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2022 Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

13 Ranked Colleges
481 Degrees Awarded
$35,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 8,429 people earned their degree in film and video production, making the major the 113th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 2,162 film and video production graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 481 film and video production graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in film and video production. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality film and video production programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the film and video production program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Film & Video Production Schools

The cinematography school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 13 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Film & Video Production (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 5 masters’s cinematography degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Film & Video Production at Stanford University

#2

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s cinematography degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Film & Video Production at SDSU

#3

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 147 masters’s cinematography degrees in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Film & Video Production at USC

#4

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #4 spot on the list. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 10 masters’s cinematography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree cinematography students whose families make $30-$48k list, SFSU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SFSU are $17,944, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Film & Video Production at SFSU

#5

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, California
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California College of the Arts. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. California College of the Arts is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 6 masters’s cinematography degrees in 2019-2020.

California College of the Arts also took the #6 spot in our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California College of the Arts are $53,795, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Film & Video Production at California College of the Arts

#6

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Mount Saint Mary’s University is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 6 masters’s cinematography degrees in 2019-2020.

MSMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Mount Saint Mary’s University are $12,612, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Film & Video Production at Mount Saint Mary’s University

#7

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

Loyola Marymount University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s cinematography degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.

Loyola Marymount also made our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola Marymount University are $19,756, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Film & Video Production at Loyola Marymount University

#8

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California
#3 in overall quality

Academy of Art University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 31 masters’s cinematography degrees to qualified students.

Academy of Art University also took the #3 spot in our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Academy of Art University are $27,688.

Read full report on Film & Video Production at Academy of Art University

#9

Chapman University

Orange, California
#4 in overall quality

Chapman University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Orange, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 47 diplomas to qualified masters’s cinematography students in 2019-2020.

Chapman also made our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at Chapman University are $35,105, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Film & Video Production at Chapman University

#11 in overall quality

John Paul the Great Catholic University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. John Paul the Great Catholic University is a small school located in Escondido, California that handed out 8 masters’s cinematography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree cinematography students whose families make $30-$48k list, JPCatholic has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.

Read more about Film & Video Production at John Paul the Great Catholic University

#11

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
#5 in overall quality

California Institute of the Arts landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California Institute of the Arts is a small school located in Valencia, California that handed out 25 masters’s cinematography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CalArts, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of the Arts are $53,466, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full CalArts Film & Video Production Report

#12

Art Center College of Design

Pasadena, California
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Art Center College of Design did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 15 degrees to qualified masters’s cinematography students in 2019-2020.

Art Center College of Design not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Art Center College of Design are $49,090, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Art Center College of Design Film & Video Production Report

#13

New York Film Academy

Burbank, California
#12 in overall quality

New York Film Academy ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Cinematography Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. New York Film Academy is a small school located in Burbank, California that handed out 133 masters’s cinematography degrees in 2019-2020.

New York Film Academy not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Film & Video Production Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at New York Film Academy are $35,457, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full New York Film Academy Film & Video Production Report

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Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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