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2024 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois

8 Colleges in Illinois
538 Film Degrees Awarded
$22,157 Avg Early-Career Salary
Film, Video & Photographic Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #62 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 8 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 538 degrees in film, video & photographic arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Film, Video & Photographic Arts School

Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois Your choice of film, video & photographic arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for film, video & photographic arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Film, Video & Photographic Arts Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Film
Master's Degrees in Film
Doctor's Degrees in Film

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Film, Video & Photographic Arts in Illinois

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the film degree levels they offer.

Top Illinois Schools in Film

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL
7.1% Growth in Graduates

Northwestern University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in film, video & photographic arts. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 14 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Northwestern University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
234 Film Degrees Awarded
$24,201 Median Starting Salary

Columbia College Chicago is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in film, video & photographic arts. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 16th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 234 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Film, Video & Photographic Arts degree recipients from Columbia College Chicago earn a boost of about $2,043 above the typical income of film, video & photographic arts majors.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Columbia College Chicago

3
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
224 Film Degrees Awarded
12.9% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat DePaul University if you wish to pursue a degree in film, video & photographic arts. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 224 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available. Film, Video & Photographic Arts degree recipients from DePaul University receive an earnings boost of around $2,108 above the typical income of film, video & photographic arts majors.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from DePaul University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL

Any student pursuing a degree in film, video & photographic arts has to look into University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 8 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In IL

UIC is a very large public university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 3 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from University of Illinois at Chicago

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$20,390 Median Starting Salary
$20,929 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 30 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the film program make an average of $20,390 for their early career.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IL

Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 14th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 1 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from Bradley University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IL

Located in the city of Chicago, The Academy is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

There were about 1 film, video & photographic arts students who graduated with this degree at The Academy in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in film, video & photographic arts from American Academy of Art

Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 414
Ohio 314 297
Indiana 294 78
Wisconsin 273 166

View All Rankings >

Film, Video & Photographic Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Film Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Film & Video Production 434
Photography 56
Film/Cinema/Media Studies 34
Documentary Production 14

View All Film Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 1,585
Music 1,138
Design & Applied Arts 1,084
Drama & Theater Arts 857
Arts & Media Management 259
Other Visual Art 67
General Visual & Performing Arts 64
Dance 37
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 2

View All Film Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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