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Editor/director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an editor/director. Editor/directors usually study photography, communication, or digital media. 74% of editor/directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,790 real editor/director resumes to see exactly what editor/director education sections show.

The most common colleges for editor/directors are the Full Sail University and the Full Sail University.

There are also many online editor/director courses to help get the education required to be an editor/director.

What education do you need to become an editor/director?

What degree do you need to be an editor/director?

The most common degree for editor/directors is bachelor's degree, with 74% of editor/directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 13% and associate degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 74%
  • Associate, 13%
  • Master's, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become an editor/director?

You should major in photography to become an editor/director. 43% of editor/directors major in photography. Other common majors for an editor/director include communication and digital media.

Most common colleges for editor/directors

Editor/directors often get their degrees at Full Sail University, New York University, and Columbia College Chicago. Here are the most common colleges for editor/directors in the US based on their resumes.
Editor/director common collegePercentages
Full Sail University14.83%
New York University8.62%
Columbia College Chicago7.59%
University of Southern California5.86%
Loyola Marymount University5.86%

Best majors for editor/directors

RankMajorPercentages
1Photography42.7%
2Communication15.9%
3Digital Media6.3%
4Journalism4.4%
5Fine Arts4.3%

Best colleges for editor/directors

The best colleges for editor/directors are Northwestern University, Washington University in St Louis, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

An editor/director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for editor/directors. 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 editor/directors.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

10. American University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$48,459

Enrollment

7,485

20 best online courses for editor/directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for editor/directors

The most affordable schools for editor/directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for editor/directors 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 editor/directors.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for editor/directors

The hardest universities for editor/directors to get into are Northwestern University, Washington University in St Louis, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for editor/directors 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 editor/directors 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. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Hamilton College

Clinton, NY • Private

Admissions rate

21%

SAT average

1,446

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for editor/directors

The easiest schools for editor/directors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and grand view university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an editor/director 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 editor/directors.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

8. Rochester University

Rochester Hills, MI • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,002

9. Rosemont College

Rosemont, PA • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,026

10. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

Average editor/director salary by education level

According to our data, editor/directors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $64,186 annually. Editor/directors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $59,836.
Editor/director education levelEditor/director salary
Master's Degree$59,836
Bachelor's Degree$54,348
Doctorate Degree$64,186

Editor/director education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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