2025 Best Photography Schools
53
Colleges in the United States
2,175
Photography Degrees Awarded
If you plan on majoring in
photography, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #310 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
College Factual reviewed 53 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of photography. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,175 degrees in photography annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Photography School
The photography program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Photography rankings. We derive our Best Overall Photography School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Photography Rankings by Degree Level
The photography 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 the Best Photography Schools.
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 Photography in the United States
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the photography degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
10 Top Schools in Photography
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In NY
50
Photography Degrees Awarded
New York University is a good option for students interested in a degree in photography. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 50 photography students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in photography from New York University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In GA
144
Photography Degrees Awarded
Savannah College of Art and Design is a good option for students interested in a degree in photography. Located in the city of Savannah, SCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
There were approximately 144 photography students who graduated with this degree at SCAD in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in photography from Savannah College of Art and Design
Associates
Degree Type
AA in Digital Photography
Program Name
Take the first step toward a career of visual expression and doing what you love with this online associate degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in AA in Digital Photography from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In PA
Temple University is a great option for students interested in a degree in photography. Temple is a very large public university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.
There were approximately 12 photography students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in photography from Temple University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In IL
70
Photography Degrees Awarded
Columbia College Chicago is a great option for students pursuing a degree in photography. Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Chicago. This college ranks 9th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 70 photography students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in photography from Columbia College Chicago
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In NY
68
Photography Degrees Awarded
Located in the suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #147 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means RIT is a great school overall.
There were roughly 68 photography students who graduated with this degree at RIT in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in photography from Rochester Institute of Technology
Located in the city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.
There were about 18 photography students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in photography from Syracuse University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In NY
82
Photography Degrees Awarded
Located in the large city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #197 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means New School University is a great school overall.
There were approximately 82 photography students who graduated with this degree at New School University in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in photography from The New School
Bachelors
Degree Type
BA in Digital Photography
Program Name
Learn to create a striking portfolio and hone the skills you need to succeed in the world of professional photography with this online digital photography degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
More information about a degree in BA in Digital Photography from Southern New Hampshire UniversityRelated Programs
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In NY
115
Photography Degrees Awarded
SVA is a small private for-profit school located in the city of New York.
There were approximately 115 photography students who graduated with this degree at SVA in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in photography from School of Visual Arts
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In MD
MICA is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Baltimore.
There were about 22 photography students who graduated with this degree at MICA in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in photography from Maryland Institute College of Art
Drexel is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #115 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Drexel is a great university overall.
There were roughly 11 photography students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in photography from Drexel University
