Best Photographer programs in Maryland, ranked by enrollment
Photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, or other subjects. May use lighting equipment to enhance a subject's appearance. May use editing software to produce finished images and prints.
20 schools in Maryland run programs that feed this job, graduating 272 people a year. The job pays a median of $46,450 in Maryland across about 790 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Maryland that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in Maryland that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Maryland (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 Maryland page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 50.0701In Maryland → | 163 | 59.9% | 13 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0101In Maryland → | 62 | 22.8% | 6 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0102In Maryland → | 21 | 7.7% | 3 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 4 | CIP 50.0406In Maryland → | 14 | 5.1% | 3 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
| 5 | CIP 50.0605In Maryland → | 12 | 4.4% | 3 | $25,014 | $24,650 |
Top 20 schools in Maryland
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 20 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Towson University Towson, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 65 | Art/Art Studies, General | $29,958 | 69% | — | 82% |
| 2 | Montgomery College Rockville, MD Public · 4 feeder programs | 63 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 32% | — | — |
| 3 | Community College of Baltimore County Baltimore, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 35 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 19% | — | — |
| 4 | Morgan State University Baltimore, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 41% | — | 82% |
| 5 | Bowie State University Bowie, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 38% | — | 72% |
| 6 | Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Photography | $17,500 | 72% | $37,659 | 77% |
| 7 | McDaniel College Westminster, MD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 63% | $18,988 | 78% |
| 8 | St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's City, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 70% | — | 69% |
| 9 | Prince George's Community College Largo, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 18% | — | — |
| 10 | Goucher College Baltimore, MD Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 8 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 57% | $22,667 | 78% |
| 11 | Harford Community College Bel Air, MD Public · 3 feeder programs | 7 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 39% | — | — |
| 12 | Hood College Frederick, MD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 57% | $23,244 | 78% |
| 13 | Cecil College North East, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Commercial Photography | — | 37% | — | — |
| 14 | Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg, MD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 65% | $23,136 | 74% |
| 15 | Salisbury University Salisbury, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Art/Art Studies, General | $20,632 | 68% | — | 87% |
| 16 | College of Southern Maryland La Plata, MD Public · 2 feeder programs | 2 | Photography | — | 33% | — | — |
| 17 | Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 79% | $26,585 | 75% |
| 18 | University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD Public · 2 feeder programs | 2 | Art/Art Studies, General | $23,879 | 70% | — | 72% |
| 19 | Anne Arundel Community College Arnold, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Photography | — | 31% | — | — |
| 20 | Washington College Chestertown, MD Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 65% | $24,973 | 57% |
All 20 schools in Maryland
Every school in Maryland 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Towson University | Towson | Public | 65 | 1 |
| Montgomery College | Rockville | Public | 63 | 4 |
| Community College of Baltimore County | Baltimore | Public | 35 | 1 |
| Morgan State University | Baltimore | Public | 18 | 1 |
| Bowie State University | Bowie | Public | 15 | 1 |
| Maryland Institute College of Art | Baltimore | Private not-for-profit | 10 | 1 |
| McDaniel College | Westminster | Private not-for-profit | 10 | 1 |
| St. Mary's College of Maryland | St. Mary's City | Public | 10 | 1 |
| Prince George's Community College | Largo | Public | 9 | 1 |
| Goucher College | Baltimore | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 2 |
| Harford Community College | Bel Air | Public | 7 | 3 |
| Hood College | Frederick | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
| Cecil College | North East | Public | 3 | 1 |
| Mount St. Mary's University | Emmitsburg | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Salisbury University | Salisbury | Public | 3 | 1 |
What photographers earn in Maryland
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $44,660. Maryland pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Maryland
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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 Photographers page.
How to become a Photographer
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
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
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Maryland
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 6 majors mapped to Photographers6 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0404Photojournalism
- 50.0101Visual and Performing Arts, General
- 50.0102Digital Arts
- 50.0406Commercial Photography
- 50.0605Photography
- 50.0701Art/Art Studies, General
Common questions
Answers for people weighing photographers programs in Maryland.
What degree do you need to become a Photographer?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Art/Art Studies, General, which awarded 163 degrees in Maryland in 2024-25, 59.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Photographer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, Visual and Performing Arts, Design and Applied Arts, Film/Video and Photographic Arts. Together they graduate about 272 people a year in Maryland.
How much do photographers earn in Maryland?+
The median is $46,450 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.0% above the U.S. median of $44,660. 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 photographers growing?+
BLS projects a +1.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 12,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Maryland?+
20 institutions in Maryland reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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 photographers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Photographer, Photojournalist, Portrait Photographer, Commercial Photographer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-4021.
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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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