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2024 Best Film & Video Production Schools

140 Colleges in the United States
8,361 Cinematography Degrees Awarded
Ranked #117 in popularity, film & video production is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 140 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of film & video production. Combined, these schools handed out 8,361 degrees in film & video production to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Film & Video Production School

Best Film & Video Production Schools The cinematography program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Film & Video Production rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for film & video production schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Film & Video Production Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Cinematography
Bachelor's Degrees in Cinematography
Master's Degrees in Cinematography
Doctor's Degrees in Cinematography

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Film & Video Production Schools list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Film & Video Production in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the cinematography degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

22 Top Schools in Cinematography

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA
211 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in film & video production needs to take a look at University of Southern California. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 211 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from University of Southern California

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NY
415 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

New York University is a great decision for students interested in a degree in film & video production. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 415 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film & video production from New York University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In NY
78 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Every student pursuing a degree in film & video production has to check out Columbia University in the City of New York. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 78 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Columbia University in the City of New York

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In MO

Every student who is interested in film & video production has to take a look at Washington University in St Louis. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were roughly 5 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Washington University in St Louis

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In CA
292 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Chapman is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Orange. This university ranks 32nd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 292 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Chapman University

6
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In DC
37.5% Growth in Graduates

The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #129 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means The American University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 24 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at The American University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from American University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In CA
109 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. This university ranks 20th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 109 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Loyola Marymount University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In TX

Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 21 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Southern Methodist University

9
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In PA
166 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 11th out of 109 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 166 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Temple University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA
108 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 36th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 108 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from University of California - Riverside

11
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA
64 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 37th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 64 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Academy of Art University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Academy of Art University

12
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In GA
296 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

SCAD is a large private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Savannah.

There were approximately 296 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at SCAD in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Savannah College of Art and Design

13
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In CA
12.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 52nd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 24 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at MSMU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Mount Saint Mary’s University

14
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In NY
46 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Syracuse. A Best Colleges rank of #132 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.

There were about 46 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Syracuse University

15
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
111 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 16th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 111 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Columbia College Chicago

16
Emerson crest
Emerson College
Boston, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MA
359 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Boston, Emerson is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 17th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were about 359 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Emerson in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Emerson College

17
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MD

Located in the large city of Baltimore, MICA is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were roughly 12 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at MICA in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Maryland Institute College of Art

18
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In MA
38 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Boston, Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a public college with a small student population.

There were approximately 38 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Massachusetts College of Art and Design

19
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In FL
51 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Located in the midsize city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #121 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Florida State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 51 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Florida State University

20
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In CA
89 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Columbia College Hollywood is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Tarzana.

There were approximately 89 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at Columbia College Hollywood in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film & video production from Columbia College Hollywood

20

Located in the large city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.More information about a degree in film & video production from University of Arizona

21
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In FL
59 Cinematography Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U Miami is a great university overall.

There were approximately 59 film & video production students who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film & video production from University of Miami

Rest of the Top Best Film & Video Production Schools

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Film & Video Production students that almost earned our Best Film & Video Production Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
26Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA
27Baylor UniversityWaco, TX
28Ithaca CollegeIthaca, NY
22DePaul UniversityChicago, IL
23University of IowaIowa City, IA
24University of North Carolina School of the ArtsWinston Salem, NC
25Rochester Institute of TechnologyRochester, NY

Film & Video Production by Region

View the Best Film & Video Production Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Film, Video & Photographic Arts area of study, Film & Video Production has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Film/Cinema/Media Studies5,479
Photography2,175
Other Film/Video & Photographic Arts1,513
Documentary Production98

View All Cinematography Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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