Best degree programs for Film and Video Editors, ranked by enrollment
7 college programs and 527 schools train Film and Video Editors. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $75,420 median wage, 25,610 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
7 college programs at 527 schools train film and video editors, graduating 19,457 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Cinematography and Film/Video Production. The job pays a median of $75,420 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About film and video editors
Edit moving images on film, video, or other media. May work with a producer or director to organize images for final production. May edit or synchronize soundtracks with images.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
7 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cinematography and Film/Video Productionmain feeder CIP 50.0602 | 9,799 | 50.4% | 287 | $25,014 | $24,650 |
| 2 | CIP 09.0701 | 6,089 | 31.3% | 173 | $29,112 | $23,836 |
| 3 | CIP 10.0202 | 1,488 | 7.6% | 84 | $21,634 | $20,000 |
| 4 | CIP 10.0105 | 1,039 | 5.3% | 41 | $24,790 | $13,494 |
| 5 | CIP 10.0299 | 841 | 4.3% | 17 | $21,634 | $20,000 |
| 6 | Documentary Productionmain feeder CIP 50.0607 | 135 | 0.7% | 13 | $25,014 | $24,650 |
| 7 | CIP 09.0404 | 66 | 0.3% | 14 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What film and video editors earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $88,490 | 8,110 | 2.70× | 95 | 5,035 |
| Florida | $60,430 | 1,490 | 0.91× | 40 | 2,729 |
| New York | $103,440 | 3,710 | 2.33× | 38 | 1,783 |
| Texas | $61,220 | 1,040 | 0.45× | 27 | 1,513 |
| Illinois | $72,460 | 310 | 0.30× | 21 | 919 |
| Massachusetts | $92,130 | 550 | 0.92× | 13 | 878 |
| Georgia | $51,280 | — | — | 15 | 592 |
| Pennsylvania | — | 850 | 0.85× | 20 | 581 |
| Ohio | $56,410 | 340 | 0.37× | 24 | 512 |
| North Carolina | $60,020 | 400 | 0.49× | 17 | 466 |
| Arizona | $45,840 | 350 | 0.66× | 8 | 369 |
| New Jersey | $82,890 | 620 | 0.88× | 12 | 367 |
| Tennessee | $57,880 | 560 | 1.03× | 11 | 350 |
| Utah | $76,240 | 370 | 1.29× | 5 | 268 |
| Colorado | $84,620 | 380 | 0.81× | 9 | 220 |
| Missouri | $57,950 | 380 | 0.79× | 11 | 189 |
| Michigan | $59,100 | 360 | 0.50× | 15 | 177 |
| Virginia | $78,740 | — | — | 6 | 171 |
| Oklahoma | $55,210 | 100 | 0.37× | 12 | 170 |
| Wisconsin | $53,430 | 240 | 0.50× | 8 | 159 |
| New Mexico | $49,400 | 160 | 1.12× | 8 | 154 |
| Kentucky | $62,330 | 60 | 0.18× | 7 | 145 |
| Maryland | $78,380 | 250 | 0.54× | 9 | 135 |
| Montanamoderate | $42,520 | 110 | 1.35× | 3 | 126 |
| South Carolinamoderate | — | 160 | 0.41× | 4 | 117 |
| Louisianamoderate | $66,870 | 80 | 0.25× | 4 | 98 |
| Alabama | $74,410 | 120 | 0.36× | 8 | 93 |
| Minnesota | $53,150 | 200 | 0.40× | 11 | 88 |
| Connecticutmoderate | $83,550 | 600 | 2.15× | 3 | 86 |
| Oregon | $72,300 | 360 | 1.11× | 6 | 73 |
| Indiana | $46,780 | 450 | 0.86× | 9 | 70 |
| Arkansas | $48,480 | 80 | 0.36× | 5 | 53 |
| Mississippi | $50,410 | 50 | 0.24× | 5 | 50 |
| Washington | $66,870 | 450 | 0.77× | 5 | 45 |
| Nebraskalimited | $55,810 | 120 | 0.69× | 1 | 28 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $61,250 | 100 | 0.89× | 1 | 26 |
| District of Columbialimited | $98,830 | 370 | 3.18× | 2 | 24 |
| Nevadalimited | $65,720 | 320 | 1.24× | 1 | 23 |
| Kansaslimited | $50,900 | 70 | 0.31× | 2 | 15 |
| Vermontlimited | $63,080 | 100 | 2.08× | 2 | 8 |
| Idaholimited | $54,080 | 100 | 0.67× | 1 | 2 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers.
- Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using editing equipment.
- Select and combine the most effective shots of each scene to form a logical and smoothly running story.
- Review footage sequence by sequence to become familiar with it before assembling it into a final product.
- Set up and operate computer editing systems, electronic titling systems, video switching equipment, and digital video effects units to produce a final product.
- Trim film segments to specified lengths and reassemble segments in sequences that present stories with maximum effect.
- Cut shot sequences to different angles at specific points in scenes, making each individual cut as fluid and seamless as possible.
- Review assembled films or edited videotapes on screens or monitors to determine if corrections are necessary.
Skills
- Active Listening3.8
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Reading Comprehension3.4
- Active Learning3.3
- Speaking3.3
- Writing3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Learning Strategies2.6
Knowledge areas
- Communications and Media4.9
- English Language4.6
- Computers and Electronics4.5
- Telecommunications4.1
- Fine Arts4.0
- Production and Processing3.7
Abilities
- Near Vision3.9
- Oral Comprehension3.9
- Oral Expression3.8
- Information Ordering3.8
- Fluency of Ideas3.6
- Visualization3.6
Core activities
- Working with Computers4.9
- Thinking Creatively4.7
- Getting Information4.6
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.5
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.3
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.1
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Film
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 7 majors mapped to Film and Video Editors7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0404Photojournalism
- 09.0701Radio and Television
- 10.0105Communications Technology/Technician
- 10.0202Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician
- 10.0299Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Other
- 50.0602Cinematography and Film/Video Production
- 50.0607Documentary Production
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Film?+
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 9,799 degrees in 2024-25, 50.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Film?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Film/Video and Photographic Arts, Radio, Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Communications Technologies/Technicians, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 19,457 people a year.
How much do film and video editors earn?+
The median is $75,420 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $40,280 at the 10th percentile to $148,550 at the 90th. 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 film and video editors growing?+
BLS projects a +4.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 3,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
527 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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 film and video editors work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Editor, Film Editor, News Editor, Video Editor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-4032.
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
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