Post job

Photo equipment technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a photo equipment technician. Photo equipment technicians usually study electrical engineering, electrical engineering technology, or business. 67% of photo equipment technicians hold a associate degree, and 29% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 49 real photo equipment technician resumes to see exactly what photo equipment technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for photo equipment technicians are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online photo equipment technician courses to help get the education required to be a photo equipment technician.

What education do you need to become a photo equipment technician?

What degree do you need to be a photo equipment technician?

The most common degree for photo equipment technicians is associate degree, with 67% of photo equipment technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 29% and bachelor's degree degree at 4%.
  • Associate, 67%
  • Bachelor's, 29%
  • High School Diploma, 4%

What should I major in to become a photo equipment technician?

You should major in electrical engineering to become a photo equipment technician. 27% of photo equipment technicians major in electrical engineering. Other common majors for a photo equipment technician include electrical engineering technology and business.

Most common colleges for photo equipment technicians

Photo equipment technicians often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Purdue University, and Winona State University. Here are the most common colleges for photo equipment technicians in the US based on their resumes.
Photo equipment technician common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix11.76%
Purdue University11.76%
Winona State University11.76%
Texas College5.88%
Thomas College5.88%

Best majors for photo equipment technicians

Best colleges for photo equipment technicians

The best colleges for photo equipment technicians are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A photo equipment technician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for photo equipment technicians. 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 photo equipment technicians.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

20 best online courses for photo equipment technicians

Advertising disclosure

1. Pharmacy Technician Fundamentals

coursera

In this foundational Pharmacy Technician Career Training Specialization, students will take four courses to master the fundamentals of a career in pharmacy. The first two courses teach how to communicate and engage professionally in any healthcare setting and the necessary knowledge of human anatomy and physiology required for any medical role. Next, students dive into two pharmacy-related courses - Pharmacy Technician Essentials and Pharmacy Dosages & Prescriptions Essentials - to round out...

2. Become a Pharmacy Technician

udemy
4.7
(2,374)

A Video Study Guide for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam...

3. Affinity Photo: Master Photo Editing in Affinity Photo 2

udemy
4.6
(1,087)

Affinity Photo Editing Course Learn Affinity Photo 2, an easy-to-use photo editing tool for Mac or PC...

4. Affinity Photo: A Beginner's Guide to Photo Compositing

udemy
4.8
(434)

Create your own amazing photo composites with this complete Affinity Photo course!...

5. Affinity Photo for the iPad

udemy
4.8
(1,522)

The tools and techniques you need, plus new videos covering Affinity Photo 2.0!...

6. IT/Desktop Computer Support- Troubleshooting for Technicians

udemy
4.2
(306)

Learn how to troubleshoot desktop computer issues as an IT Support Technician on real-world organisational networks...

7. Mac Photos: Photo Editing, Organizing & Sharing on Mac

udemy
4.5
(335)

Complete photo editing Mac Photos course where you learn to organize & edit photos with Apple's Photos app like a pro...

8. Affinity Photo for Beginners Updated for Version 2

udemy
4.7
(357)

Everything you need to master Affinity Photo!...

9. Travel Photography: Take Beautiful Photos on Your Adventures

udemy
4.4
(454)

Capture amazing photos with our complete A-Z guide to travel photography: Equipment, Shooting, Editing, Sharing...

10. Affinity Photo (version 1): Solid Foundations

udemy
4.7
(5,127)

The best selling beginners guide to Affinity Photo - complete with a 50 page PDF to aid your study!...

11. Affinity Photo 1: Beginner to Pro via Reference and Workflow

udemy
4.7
(1,419)

Master Affinity Photo - the tools, the techniques and the methods!...

12. Learn the Entire Affinity Suite: Photo, Designer & Publisher

udemy
4.6
(1,850)

Master the Affinity Suite & Create: Logos, Books, Brochures, Posters, Brushes, Thumbnails, Learn Photo Editing and More!...

13. iPhone Photography & Mobile Photography: Take Better Photos

udemy
4.6
(466)

Take Amazing & Professional Photos on Your i Phone or Mobile Phone w/our Mobile Photography + i Phone Photography Course...

14. Adobe Photoshop Photo Editing

udemy
4.2
(2,281)

Learn How to Edit Photos as we Learn all the Tools in Photoshop and then Finish out the Course with 3 Fun Projects...

15. Adobe Lightroom CC Photo Editing: Your Lightroom Masterclass

udemy
4.5
(5,554)

Learn how to make your photos look amazing with this Adobe Lightroom Classic CC and Lightroom CC photo editing course...

16. GIMP 2.10 Masterclass: From Beginner to Pro Photo Editing

udemy
4.6
(3,432)

GIMP 2.10 Complete Guide - Learn the Free Photo Editor GIMP. Go From a Beginner to Pro in Photo Editing & Graphic Design...

17. Night Photography Unlocked - No More Dark or Blurry Photos!

udemy
4
(287)

Take beautiful photos that capture the magic of the night and avoid night photo traps. Use any camera from phone to SLR...

18. Adobe Lightroom Classic CC & CC: Photo Editing Masterclass

udemy
4.2
(7,236)

Your complete guide to editing beautiful photos in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC and Adobe Lightroom CC, both versions!...

19. Sell Photo Online: Beginners Guide Stock Photography

udemy
4.2
(666)

Absolute Beginners Guide for stock photography, how to sell photo online, earn from your photos...

20. Electrical Power Equipment

udemy
4.6
(939)

Learn how electrical equipments operate and how they fit together into a network...

Top 10 most affordable universities for photo equipment technicians

The most affordable schools for photo equipment technicians are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for photo equipment technicians 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 photo equipment technicians.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

8. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

10. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for photo equipment technicians

The hardest universities for photo equipment technicians to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for photo equipment technicians 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 photo equipment technicians 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

8. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for photo equipment technicians

The easiest schools for photo equipment technicians to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and kean university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a photo equipment technician 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 photo equipment technicians.

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. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

4. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. Capitol Technology University

Laurel, MD • Private

Admissions rate

69%

SAT average

1,070

7. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

8. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

9. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

10. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

Average photo equipment technician salary by education level

Photo equipment technicians with a Associate degree earn more than those without, at $64,755 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, photo equipment technicians earn a median annual income of $60,245 compared to $58,339 for photo equipment technicians with an High School Diploma degree.
Photo equipment technician education levelPhoto equipment technician salary
High School Diploma or Less$58,339
Bachelor's Degree$60,245
Some College/ Associate Degree$64,755

Photo equipment technician education FAQs

Search for photo equipment technician jobs

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.

Browse installation, maintenance and repair jobs