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Media arts professor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a media arts professor. Media arts professors usually study entertainment business, fine arts, or communication. 44% of media arts professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 30% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 34 real media arts professor resumes to see exactly what media arts professor education sections show.

The most common colleges for media arts professors are the Santa Fe College and the Santa Fe College.

There are also many online media arts professor courses to help get the education required to be a media arts professor.

What education do you need to become a media arts professor?

What degree do you need to be a media arts professor?

The most common degree for media arts professors is bachelor's degree, with 44% of media arts professors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 30% and associate degree degree at 19%.
  • Bachelor's, 44%
  • Associate, 30%
  • Master's, 19%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a media arts professor?

You should major in entertainment business to become a media arts professor. 24% of media arts professors major in entertainment business. Other common majors for a media arts professor include fine arts and communication.

Most common colleges for media arts professors

Media arts professors often get their degrees at Santa Fe College, Academy of Art University, and Temple University. Here are the most common colleges for media arts professors in the US based on their resumes.
Media arts professor common collegePercentages
Santa Fe College12.50%
Academy of Art University6.25%
Temple University6.25%
Huntington University6.25%
New York University6.25%

Best majors for media arts professors

Best colleges for media arts professors

The best colleges for media arts professors are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Northeastern University.

A media arts professor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for media arts professors. 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 media arts professors.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

7. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

20 best online courses for media arts professors

Advertising disclosure

1. Leading Innovation in Arts and Culture

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Developed by David Owens at Vanderbilt University and customized for the cultural sector with National Arts Strategies, this course is designed to help arts and culture leaders create an environment where new ideas are constantly created, shared, evaluated and the best ones are successfully put to work. One of the toughest challenges for any leader is getting traction for new ideas. Winning support can be a struggle. As a result, powerful new ideas often get stuck. This is especially true in...

2. ART of the MOOC: Activism and Social Movements

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This course is for activists, artists, and thinkers who wish to better understand and participate in social change. We will focus on the prolific and exciting overlap between socially engaged art and cultural practices generated by recent social movements around the world. Rather than assess the political efficacy of activities like mourning, listening, organizing, dancing, or partying, the lectures examine such cultural activities next to, and within, contemporary art practice. Included in the...

3. Art for Beginners & Kids: 8 Drawing & Mixed-Media Projects

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4.3
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The Perfect Class to Learn Drawing, Painting, Watercolor, Pastel and Mixed Media Art Skills for Kids & Beginners...

4. Beginner Resin Art - Acrylic, Ink & Mixed Media Zen Painting

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4.7
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Creating A Zen Art piece on an aluminum disk with Resin, Acrylics and other mixed media - Beginner step by step...

5. Art for Games

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In this beginner focused specialization we will show you the essentials of 2d and 3d game art production as well as concept art for games and current gen game art workflow. While each of the four courses will build your knowledge of the practice of game art, each module is a self contained unit designed to teach a specific area.\n\nBy the end of the Specialization, you will have a thorough knowledge of the creation of high-quality game art assets. Through these courses, you will be using Maya,...

6. Adobe Illustrator for Mobile Game Art - A Beginners Guide

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4.8
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Create mobile game art in Adobe illustrator just by using basic concepts, essential tools and proven workflows...

7. Learn Pixel Art for Games

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4.7
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Understand creating Pixel Art for use in Games...

8. Photoshop and Photography Digital Art Compositing Course

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4.5
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Learn Adobe Photoshop CC and photography by designing levitation digital art composites from four photoshoots...

9. Photoshop for Digital Art: The Complete Course

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Learn how to use Photoshop to draw and paint, understand the software and the tools you need to create today...

10. Pixel art for Video games

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4.3
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The essential course for creating stunning pixel art graphics for video-games or stylish illustrations and designs...

11. Social Media Marketing - Content Marketing Masterclass

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4.5
(5,616)

Online Digital Marketing / Social Media Strategy For Beginners - Posts / Blogs / Podcasts / Video / Google Local SEO...

12. Learn the ART of Video Games

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4.7
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Learn to create game environments. Draw concept art, create 3D models, texture in Substance Painter and build in Unity...

13. Digital Painting in Photoshop: Create Amazing Concept Art

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4.7
(410)

Create stunning concept art with Adobe Photoshop and learn the features to aid in that process...

14. Pixel Art Fundamentals: Introduction to 2D Game Pixel Art

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4.5
(637)

Make 2D Art for Video Games Using Libresprite / Aseprite. Create icons, images, HUD, simple animations and game scenes...

15. Learn to Create Pixel Art for your Games

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4.6
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Improve your pixel art with these simple techniques and principles...

16. Drawing Masterclass: Art, Sketching, Drawing Course

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4.5
(3,202)

Drawing Course: Learn to Draw, Art, Sketching, Illustration, Character Design, Digital Drawing, Pencil Drawing, Figure...

17. Complete Drawing Course: Create Video Game Concept Art

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4.5
(704)

Learn To Be An Artist From Scratch - Follow Along Digitally or With Pen and Paper...

18. The Colored Pencils Drawing Masterclass: Draw Amazing Art

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4.3
(349)

Draw a landscape, animal, still life, character design, portrait, and more while learning art, concepts, and techniques...

19. Art Therapy: Art Therapy Exercises For Healing In Life

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4
(384)

35 Art Therapy exercises for life happiness & stress management. Art therapy with paintings, art & affirmations...

20. Pixel Art Mastery: The #1 course on retro video game art

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4.7
(427)

The most comprehensive, all-in-1 course to help you become a talented & efficient pixel artist for games and animation!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for media arts professors

The most affordable schools for media arts professors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for media arts professors 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 media arts professors.

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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

8. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for media arts professors

The hardest universities for media arts professors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Northeastern University.

Some great schools for media arts professors 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 media arts professors 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. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

9. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,365

10. Tulane University

New Orleans, LA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,428

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for media arts professors

The easiest schools for media arts professors to get into are Barry University, university of the incarnate word, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a media arts professor 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 media arts professors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

8. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

Average media arts professor salary by education level

According to our data, media arts professors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $137,840 annually. Media arts professors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $101,409.
Media arts professor education levelMedia arts professor salary
Master's Degree$101,409
Doctorate Degree$137,840

Media arts professor 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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