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Media production specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a media production specialist. Media production specialists usually study communication, photography, or graphic design. 73% of media production specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 493 real media production specialist resumes to see exactly what media production specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for media production specialists are the Brigham Young University - Hawaii and the Brigham Young University - Hawaii.
There are also many online media production specialist courses to help get the education required to be a media production specialist.
What education do you need to become a media production specialist?
What degree do you need to be a media production specialist?
- Bachelor's, 73%
- Associate, 16%
- Master's, 6%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a media production specialist?
- Communication, 24%
- Photography, 19%
- Graphic Design, 7%
- Digital Media, 6%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for media production specialists
| Media production specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Brigham Young University - Hawaii | 7.46% |
| Bowling Green State University | 7.46% |
| Florida State University | 7.46% |
| Full Sail University | 5.97% |
| University of Akron | 5.97% |
Best majors for media production specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communication | 24.4% |
| 2 | Photography | 19.4% |
| 3 | Graphic Design | 7.1% |
| 4 | Digital Media | 6.0% |
| 5 | Business | 5.7% |
Best colleges for media production specialists
The best colleges for media production specialists are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A media production specialist 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 production specialists. 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 production specialists.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
6. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$8,913
Enrollment
37,291
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
10. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
20 best online courses for media production specialists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for media production specialists
The most affordable schools for media production specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.
If the best universities for media production specialists 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 production specialists.
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. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
10. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for media production specialists
The hardest universities for media production specialists to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for media production specialists 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 production specialists 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
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. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for media production specialists
The easiest schools for media production specialists to get into are Barry University, notre dame de namur university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a media production specialist 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 production specialists.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
7. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
8. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
9. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
10. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
Average media production specialist salary by education level
| Media production specialist education level | Media production specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $57,023 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $53,709 |
Media production specialist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025