Commercial Photography Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Commercial Photography maps to BLS occupations averaging about $120,952, with roughly 136,740 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $5,340; common paths include Photographers and Commercial Divers.
Key Statistics
Commercial Photography: what the data shows
Common questions about commercial photography degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a commercial photography degree?
A Commercial Photography program is classified under NCES CIP 50.0406 in the Design and Applied Arts field family (50.04).
A program in the applied visual arts that prepares individuals to use artistic techniques to effectively communicate ideas and information to business and consumer audiences, and recording events and people, via digital, film, still and video photography. Includes instruction in specialized camera and equipment operation and maintenance, applications to commercial and industrial needs, and photography business operations
IPEDS counted 103 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of commercial photography degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 50.04 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Commercial and Advertising Art (CIP 50.0402)
- Design and Visual Communications, General (CIP 50.0401)
- Fashion/Apparel Design (CIP 50.0407)
- Game and Interactive Media Design (CIP 50.0411)
- Graphic Design (CIP 50.0409)
- Illustration (CIP 50.0410)
- Industrial and Product Design (CIP 50.0404)
- Interior Design (CIP 50.0408)
How long does it take to get a commercial photography degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 50.0406 in our file:
- 336 Associate (75.5% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 103 Bachelor's (23.1% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 6 Master's (1.3% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Photographers (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a commercial photography degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Commercial Photography to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Photographers | 51,230 | $42,520 |
| Commercial Divers | 3,430 | $61,130 |
| Commercial Pilots | 51,830 | $122,670 |
| Commercial and Industrial Designers | 30,250 | $79,450 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a commercial photography degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Design and Applied Arts bachelor's program family: median debt $41,581, median earnings $51,490 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.24.
About 5.9% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $5,340 and median net price is $13,910.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Commercial Photography and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$5,340 Median In-State Public
$36,200 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Commercial Photography majors are, on average, $5,340 for in-state public colleges, and $36,200 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Commercial Photography programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Commercial Photography from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Commercial Photography.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 3 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 4 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 5 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Commercial Photography programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 2 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 3 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 4 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 5 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Commercial Photography programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 3 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 4 | Fort Peck Community College | MT | $400 |
| 5 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Commercial Photography programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Commercial Photography programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Commercial Photography is in NY (47 completions). That state represents about 45.6% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is NC (0.02% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| NY | 47 | 45.6% | 0.02% |
| NC | 29 | 28.2% | 0.02% |
| OH | 15 | 14.6% | 0.01% |
| TN | 9 | 8.7% | 0.01% |
| TX | 3 | 2.9% | 0.00% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 50.04 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Commercial and Advertising Art CIP 50.0402
- Design and Visual Communications, General CIP 50.0401
- Fashion/Apparel Design CIP 50.0407
- Game and Interactive Media Design CIP 50.0411
- Graphic Design CIP 50.0409
- Illustration CIP 50.0410
- Industrial and Product Design CIP 50.0404
- Interior Design CIP 50.0408
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 50.0406 in the survey year used in our extract (445 total across levels below).
- 336 Associate (75.5% of IPEDS total)
- 103 Bachelor's (23.1% of IPEDS total)
- 6 Master's (1.3% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $120,952. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Commercial Photography graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Photographers | $78,302 | 51,230 |
| Commercial Divers | $100,858 | 3,430 |
| Commercial Pilots | $173,037 | 51,830 |
| Commercial and Industrial Designers | $106,220 | 30,250 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Design and Applied Arts CIP family (79 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Commercial Photography graduate.
- $41,581 median federal loan debt among completers
- $51,490 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.24 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 5.9% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$120,952 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Commercial Photography majors is $120,952.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Commercial Photography majors.
Occupations by Share
136,740 2023 Workforce
The number of Commercial Photography graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Commercial Photography by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Commercial Photography in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Commercial Photography.
Age distribution for Commercial Photography degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
103 Total Degrees Awarded
32 Male (31.07%)
71 Female (68.93%)
Gender distribution of Commercial Photography degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
66 White (64.08%)
17 Hispanic or Latino (16.50%)
10 Black or African American (9.71%)
6 Two or More Races (5.83%)
3 Asian (2.91%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Commercial Photography degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Commercial Photography are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Commercial Photography.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Commercial Photography field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Commercial Photography majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Commercial Photography majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Commercial Photography majors.
About
A program in the applied visual arts that prepares individuals to use artistic techniques to effectively communicate ideas and information to business and consumer audiences, and recording events and people, via digital, film, still and video photography. Includes instruction in specialized camera and equipment operation and maintenance, applications to commercial and industrial needs, and photography business operations
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Commercial Photography.
CIP Code
50.0406 - Commercial Photography
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $41,581 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $51,490, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.24. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Commercial Photography graduate.
Women earned 64.7% of 899 Commercial Photography completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $120,952. The largest mapped role by headcount is Photographers (51,230 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $5,340 in-state at public colleges and $36,200 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.