Film Academy (NYFA)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Certificate (≥2 yrs)
Associate's
Bachelor's
Master's
347 Burbank, California Private nyfa.edu
DePaul University
Bachelor's
Master's
304 Chicago, Illinois Private depaul.edu
Chapman University
Bachelor's
Master's
274 Orange, California Private chapman.edu
Columbia College Chicago (CCC)
Bachelor's
237 Chicago, Illinois Private colum.edu
University of Central Florida (UCF)
Bachelor's
Master's
235 Orlando, Florida Public ucf.edu
University of Southern California (USC)
Bachelor's
Master's
233 Los Angeles, California Private usc.edu
Miami Dade College (MDC)
Associate's
Bachelor's
Other Award
181 Miami, Florida Public mdc.edu
Loyola Marymount University (LMU)
Bachelor's
Master's
173 Los Angeles, California Private lmu.edu
Los Angeles Film School (LAFS)
Associate's
Bachelor's
163 Hollywood, California Private lafilm.edu
Temple University
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
Other Award
160 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Public temple.edu
Montclair State University
Bachelor's
139 Montclair, New Jersey Public montclair.edu
Florida Institute of Recording Sound and Technology (F.I.R.S.T.)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
129 Orlando, Florida Private first.edu
Santa Monica College (SMC)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
120 Santa Monica, California Public smc.edu
University of California (UCR)
Bachelor's
118 Riverside, California Public ucr.edu
Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)
Bachelor's
114 Murfreesboro, Tennessee Public mtsu.edu
Central New Mexico Community College (CNM)
Associate's
Other Award
112 Albuquerque, New Mexico Public cnm.edu
Utah Valley University (UVU)
Associate's
Bachelor's
Other Award
110 Orem, Utah Public uvu.edu
Los Angeles City College (LACC)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
98 Los Angeles, California Public lacitycollege.edu
University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW)
Bachelor's
Master's
94 Wilmington, North Carolina Public uncw.edu
University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA)
Bachelor's
Master's
88 Winston Salem, North Carolina Public uncsa.edu
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Bachelor's
Master's
87 Rochester, New York Private rit.edu
Grand Canyon University (GCU)
Bachelor's
79 Phoenix, Arizona Private gcu.edu
Quinnipiac University (QU)
Bachelor's
Master's
78 Hamden, Connecticut Private qu.edu
California State University
Bachelor's
76 Sacramento, California Public csus.edu
Columbia University in the City of New York
Master's
76 New York, New York Private columbia.edu
CUNY Brooklyn College
Bachelor's
75 Brooklyn, New York Public brooklyn.cuny.edu
Cleveland State University (CSU)
Bachelor's
74 Cleveland, Ohio Public csuohio.edu
San Francisco Film School
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
72 San Francisco, California Private sanfranciscofilmschool.edu
Scottsdale Community College (SCC)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
71 Scottsdale, Arizona Public scottsdalecc.edu
Pennsylvania State University
Bachelor's
71 University Park, Pennsylvania Public psu.edu
Community College of Aurora (CCA)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
69 Aurora, Colorado Public ccaurora.edu
Montana State University (MSU)
Bachelor's
Master's
69 Bozeman, Montana Public montana.edu
Valencia College
Associate's
Other Award
66 Orlando, Florida Public valenciacollege.edu
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
Bachelor's
64 Richmond, Virginia Public vcu.edu
Broward College (BC)
Associate's
Other Award
63 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Public broward.edu
Biola University
Bachelor's
61 La Mirada, California Private biola.edu
University of Rhode Island (URI)
Bachelor's
59 Kingston, Rhode Island Public web.uri.edu
Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt)
Bachelor's
58 Boston, Massachusetts Public massart.edu
Ithaca College (IC)
Bachelor's
55 Ithaca, New York Private ithaca.edu
Liberty University
Bachelor's
55 Lynchburg, Virginia Private liberty.edu
University of Miami (UM)
Bachelor's
54 Coral Gables, Florida Private miami.edu
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Other Award
53 Madison, Wisconsin Public wisc.edu
Syracuse University
Bachelor's
Master's
51 Syracuse, New York Private syracuse.edu
Chattahoochee Technical College
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
50 Marietta, Georgia Public chattahoocheetech.edu
Motion Picture Institute (MPI)
Other Award
50 Troy, Michigan Private motionpicture.edu
Art Center College of Design (ArtCenter)
Bachelor's
Master's
48 Pasadena, California Private artcenter.edu
Florida State University (FSU)
Bachelor's
Master's
46 Tallahassee, Florida Public fsu.edu
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
Bachelor's
Master's
45 Valencia, California Private calarts.edu
Pratt Institute
Bachelor's
45 Brooklyn, New York Private pratt.edu
Belmont University
Bachelor's
45 Nashville, Tennessee Private belmont.edu
George Mason University
Bachelor's
45 Fairfax, Virginia Public www2.gmu.edu
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Bachelor's
43 Denver, Colorado Public ucdenver.edu
Red Rocks Community College (RRCC)
Associate's
Residency
Other Award
43 Lakewood, Colorado Public rrcc.edu
Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
42 Valley Glen, California Public lavc.edu
Missouri State University
Bachelor's
Other Award
42 Springfield, Missouri Public missouristate.edu
Northwest Vista College (NVC)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
42 San Antonio, Texas Public alamo.edu
Orange Coast College (OCC)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
41 Costa Mesa, California Public orangecoastcollege.edu
Houston Community College (HCC)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
40 Houston, Texas Public hccs.edu
Colegio de Cinematografia Artes y Television (CCAT)
Associate's
40 Bayamon, Puerto Rico Private ccatpuertorico.com
The University of Montana (UM)
Bachelor's
Master's
39 Missoula, Montana Public umt.edu
New Mexico State University (NMSU)
Bachelor's
39 Las Cruces, New Mexico Public nmsu.edu
Academy of Art University
Associate's
Bachelor's
Master's
38 San Francisco, California Private academyart.edu
Southern Methodist University (SMU)
Bachelor's
38 Dallas, Texas Private smu.edu
State University of New York
Bachelor's
35 Oswego, New York Public oswego.edu
Point Park University
Bachelor's
34 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Private pointpark.edu
Atlantic University
Bachelor's
33 Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Private atlanticu.edu
Baylor University
Bachelor's
Master's
32 Waco, Texas Private baylor.edu
SUNY Westchester Community College
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
31 Valhalla, New York Public sunywcc.edu
Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
31 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Public occc.edu
Drexel University
Bachelor's
31 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Private drexel.edu
University of Central Arkansas (UCA)
Bachelor's
Master's
30 Conway, Arkansas Public uca.edu
West Los Angeles College (WLAC)
Other Award
30 Culver City, California Public wlac.edu
Huntington University
Bachelor's
29 Huntington, Indiana Private huntington.edu
Binghamton University
Bachelor's
29 Vestal, New York Public binghamton.edu
Marquette University
Bachelor's
29 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Private marquette.edu
Universidad del Sagrado Corazon
Bachelor's
29 Santurce, Puerto Rico Private sagrado.edu
Mount Saint Mary's University (MSMU)
Bachelor's
Master's
28 Los Angeles, California Private msmu.edu
Lipscomb University
Bachelor's
Master's
27 Nashville, Tennessee Private lipscomb.edu
Moore Norman Technology Center (MNTC)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
27 Norman, Oklahoma Public mntc.edu
Pima Community College (PCC)
Associate's
26 Tucson, Arizona Public pima.edu
College of the Desert (COD)
Other Award
26 Palm Desert, California Public collegeofthedesert.edu
Palm Beach State College (PBSC)
Associate's
Other Award
26 Lake Worth, Florida Public palmbeachstate.edu
Wayne State University (WSU)
Bachelor's
25 Detroit, Michigan Public wayne.edu
Keene State College (KSC)
Bachelor's
25 Keene, New Hampshire Public keene.edu
Five Towns College
Bachelor's
25 Dix Hills, New York Private ftc.edu
California College of the Arts (CCA)
Bachelor's
Master's
24 San Francisco, California Private cca.edu
City College of San Francisco (CCSF)
Associate's
Other Award
24 San Francisco, California Public ccsf.edu
Clayton State University
Associate's
Bachelor's
24 Morrow, Georgia Public clayton.edu
Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
24 Ankeny, Iowa Public dmacc.edu
Century College
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
24 White Bear Lake, Minnesota Public century.edu
Ringling College of Art and Design
Bachelor's
23 Sarasota, Florida Private ringling.edu
Cuyahoga Community College District (Tri-C)
Associate's
Other Award
23 Cleveland, Ohio Public tri-c.edu
Webster University
Bachelor's
22 Saint Louis, Missouri Private webster.edu
Sinclair Community College
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Other Award
22 Dayton, Ohio Public sinclair.edu
Southern Oregon University (SOU)
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
22 Ashland, Oregon Public sou.edu
Seattle Film Institute (SFI)
Certificate (≥2 yrs)
Bachelor's
22 Seattle, Washington Private sfi.edu
Cape Fear Community College (CFCC)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
Other Award
21 Wilmington, North Carolina Public cfcc.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to the most common questions about Cinematography and Film Production programs

How much can I earn with a Cinematography and Film Production degree?

Salaries for Cinematography and Film Production graduates vary by role and location. Producers and Directors earn a median of $83,480 annually, while Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary earn around $80,190. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in California average $103,235 compared to $45,388 in Arkansas. Approximately 296,480 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.

Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.

Which universities have the largest Cinematography and Film Production programs?

Currently 285 accredited institutions offer Cinematography and Film Production degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include New York University (NYU) (525 graduates), Emerson College (470 graduates), and Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) (348 graduates).

Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.

Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.

Is enrollment in Cinematography and Film Production growing or declining?

Graduate numbers have increased over the past decade, rising from 6,273 in 2010 to 9,544 in 2023-24. This represents a 52% increase overall from 2010.

The field remains specialized with steady interest, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.

Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.

What career paths are available with a Cinematography and Film Production degree?

This degree prepares you for roles such as Producers and Directors, Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary, and Film and Video Editors. Related occupations employ approximately 296,480 professionals nationwide.

Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.

Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.

Related Arts Programs

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