Photo Specialist Education Requirements And Courses

Photo specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Usually, photo specialists don't need a college education. The most common degree for photo specialists is high school diploma with 33% graduates, with only 33% photo specialist graduates earning bachelor's degree. Photo specialists who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Phoenix or St. Louis. Some good skills to have in this position include customer service, patients and customer issues.

Popular photo specialist certifications include Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS), Certified Criminal Justice Specialist (CCJS), or Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (NHA). To improve photo specialist qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in photo specialist education paths.

What education do you need to become a photo specialist?

What degree do you need to be a photo specialist?

The most common degree for photo specialists is high school diploma, with 33% of photo specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 33% and bachelor's degree degree at 23%.

High School Diploma, 33%

Bachelor's, 33%

Associate, 23%

Diploma, 6%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a photo specialist?

You should major in business to become a photo specialist. 19% of photo specialists major in business. Other common majors for a photo specialist include general studies and psychology.

Business, 19%

General Studies, 9%

Psychology, 8%

Criminal Justice, 8%

Other Majors, 56%

Best majors for photo specialists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	19.3%
2	General Studies	8.8%
3	Psychology	8.1%
4	Criminal Justice	7.8%
5	Accounting	5.6%

Show more common photo specialist majors

20 best online courses for photo specialists

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

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

4. Affinity Photo for Beginners Updated for Version 2

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Everything you need to master Affinity Photo!...

5. Affinity Photo (version 1): Solid Foundations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. Sell Photo Online: Beginners Guide Stock Photography

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

10. iPhone Photography & Mobile Photography: Take Better Photos

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

11. Travel Photography: Take Beautiful Photos on Your Adventures

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

12. Adobe Photoshop Photo Editing

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

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

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

14. Adobe Lightroom CC Photo Editing: Your Lightroom Masterclass

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

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

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

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

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

17. License your photos online: Create photographs that sell

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Make your photography gear pay for itself! Passive income with stock agencies: build a photo portfolio that sells...

18. Wedding Photography: Tips, Tricks & Ideas for Amazing Photos

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Learn these creative tips, posing and planning ideas for better wedding photos, and become a great wedding photographer...

19. Long Exposure Photography: Shoot Your Own Stunning Photos

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Quick start long exposure course. You can capture beautiful photographs with your DSLR, mirrorless and i Phone cameras...

20. iPhone Photography Take Professional Photos On Your iPhone

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Your Online Guide to Taking Stunning i Phone Photography Like a Professional Digital Photographer...

Average photo specialist salary by education level

Photo specialists with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $62,991 annually. With a Associate degree, photo specialists earn a median annual income of $44,053 compared to $41,654 for photo specialists with an High School Diploma degree.

Photo specialist education level	Photo specialist salary
High School Diploma or Less	$41,654
Bachelor's Degree	$62,991
Some College/ Associate Degree	$44,053