Best Special Effects Artist programs in Pennsylvania, ranked by enrollment
Create special effects or animations using film, video, computers, or other electronic tools and media for use in products, such as computer games, movies, music videos, and.
52 schools in Pennsylvania run programs that feed this job, graduating 903 people a year. The job pays a median of $71,760 in Pennsylvania across about 300 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
8 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (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 Pennsylvania page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 50.0409In Pennsylvania → | 334 | 37.0% | 28 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0102In Pennsylvania → | 165 | 18.3% | 12 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 3 | CIP 11.0801In Pennsylvania → | 148 | 16.4% | 15 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 4 | CIP 11.0804In Pennsylvania → | 105 | 11.6% | 4 | $33,504 | $27,000 |
| 5 | CIP 10.0304In Pennsylvania → | 56 | 6.2% | 6 | $25,121 | $26,958 |
| 6 | CIP 50.0411In Pennsylvania → | 45 | 5.0% | 5 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
| 7 | CIP 50.0708In Pennsylvania → | 45 | 5.0% | 3 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 8 | CIP 50.0706In Pennsylvania → | 5 | 0.6% | 1 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
Top 25 schools in Pennsylvania
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 20 of the 52 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 134 | Graphic Design | $38,154 | 78% | $36,004 | 79% |
| 2 | Robert Morris University Moon Township, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 89 | Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation | — | 66% | $24,175 | 90% |
| 3 | Moore College of Art and Design Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 53 | Digital Arts | $27,107 | 57% | $43,204 | 56% |
| 4 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Digital Arts | — | 54% | — | 91% |
| 5 | Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 43 | Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design | $35,284 | 21% | — | — |
| 6 | Northampton County Area Community College Bethlehem, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 36 | Graphic Design | $19,022 | 24% | — | — |
| 7 | Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 35 | Graphic Design | — | 24% | — | — |
| 8 | Lehigh Carbon Community College Schnecksville, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 34 | Graphic Design | $27,896 | 30% | — | — |
| 9 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 34 | Painting | $22,108 | 75% | — | 80% |
| 10 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 32 | Graphic Design | $43,324 | 86% | — | 61% |
| 11 | Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design | $41,394 | 77% | $32,060 | 84% |
| 12 | Harrisburg University of Science and Technology Harrisburg, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Game and Interactive Media Design | — | 34% | $14,140 | 87% |
| 13 | Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 21 | Graphic Design | $45,572 | 53% | — | — |
| 14 | Point Park University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects | — | 59% | $23,704 | 97% |
| 15 | Pennsylvania College of Art and Design Lancaster, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 17 | Graphic Design | $25,830 | 69% | $29,257 | 99% |
| 16 | York College of Pennsylvania York, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Graphic Design | $30,567 | 64% | $18,682 | 74% |
| 17 | Marywood University Scranton, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Graphic Design | $25,727 | 72% | $21,769 | 61% |
| 18 | Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Painting | $10,780 | 58% | $44,184 | — |
| 19 | Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Graphic Design | $42,510 | 82% | $23,620 | 81% |
| 20 | Albright College Reading, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Game and Interactive Media Design | $29,793 | 51% | $21,906 | 76% |
| 21 | Chatham University Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Digital Arts | — | 63% | $23,700 | 62% |
| 22 | Pennsylvania Western University California, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Graphic Design | — | 52% | — | 94% |
| 23 | La Salle University Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Digital Arts | — | 57% | $21,997 | 97% |
| 24 | Pennsylvania State University - World Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Digital Arts | $25,702 | 34% | — | 91% |
| 25 | Saint Vincent College Latrobe, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Digital Arts | — | 69% | $21,124 | 62% |
All 52 schools in Pennsylvania
Every school in Pennsylvania 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drexel University | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 134 | 3 |
| Robert Morris University | Moon Township | Private not-for-profit | 89 | 2 |
| Moore College of Art and Design | Philadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 53 | 2 |
| Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | Kutztown | Public | 51 | 1 |
| Harrisburg Area Community College | Harrisburg | Public | 43 | 3 |
| Northampton County Area Community College | Bethlehem | Public | 36 | 2 |
| Community College of Allegheny County | Pittsburgh | Public | 35 | 2 |
| Lehigh Carbon Community College | Schnecksville | Public | 34 | 4 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia | Public | 34 | 2 |
| Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus | University Park | Public | 32 | 2 |
| Duquesne University | Pittsburgh | Private not-for-profit | 22 | 1 |
| Harrisburg University of Science and Technology | Harrisburg | Private not-for-profit | 22 | 1 |
| Pennsylvania College of Technology | Williamsport | Public | 21 | 2 |
| Point Park University | Pittsburgh | Private not-for-profit | 19 | 2 |
| Pennsylvania College of Art and Design | Lancaster | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 3 |
What special effects artists and animators earn in Pennsylvania
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $102,030. Pennsylvania pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Pennsylvania
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 Special Effects Artists and Animators page.
How to become a Special Effects Artist
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.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Pennsylvania
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Special Effects Artists and Animators9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 10.0304Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects
- 11.0801Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design
- 11.0804Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation
- 50.0102Digital Arts
- 50.0409Graphic Design
- 50.0411Game and Interactive Media Design
- 50.0705Drawing
- 50.0706Intermedia/Multimedia
- 50.0708Painting
Common questions
Answers for people weighing special effects artists and animators programs in Pennsylvania.
What degree do you need to become a Special Effects Artist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Graphic Design, which awarded 334 degrees in Pennsylvania in 2024-25, 37.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Special Effects Artist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Design and Applied Arts, Computer Software and Media Applications, Visual and Performing Arts, Graphic Communications, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 903 people a year in Pennsylvania.
How much do special effects artists and animators earn in Pennsylvania?+
The median is $71,760 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 29.7% below the U.S. median of $102,030. 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 special effects artists and animators growing?+
BLS projects a +1.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 5,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Pennsylvania?+
52 institutions in Pennsylvania reported graduates from at least one of the 8 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 special effects artists and animators work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Artist, Animator, Graphic Artist, 3D Artist (Three-Dimensional Artist) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-1014.
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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