2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts in California

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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.

Across California, there were 4,639 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,855 and $40,424 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 19 film, video and photographic arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the film, video and photographic arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. 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 in California”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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 Film Schools for a Doctorate in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate in California.

Top 5 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#2 in overall quality

$28,131 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’s film students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#2

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,670 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 4 doctorate’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree film students list, UCSB has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’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 University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670.

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

#3

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#4 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate in California list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347.

Full UC Berkeley Film, Video & Photographic Arts Report

#4

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

#5 in overall quality

$28,952 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate in California. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 1 doctorate’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Santa Cruz are $28,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Santa Cruz

#4

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$48,715 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Film Schools for a Doctorate in California list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s film degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree film students list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. 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 full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at USC

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Film, Video & Photographic Arts

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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