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2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k

13 Ranked Colleges
33 Degrees Awarded
$37,500 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 17,506 people earned their degree in film, video and photographic arts, making the major the 64th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, film, video and photographic arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $22,714 and had an average of $31,549 in loans still to pay off.

At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 33 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,680 and $116,043 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 13 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in film, video and photographic arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent film, video and photographic arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the film, video and photographic arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The film 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 Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k”.

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. 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 Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 13 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 1 doctorate’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Northwestern University

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified doctorate’s film students in 2019-2020.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at U-M

#3

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s film degrees to qualified students.

UChicago also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UChicago

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’s film students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCLA has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Los Angeles

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of California - Berkeley Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#6

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#7 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s film degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSB has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at UCSB

#7

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 9 doctorate’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at USC

#6 in overall quality

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus are $40,836, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Pitt Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#9

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s film degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Santa Cruz

#10

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, New York
#10 in overall quality

University at Buffalo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. University at Buffalo is located in Buffalo, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s film degrees to qualified students.

University at Buffalo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University at Buffalo are $26,028, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University at Buffalo

#11

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#11 in overall quality

University of Iowa ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s film students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Iowa are $27,613.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Iowa

#12

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#12 in overall quality

University of Kansas ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k list, KU has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Kansas are $25,007.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at KU

#13

New York University

New York, New York
#5 in overall quality

New York University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree film students whose families make $0-$30k list, NYU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at New York University are $36,892, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at New York University

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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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