undergradly.
Major · Visual and Performing Arts

Make the films you want to watch — from camera to final cut

Cinematography and Film/Video Production trains students to create films and videos through hands-on instruction in camera operation, directing, editing, production sound, and post-production. About 6,935 degrees are awarded annually across 258 colleges at both the associate's and bachelor's level. Career destinations include producers, editors, and camera operators, though the path from graduation to established professional takes time and geographic commitment.

Schools offering
258
Annual completions
6,935
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$44k

About this major

Cinematography and Film/Video Production is organized around making films and videos, not primarily studying them. The curriculum covers the full technical and creative chain of production: camera operation and cinematographic principles, lighting, production sound, editing workflows, and post-production pipelines. Students also learn directing, screenwriting, and the production management side — the CIP definition specifically notes instruction in "planning and management of film/video operations," signaling that the program prepares graduates to run productions, not just shoot them. Multi-media production and computer image making are part of the scope as well, keeping the curriculum aligned with how professional production actually works today.

About 6,935 degrees are awarded annually across 258 colleges, making this a moderately sized major by national standards. The credential skews toward the bachelor's level — most of the high-volume programs grant four-year degrees — though associate's options exist. The top programs by completions are concentrated at dedicated arts and media institutions: Emerson College in Boston (470 completions), New York University (435), DePaul University (269), Savannah College of Art and Design (266), and Columbia College Chicago (236). That concentration at private, tuition-intensive schools is financially significant and worth examining before picking a program.

Career destinations are real and carry respectable wage ceilings. Producers and directors earn a $83,480 median wage with 4.9% projected job growth. Film and video editors sit at $70,980 with 4.0% growth, and camera operators at $68,810 with 1.2% growth. The five-year median earnings for graduates, however, land at $44,341 — well below those tracked career figures. That gap is structural: the film and video industry relies heavily on freelance and contract work, concentrates professional opportunity in a handful of geographic markets, and has a long credit-building phase before workers reach the wages of established professionals.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Producers and directors $83k +4.9% Bachelor's degree
Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary $80k +1.7% Master's degree
Film and video editors $71k +4.0% Bachelor's degree
Camera operators, television, video, and film $69k +1.2% Bachelor's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$44k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$34k

Bachelor's

$45k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you are drawn to the craft of making things people watch — if camera angles, editorial rhythm, and visual storytelling are areas you want to develop as technical and creative skills rather than just appreciate as an audience member. The curriculum rewards students who are comfortable with collaborative, crew-based work, who can handle technical complexity under deadline pressure, and who understand that the film and video industry does not hand out stable salaries quickly. If your goal is to work as a producer, editor, or camera operator at the professional level, the tracked career medians of $68,810 to $83,480 are reachable — but reaching them typically requires building up in major production markets (Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta), accumulating credits, and navigating years of freelance work before arriving at those figures.

Think twice if you are primarily interested in film as a subject of study and criticism — Film/Cinema/Media Studies covers that ground more directly without the production equipment budget. Think twice if you are expecting the degree alone to create professional opportunities: this is a portfolio- and credits-driven industry where work experience and connections matter more than the school name on your diploma. And think twice about the cost structure before committing to one of the high-tuition private programs that dominate the enrollment data. With a five-year median of $44,341 and an early career built largely on freelance work, high debt loads change the math substantially. The public university options in this field — UCF, Temple, Montclair State — offer the same credential and production training at meaningfully lower cost.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Cinematography and Film/Video Production

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Emerson College Boston, MA 0 470 470
New York University New York, NY 0 435 435
DePaul University Chicago, IL 0 269 269
Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA 0 266 266
Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL 0 236 236
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 0 232 232
Chapman University Orange, CA 0 184 184
Los Angeles Film School Hollywood, CA 59 104 163
Temple University Philadelphia, PA 0 144 144
Montclair State University Montclair, NJ 0 139 139
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

8,737 completions/yr

Radio and Television

4,611 completions/yr

Film/Cinema/Media Studies

4,438 completions/yr

Photography

1,496 completions/yr

Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Other

1,269 completions/yr

Musical Theatre

1,121 completions/yr

Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician

953 completions/yr

Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Other

465 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Cinematography and Film/Video Production field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Cinematography and Film/Video Production worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do cinematography and film/video production majors actually study day-to-day?
The curriculum is organized around making things. Early coursework covers camera operation, editing software, lighting fundamentals, and production audio — the technical vocabulary every crew member needs. Programs then move into directing, screenwriting, production management, and post-production workflows, typically through project-based work: short films, documentary exercises, and collaborative productions that put students in real crew roles. Film theory and media history usually run alongside the production courses. The CIP definition notes instruction in 'planning and management of film/video operations' alongside the craft elements — this is a production program, not a film studies curriculum.
Do I need a bachelor's, or is an associate's enough for film and video production?
The credential gap matters more here than in some creative fields. Bachelor's completers in this major report five-year median earnings around $45,384, while associate's completers land at about $33,535 — a gap of roughly $12,000. More practically, the primary careers tracked for this major — producers and directors, film and video editors, camera operators — all list a bachelor's degree as the typical entry credential. An associate's path tends toward lower-budget regional production and technical support roles rather than creative or supervisory positions. If professional production is the goal, the four-year degree has real hiring value.
What kinds of jobs do film and video production graduates end up in?
The four careers most tracked for this major span production and post-production work. Producers and directors earn a $83,480 median wage with 4.9% projected growth — the high-ceiling path, requiring a bachelor's as the typical credential. Film and video editors sit at $70,980 median with 4.0% growth. Camera operators earn $68,810 median with 1.2% growth. Postsecondary art, drama, and music teachers ($80,190) are also listed, but that path typically requires a master's degree. Beyond these tracked occupations, many graduates work in corporate video, content creation, and marketing media — roles that absorb a large share of film school output but don't appear in BLS wage surveys.
Why is the five-year median earnings figure so much lower than the career wage data?
This is the gap worth understanding before you enroll. The five-year median for this major sits at about $44,341, while the careers associated with it list medians from $68,810 to $83,480. The gap reflects how the film and video industry actually works: entry positions pay less than established ones, freelance and contract work is the default rather than the exception, and the industry is geographically concentrated in a few markets. Graduates who are not yet in major production markets, or who are still building credits and connections at the five-year mark, land well below the career medians. The $44K figure is a realistic snapshot of where graduates are five years out — not a ceiling, and not where established industry professionals sit.
Is film production the right fit, or should I look at a related major?
The sharpest distinction is between making and analyzing. Film/Cinema/Media Studies (about 4,438 completions per year) covers film history, theory, and criticism — the right choice if you want to write about and understand cinema rather than operate on a set. Radio and Television (about 4,611 completions) overlaps on the SOC career side and offers a broadcasting-oriented alternative with similar destinations. Photography (about 1,496 completions) is the adjacent production credential if still-image work interests you more than motion. If documentary or journalism-adjacent production is the goal, some communication programs offer tracks in that direction. This major makes the most sense if you want a curriculum organized around producing film and video professionally, not studying it.
How much does the choice of school matter for this major?
More than in most majors. The top-enrolling schools for this program — Emerson College, NYU, DePaul, Savannah College of Art and Design, Chapman University — are private institutions with substantial tuition. A five-year median earnings figure of $44,341 does not absorb $150,000 in private school debt the same way a $90,000 starting salary would. The public university options in this data — University of Central Florida, Temple University, Montclair State University — offer the same credential and production curriculum at significantly lower cost. The debt-to-earnings ratio is worth calculating explicitly before committing to a program, particularly given the freelance-heavy early career path common in this field.