### SUMMARY

 A degree in Cinematography is not only a valuable choice, but generally a requisite first step for scholars choosing to begin a career as a director, a prop master, or a set designer. Interestingly, cinematography is fairly popular ranking as the 84th most popular major. In the last year, there were 4,877 cinematography diplomas received. In-state tuition for cinematography at private colleges is, on average, 4 times more spendy than their public peers.

 There are 155 institutions which offer cinematography. This number of universities is on par with other programs offered in the United States. If you are hoping to immerse yourself with other cinematography majors, consider looking at institutions in California which have more students admitted to cinematography than any other state. Zooming out, the best region to major in cinematography is in the Mid East region with [CUNY Brooklyn College](/colleges/cuny-brooklyn-college), [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university), and [Temple University](/colleges/temple-university) best representing the region. Interestingly, our selection for the best conference to study cinematography is the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference with [Emerson College](/colleges/emerson-college) representing the conference. That being said, our belief is that the best college for cinematography is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). You might also want to check out our list of [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges).

 The overall best school does not mean it is the best school for every student. There might be a bunch more facets to consider when choosing institution. External stuff such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food would change your thoughts on where to go to university. At authority.org, we have evaluated the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you are interested in which cinematography school has the best campus, the answer is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). If, for example, you are mostly interested in which college boasts the top campus, we have an entire list [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through student reviews, government databases, professor reviews, and more to compare each major in an unbiased and informative way. You can explore our comprehensive list for the schools with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and our selection for the school with the best student life for cinematography is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). Are you curious why? Continue reading to find out more about Authority's top recommendations. Some of our picks just might shock you.

 If cost is a major influence in your decision on where to go to college, you might consider avoiding [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california)&nbspis the most expensive university for cinematography, at least regarding out of state enrollment. That being said, we have a page for the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspschools that could put the cost of [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california)&nbspinto perspective. For more context, you may want to know that cinematography is the 133rd most expensive program in America, with an average cost of $35,200. On a broader scale, the most expensive state for cinematography nationally is Connecticut demonstrated with a cost of $46,790 at the main college in the state Quinnipiac University. To zoom out even further, the most costly region for cinematography is the Far West region which is best demonstrated with [California Institute of the Arts](/colleges/california-institute-of-the-arts) with a cost of $50,850, [Chapman University](/colleges/chapman-university) with a cost of $54,540, and [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california) with a cost of $57,256.

 Our cheapest region for cinematography is the Rocky Mountains region which is represented by [Montana State University](/colleges/montana-state-university) with a cost of $23,890, [The University of Montana](/colleges/the-university-of-montana) with a cost of $24,144, and [Utah Valley University](/colleges/utah-valley-university) with a cost of $15,872. More optimistically, the most affordable college for cinematography is [Florida State University](/colleges/florida-state-university). Authority's full list of the most affordable schools can be found [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state students can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $9,800 for a degree in cinematography. The price grows dramatically to a median of $22,900 for an out-of-state public-school student. Our pick for the college representing the best value for cinematography: [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). Through this link you can find our comprehensive list of the schools we see as being the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspin general. With that said, this list is predicated on the assumption that you are an out-of-state student. A discussion of value changes when in-state tuition is considered, but as we do not know what state(s) you might qualify for in-state tuition, we are approaching this discussion through out-of-state tuition costs.

 Earnings for cinematography students can cover a wide range, but within two years finishing the degree graduates will often earn around $48,900. While there is much variation in salary; highest paid earners can bring in up to $89,900. Even straight out of school, the lowest end jobs within the cinematography field earn $26,900, which could be worse. The highest earning graduates for cinematography studied at [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california)&nbspand if you want to find the universities with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), we have that too.

 The all-around diversity of cinematography ranks solid, falling within the 74th percentile of all programs. The college with the most composite diversity for cinematography is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university)&nbspand here you can find our comprehensive list of the universities which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The financial diversity of the Cinematography major only ranks in the 39th percentile compared to all other majors. Racial diversity is actually above financial diversity, in the 66th percentile. White collegians make up the largest share at 56% of scholars studying cinematography. Additionally, 56% of students pursuing a cinematography degree are men.

 The median rating of cinematography professors is 4 stars, which is actually the average score for all majors; this is a fine. If you want to find the most popular cinematography instructor in the country, consider looking up Joseph Daccurso at [Los Angeles Valley College](/colleges/los-angeles-valley-college). It might come as a shock, but the highest rated professors of cinematography from student rankings are at [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). As we including data beyond just rankings it becomes clear that the university with the overall best professors for cinematography is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). One will find an explanation of our evolving ranking methodology of the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), along with many of the finest instructors in the U.S.

 Finally, the hardest university to get into for cinematography is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california). While we do not necessarily see the value in it, we have a general list for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). Although, we do hope you believe that looking at the higher education world through a lens mainly derived from superlatives might cause issues. We encourage you to look at some of our other pages on different colleges and peruse a couple of our insightful background pages on essential details to look for as your university search develops.



 ### POPULARITY

 Cinematography is the 84th most popular degree in America, with 4,877 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #85 [Advertising](/rankings/best-colleges-for-advertising), and narrowly lost to #83 [Computer and Information Systems Security](/rankings/best-colleges-for-computer-and-information-systems-security).

 The degree is offered at a total of 155 colleges across the nation, and is the 119th most widely offered degree. It is only offered at 5% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America.

 It is also worth noting that 53% of colleges offering cinematography are public making it a pretty accessible field.

 The mid east produces the most cinematography graduates, largely led by [CUNY Brooklyn College](/colleges/cuny-brooklyn-college), while it’s the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from [Chapman University](/colleges/chapman-university) and [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more cinematography graduates than [Glendale Community College](/colleges/glendale-community-college), which graduated 460 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study cinematography). More students studied cinematography as a percentage of total students at [Emerson College](/colleges/emerson-college) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Cinematography is the 133rd most expensive degree in the nation, with a median cost of $35,165 among the top 50 programs (just ahead of #134, [Geography and Cartography](rankings/best-colleges-for-geography-and-cartography), with a median cost of $35,154).

 The Far West has the most expensive schools with first-rate cinematography programs predominantly led by [California Institute of the Arts](/colleges/california-institute-of-the-arts) with an annual cost of $50,850. The most expensive state for cinematography is Connecticut led by [Quinnipiac University](/colleges/quinnipiac-university).

 Public schools with solid programs typically charge 74.75% less than private schools for in-state students. However, when looking at out-of-state tuition, the median top 50 Public school charges 41.2% less than your average private school. So make sure to take a look at public shools in your state ASAP.

 The most pricey option in the top 25 is [University of Southern California](/colleges/university-of-southern-california), which is the 14th most expensive college in the nation. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Olympic College](/colleges/olympic-college). It costs just $4,116 per year but is ranked 76th for its cinematography program. If you’re looking for a higher ranked, but still affordable college, [Florida State University](/colleges/florida-state-university)  could be for you, ranked #16 with an in-state cost of just $4,022. Another more affordable option would be #14, [University of Central Florida](/colleges/university-of-central-florida) in Orange County, FL with a cost of $4,478 for in-state students and $19,810 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Paying for college is a huge investment for most students. It is critical to make sure you enlarge your future earning potential. Therefore, we hope the following earnings and career data help you make an informed decision when choosing your major.

 Just after college, Cinematography graduates make $25,270 per annum on average (bottom 4%). After a little time in their work lives, they can make up to $89,884 to as little as $26,889, but average close to $48,868. To put it in context, that's 27% greater than the national average.

 The most popular work title for a Cinematography graduate is Account Executive, which commonly make about $36,000; next are Sales Consultant and Consultant, which often make about $36,000 and $56,000 respectively.

 The Southwest has the highest grossing Cinematography graduates. TN has the best paid Cinematography alumni of any state. The best paid conference for Cinematography graduates is Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Cinematography: Median Professor Rating: 4 / 5, which is below average.

 Instructors repeatedly have a massive impact your college experience, regardless of your major. A thought-provoking teacher could help a student find their passion and even make a difficult subject seem easy. Conversely, a poor professor can interrupt your schooling or even worse... fail you!

 Cinematography professors have a median student rating of 4 out of 5, which puts these professors in the upper 59th percentile in the nation based on student satisfaction. Suprisingly, this major is exactly the median for professor rating, which, in our opinion, is remarkably average! Cinematography professors just out-ranked those from ["Interior Architecture"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-interior-architecture), whereas ["Urban Planning"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-urban-planning)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Cinematography.

 Now for some statistics about Cinematography professors. Colleges located in midsize citys tend to have the best Cinematography professors. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has the highest rated Cinematography professors. The Southeast region has the highest rated Cinematography professors. Private colleges tend to have higher rated Cinematography professors than public colleges. Finally, Florida has the highest rated Cinematography professors in America.

 Joseph Daccurso, instructor at [Los Angeles Valley College](/colleges/los-angeles-valley-college)&nbspin Valley Glen, CA is the most popular Cinematography professor in the US. Vera Dika, professor at [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university)&nbspin New York, NY is the highest rated Cinematography professor in America, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Learn which institutions have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College is an immensely revelatory adventure in one's life; it is a time for personal progress and evolution. Undergraduates continue to realize their purpose and forge many of the requisite skills to become a thriving adult. But growth isn't confined to the classroom - the late nights discussing Noriega with a schoolmate, the life lesson learned from a tenured instructor, the exposure to a different worldview. Therefore, finding a diverse college greatly enriches what you gain from your time spent in university.

 Cinematography is a more racially diverse subject than average\*. 56% of the US' Cinematography majors are white students, followed by students of other races\*\*(18%), latino students (14%), and black students (8%). The most ethnically diverse college\* in the top 100 is [Southern Adventist University](/colleges/southern-adventist-university)&nbspin Collegedale, TN.

 Moreover, Cinematography slightly skews male, with 44% of majors identifying as men. [Northern Vermont University](/colleges/northern-vermont-university) in Johnson, VT has the most gender balanced student body in the top 100.

 Another important type of diversity is economic diversity. Sadly, Cinematography ranks in the bottom 40% of majors income diversity. 30% of its students come from homes with a sub $30,000 yearly income, 15% are from homes earning between $30,000 and $48,000 a year, and 26% grew up in households earning more than $110,000 a year. [University of North Carolina School of the Arts](/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-school-of-the-arts) has the most economically diverse students in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall GA is the most diverse state for Cinematography. The Far West is the most diverse region, and the Pacific-12 Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 5%
* Black: 8%
* Latino: 14%
* White: 56%
* Other: 18%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 56%
* Female: 44%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 30%
* 30k - 48k: 15%
* 48k - 75k: 15%
* 75k - 110k: 14%
* Over 110k: 26%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 67%
* Out of State: 28%
* International: 5%


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2023 Cinematography Salary

There are about 30,093 students enrolled in Cinematography in the USA.

SALARY