Florida·Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations·SOC 27-4031

Best Camera Operator programs in Florida, ranked by enrollment

Operate television, video, or film camera to record images or scenes for television, video, or film.

26 schools in Florida run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,818 people a year. The job pays a median of $62,220 in Florida across about 970 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledCameramanVideographerCamera OperatorTelevision News PhotographerFilmmakerDrone PilotRemote PilotCamera Person
Graduates / yr
1,818
in Florida
Median pay · Florida
$62,220
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
970
people employed
Schools
26
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
54%
across those schools
Median net price
$33,070
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Florida that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

4 programs in Florida that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Florida (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Florida page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 50.0602In Florida
1,000
55.0%
20$25,014$24,650
2
CIP 10.0299In Florida
527
29.0%
1$21,634$20,000
3
CIP 10.0202In Florida
288
15.8%
11$21,634$20,000
4
CIP 50.0607In Florida
3
0.2%
1$25,014$24,650

Top 25 schools in Florida

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 10 of the 26 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Full Sail University
Winter Park, FL Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
712Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Other$30,01444%$32,163
2University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
276Cinematography and Film/Video Production$23,67678%40%
3Miami Dade College
Miami, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
194Cinematography and Film/Video Production$22,58746%
4Broward College
Fort Lauderdale, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
166Cinematography and Film/Video Production39%
5Florida Institute of Recording Sound and Technology
Orlando, FL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
107Cinematography and Film/Video Production$21,610
6Valencia College
Orlando, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
91Cinematography and Film/Video Production$16,63548%
7Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
51Cinematography and Film/Video Production$31,68986%24%
8University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
51Cinematography and Film/Video Production$35,48584%$26,58919%
9The University of Tampa
Tampa, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
24Cinematography and Film/Video Production$26,64164%$33,07040%
10William T McFatter Technical College
Davie, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
19Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician66%
11Orange Technical College - East Campus
Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
14Cinematography and Film/Video Production63%
12Ringling College of Art and Design
Sarasota, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
14Cinematography and Film/Video Production$18,55172%$54,69370%
13Hillsborough College
Tampa, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
11Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician34%
14Seminole State College of Florida
Sanford, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
11Cinematography and Film/Video Production41%
15Eastern Florida State College
Melbourne, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
10Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician52%
16Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
10Cinematography and Film/Video Production$21,00241%
17Lynn University
Boca Raton, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
8Cinematography and Film/Video Production52%$38,34373%
18Santa Fe College
Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
7Cinematography and Film/Video Production53%
19State College of Florida - Manatee - Sarasota
Bradenton, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
7Cinematography and Film/Video Production38%
20Florida Panhandle Technical College
Chipley, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
6Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician41%
21Fred K Marchman Technical College
New Port Richey, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
6Cinematography and Film/Video Production71%
22Orange Technical College - South Campus
Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
6Cinematography and Film/Video Production35%
23Daytona State College
Daytona Beach, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
5Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician43%
24Southeastern University
Lakeland, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Cinematography and Film/Video Production43%$29,91553%
25Pinellas Technical College - St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
4Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician60%

All 26 schools in Florida

Every school in Florida with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Florida that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Full Sail UniversityWinter ParkPrivate for-profit7122
University of Central FloridaOrlandoPublic2761
Miami Dade CollegeMiamiPublic1942
Broward CollegeFort LauderdalePublic1661
Florida Institute of Recording Sound and TechnologyOrlandoPrivate for-profit1071
Valencia CollegeOrlandoPublic912
Florida State UniversityTallahasseePublic511
University of MiamiCoral GablesPrivate not-for-profit512
The University of TampaTampaPrivate not-for-profit241
William T McFatter Technical CollegeDaviePublic191
Orange Technical College - East CampusOrlandoPublic141
Ringling College of Art and DesignSarasotaPrivate not-for-profit141
Hillsborough CollegeTampaPublic112
Seminole State College of FloridaSanfordPublic112
Eastern Florida State CollegeMelbournePublic101

What camera operators, television, video, and film earn in Florida

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Florida
$62,220
Mean annual
$71,320
Jobs in state
970
What the range looks like
10th pct$32,230Median$62,22090th pct$132,320
Versus the national median
-17.0%

U.S. median $74,990. Florida pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.71×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Florida

Jacksonville, FL
$65,640median
60 jobs
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
$65,130median
110 jobs
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
$63,230median
130 jobs
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$62,220median
330 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+1.2%
Little or no change
Openings per year
2,900
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
400
36,400 → 36,900
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film page.

How to become a Camera Operator

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

Active ListeningSpeakingReading ComprehensionMonitoringCritical ThinkingWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Florida

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 10.0202Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician
  • 10.0299Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Other
  • 50.0602Cinematography and Film/Video Production
  • 50.0607Documentary Production

Common questions

Answers for people weighing camera operators, television, video, and film programs in Florida.

What degree do you need to become a Camera Operator?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Cinematography and Film/Video Production, which awarded 1,000 degrees in Florida in 2024-25, 55.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Camera Operator?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 1,818 people a year in Florida.

How much do camera operators, television, video, and film earn in Florida?+

The median is $62,220 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 17.0% below the U.S. median of $74,990. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for camera operators, television, video, and film growing?+

BLS projects a +1.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 2,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Florida?+

26 institutions in Florida reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do camera operators, television, video, and film work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Cameraman, Videographer, Camera Operator, Television News Photographer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-4031.

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film in other statesCaliforniaNew YorkIllinoisMassachusettsGeorgiaTexasNew JerseyPennsylvania

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

All Clema data sources and release dates →

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card