Best Photographer programs in Virginia, 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.
33 schools in Virginia run programs that feed this job, graduating 945 people a year. The job pays a median of $46,550 in Virginia across about 1,580 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Virginia that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
4 programs in Virginia that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Virginia (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 Virginia page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 50.0701In Virginia → | 524 | 55.4% | 17 | $24,447 | $25,294 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0101In Virginia → | 259 | 27.4% | 14 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0102In Virginia → | 87 | 9.2% | 2 | $24,752 | $25,963 |
| 4 | CIP 50.0605In Virginia → | 75 | 7.9% | 6 | $25,014 | $24,650 |
Top 25 schools in Virginia
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 11 of the 33 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA Public · 3 feeder programs | 146 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 33% | — | — |
| 2 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 138 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | $31,941 | 68% | — | 87% |
| 3 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 134 | Art/Art Studies, General | $33,501 | 80% | — | 72% |
| 4 | Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 74 | Digital Arts | — | 65% | $28,911 | 99% |
| 5 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 49 | Art/Art Studies, General | $36,927 | 86% | — | 55% |
| 6 | Radford University Radford, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 47 | Art/Art Studies, General | $23,308 | 49% | — | 90% |
| 7 | Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 46 | Art/Art Studies, General | $27,535 | 46% | — | 90% |
| 8 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 45 | Photography | $23,109 | 63% | — | 93% |
| 9 | Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 40 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | $23,656 | 72% | — | 86% |
| 10 | University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 35 | Art/Art Studies, General | $23,372 | 96% | — | 17% |
| 11 | Norfolk State University Norfolk, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 26 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 38% | — | 88% |
| 12 | Longwood University Farmville, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | $34,812 | 61% | — | 90% |
| 13 | William & Mary Williamsburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Art/Art Studies, General | $29,752 | 89% | — | 34% |
| 14 | Virginia Peninsula Community College Hampton, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 17 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 34% | — | — |
| 15 | Tidewater Community College Norfolk, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 15 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 32% | — | — |
| 16 | Bridgewater College Bridgewater, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Digital Arts | — | 53% | $19,485 | 92% |
| 17 | University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | $29,130 | 66% | — | 80% |
| 18 | Virginia State University Petersburg, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 39% | — | 89% |
| 19 | University of Lynchburg Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 57% | $19,488 | 43% |
| 20 | Brightpoint Community College Chester, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Photography | — | 38% | — | — |
| 21 | Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia Beach, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 42% | $20,171 | 73% |
| 22 | Piedmont Virginia Community College Charlottesville, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 39% | — | — |
| 23 | Roanoke College Salem, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Art/Art Studies, General | — | 67% | $24,604 | 83% |
| 24 | Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 52% | $22,704 | 76% |
| 25 | Hampden - Sydney College Hampden-Sydney, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Visual and Performing Arts, General | — | 62% | $21,034 | 41% |
All 33 schools in Virginia
Every school in Virginia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Virginia Community College | Annandale | Public | 146 | 3 |
| George Mason University | Fairfax | Public | 138 | 2 |
| James Madison University | Harrisonburg | Public | 134 | 1 |
| Liberty University | Lynchburg | Private not-for-profit | 74 | 1 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Blacksburg | Public | 49 | 1 |
| Radford University | Radford | Public | 47 | 1 |
| Old Dominion University | Norfolk | Public | 46 | 1 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond | Public | 45 | 1 |
| Christopher Newport University | Newport News | Public | 40 | 1 |
| University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville | Public | 35 | 1 |
| Norfolk State University | Norfolk | Public | 26 | 2 |
| Longwood University | Farmville | Public | 21 | 1 |
| William & Mary | Williamsburg | Public | 19 | 1 |
| Virginia Peninsula Community College | Hampton | Public | 17 | 2 |
| Tidewater Community College | Norfolk | Public | 15 | 2 |
What photographers earn in Virginia
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $44,660. Virginia pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Virginia
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 Virginia
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 Virginia.
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 524 degrees in Virginia in 2024-25, 55.4% 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 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fine and Studio Arts, Visual and Performing Arts, Film/Video and Photographic Arts. Together they graduate about 945 people a year in Virginia.
How much do photographers earn in Virginia?+
The median is $46,550 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.2% 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 Virginia?+
33 institutions in Virginia 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 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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