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Creative producer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a creative producer. Creative producers usually study photography, communication, or graphic design. 79% of creative producers hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 651 real creative producer resumes to see exactly what creative producer education sections show.
The most common colleges for creative producers are the School of Visual Arts and the School of Visual Arts.
There are also many online creative producer courses to help get the education required to be a creative producer.
What education do you need to become a creative producer?
What degree do you need to be a creative producer?
- Bachelor's, 79%
- Master's, 11%
- Associate, 7%
- Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a creative producer?
- Photography, 24%
- Communication, 17%
- Graphic Design, 8%
- Journalism, 7%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for creative producers
| Creative producer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| School of Visual Arts | 9.20% |
| University of Washington | 8.05% |
| Columbia College Chicago | 6.90% |
| Boston University | 6.90% |
| New York University | 6.90% |
Best majors for creative producers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Photography | 23.6% |
| 2 | Communication | 16.5% |
| 3 | Graphic Design | 8.4% |
| 4 | Journalism | 7.3% |
| 5 | Fine Arts | 5.0% |
Best colleges for creative producers
The best colleges for creative producers are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Stanford University.
A creative producer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for creative producers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become creative producers.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
7. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
20 best online courses for creative producers
Advertising disclosure
1. Creativity And Entrepreneurship
Creativity & Entrepreneurship will help you tap into your inner creativity and learn how to leverage it for career development or business innovation. Presented by Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship founder Panos Panay, this course features interviews with world renown entrepreneurs, innovators, songwriters, producers, creative directors, educators, performers, visual artists and chefs as they discuss parallels between the creative and entrepreneurial journeys. The course...
2. Creativity Toolkit II: Creative Collaboration
Creativity requires us to collaborate with others, and this course helps you be a better creative collaborator. We need to be able to pitch our creative ideas so that others are excited rather than baffled or dismissive by them. We need to be able to evaluate the ideas of others so we identify rather than miss creative solutions. We need to be able to work with our teams such that creativity thrives rather than is suppressed. This course addresses each of these needs, identifying challenges and...
3. 365 Days of Creativity
A totally new learning experience that will teach you 365 creative skills...
4. Adobe Creative Cloud Ultimate Guide
Adobe Creative Cloud Ultimate A-Z Guide. Go From Basic to Advanced with Creative Cloud and 10 Projects From Scratch...
5. Creativity and AI
The Creativity and AI Specialization explores what it means to be creative in the 21st century. Through a hands-on approach, you will discover the creative potential of AI and learn design methods to expand your creative capacity. These courses are designed for those with technical backgrounds who want to look at their fields from a new perspective and those in creative professions who want to better understand AI and its implications in their industries...
6. Creativity Course by a Creativity Coach Art & Innovation
Creativity & Innovation for Innovators, Artists, Entrepreneurs, Writers, & Students - By a Professional Creativity Coach...
7. Creativity, Design Thinking, and Innovation for Business
Creativity that Create an Innovative Corporate Culture Using Design Thinking & Problem Solving for the Workplace...
8. Creative Thinking: How to Think More Creatively
Learn to Use Mind Mapping and Creative Problem Solving...
9. Creative Thinking Exercises: Improve Your Creative Thinking
Creative exercises to boost your creativity and brainstorm new ideas with design thinking, writing & drawing exercises...
10. Everyday Brilliance: Productivity For Creative Pros
Learn how to stay inspired, manage your time, fight burnout, and do the best work of your life...
11. Creative Problem Solving Tools
Creative Strategies for Solving Problems...
12. Disciplined Dreaming: Lead Breakthrough Creativity at Work
Use Josh Linkner's Disciplined Dreaming system to learn how to use creativity & innovation to drive results...
13. Graphic Design using Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign
Learn the fundamentals of the 3 most important design applications in the creative industry...
14. Creative Writing For Beginners - Writing Creative Prose
Creative Writing For Beginners : Beginners Creative Writing Tips : Creative Writing : Writing Creative Prose - Beginners...
15. Creative Writing - Get Writing, Keep Writing
Unlock your creative writing ability...
16. Unleash Your Creative Mind
Improve Your Professional and Personal Life By Unleashing Your Creative Mind...
17. HTML5, CSS3 & JavaScript Workshop: Build 7 Creative Projects
Learn real world web development & design skills to build up a website from scratch with 7 incredibly creative projects!...
18. Photography: 10 Top Tips - Be More Creative with Your Camera
Learn about different types of light and to use your DSLR, mirrorless or compact camera on manual mode...
19. Skyrocket Your Creativity and Get Better Ideas: 7 Easy Ways
Learn how you can develop your creativity muscles with basic but effective techniques to get better ideas in just 1 hour...
20. Graphic Design Bootcamp: Advanced Training Using Adobe CC
Project-Based Learning For Intermediate Designers: Use Photoshop, Lightroom, and Other Adobe Creative Cloud Programs...
Top 10 most affordable universities for creative producers
The most affordable schools for creative producers are California State University - Long Beach, baruch college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.
If the best universities for creative producers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for creative producers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
7. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. USF St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,821
Cost of attendance
19,849
10. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for creative producers
The hardest universities for creative producers to get into are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for creative producers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for creative producers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,448
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
10. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for creative producers
The easiest schools for creative producers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, notre dame de namur university, and university of the incarnate word.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a creative producer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for creative producers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
4. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
5. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
6. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
7. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
8. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
9. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
Average creative producer salary by education level
| Creative producer education level | Creative producer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $65,965 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $61,648 |
Creative producer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025