2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Photography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Photography is the 291st most popular major in the country with 2,438 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 297 photography graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 12 photography graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,039 and $42,488 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Photography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in photography. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent photography programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the photography program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Photography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Photography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Photography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Photography in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$2,350 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. Columbia is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 5 masters’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also took the #1 spot in our “Best Photography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia College Chicago are $2,350.

Read more about Photography at Columbia

#2

Ohio University - Athens Campus

Athens, Ohio

#2 in overall quality

$17,712 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Photography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region. This large school is located in Athens, Ohio, and it awarded 1 masters’s photography degrees in 2019-2020.

OHIO Athens also made our “Best Photography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio University - Athens Campus are $17,712, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Ohio University - Athens Campus Photography Report

#3

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Photography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Photography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Photography at UIC

#4

Cranbrook Academy of Art

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

#4 in overall quality

$40,900 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cranbrook Academy of Art. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Photography Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s photography degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

Carnbrook Academy did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Photography Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Carnbrook Academy are $40,900, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Photography at Carnbrook Academy

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Photography

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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