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2024 Best Photography Bachelor's Degree Schools

81 Colleges in the United States
1,159 Bachelor's Degrees
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in photography, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #225 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual reviewed 81 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of photography. Combined, these schools handed out 1,159 bachelor's degrees in photography to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Photography School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Photography Bachelor's Degree Schools The photography bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for photography students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Photography Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Photography Bachelor's Degree Schools 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.


 

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Photography in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in photography. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

12 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Photography

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
30 Annual Graduates

New York University is a great decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in photography. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from New York University

2
7 Annual Graduates

Brigham Young University - Provo is a wonderful option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in photography. Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from Brigham Young University - Provo

3
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
14 Annual Graduates

Temple University is a good option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in photography. Temple is a very large public university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from Temple University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
93 Annual Graduates

Savannah College of Art and Design is a good choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in photography. Located in the midsize city of Savannah, SCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from Savannah College of Art and Design

5
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
1 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from American University

6
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Annual Graduates

Academy of Art University is a medium-sized private for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from Academy of Art University

7
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from Syracuse University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Annual Graduates

Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from Columbia College Chicago

9
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
1 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Seattle, Seattle U is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from Seattle University

10
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from The New School

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Annual Graduates

SVA is a small private for-profit school located in the city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from School of Visual Arts

12
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

MICA is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a bachelor’s in photography from Maryland Institute College of Art

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Photography students that almost earned our Best Photography Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
13 Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA
14 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
15 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY
16 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
17 Pratt Institute - Main Brooklyn, NY
18 Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI
19 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
20 California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA

Photography by Region

View the Best Photography Bachelor's Degree 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, Photography has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Film & Video Production 5,084
Film/Cinema/Media Studies 4,231
Other Film/Video & Photographic Arts 1,260
Documentary Production 25

Notes and References

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