Film/Video and Photographic Arts at American University

Washington, DC · Bachelor's Degree · about 45 graduates a year

$26,767
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$52,661
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$43,765
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#20 of 144
Rank by pay
#49 of 144
Rank, wage-adjusted
$22,000
Median federal debt

American University graduates in film/video and photographic arts earn 20% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 42% of one year’s pay at that point.

How American University Compares for Film/Video and Photographic Arts

All 144 colleges reporting film/video and photographic arts earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA$78,034$80,781#1$51,772
2University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA$70,963$64,572#2$29,011
3Chapman University Orange, CA$66,494$60,505#3$35,795
4Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ$63,679$55,890#8$38,508
5Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ$63,679$55,890#9$38,508
6Seattle University Seattle, WA$62,385$57,381#5$30,256
7Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA$61,500$55,961#6$24,561
8Tufts University Medford, MA$59,960$52,801#15$56,418
9New York University New York, NY$58,720$55,889#10$23,869
10University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA$58,623$53,343#14$34,187
…
17Brigham Young University Provo, UT$53,695$50,890#25$25,506
18Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY$52,970$50,416#28$28,858
19University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA$52,699$47,953#37$24,840
20American University Washington, DC$52,661$46,145#49$26,767
21Pace University New York, NY$52,368$49,843#32$20,775
22Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN$52,105$55,899#7—
23Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT$52,094$46,901#42$29,253

Other Film/Video and Photographic Arts Credentials at American University

Credential1 yr after4 yrs afterMedian debt
Master's Degree$51,449$76,808$66,504

Other Majors at American University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Finance and Financial Management Services$134,332$83,505#8 of 452
Accounting and Related Services$119,020—#8 of 796
Computer Science$117,293—#87 of 349
Business Administration, Management and Operations$88,359$58,299#63 of 1176
Economics$85,016$58,151#137 of 368
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$78,410$50,026#16 of 178
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies$76,552$49,486#13 of 207
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians$75,461$19,337#1 of 19
International Relations and National Security Studies$73,865$47,551#31 of 118
Political Science and Government$73,604$48,034#84 of 565
Non-Professional Legal Studies$72,792$45,790#5 of 39
Public Health$70,831$42,194#25 of 215
Communication and Media Studies$67,863$36,980#73 of 660
Criminal Justice and Corrections$66,970$37,147#50 of 660
Journalism$66,635$44,387#19 of 187
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$66,160$55,625#10 of 680
Natural Resources Conservation and Research$63,711$46,780#41 of 265
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies$63,553$46,206#8 of 103
Psychology$62,240$25,773#68 of 1027
History$59,630$43,809#62 of 459
Literature$54,436$23,164#2 of 8
Anthropology$53,036—#48 of 188
Area Studies—$43,671—
Sociology—$40,119—
Fine and Studio Arts—$35,115—
Biology—$33,917—
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft—$23,979—

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do American University film/video and photographic arts graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $26,767 one year after graduating and $52,661 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does American University rank for film/video and photographic arts?

Among 144 colleges reporting earnings for film/video and photographic arts graduates, American University ranks #20 by median pay four years after graduation, and #49 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is film/video and photographic arts at American University worth it?

Its graduates earn 20% more than the national median for film/video and photographic arts ($43,765), and the median federal debt at graduation is $22,000.

← All data for American University · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.