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Digital Arts & Photography
What you'll do in college
You will be trapped in front of glowing rectangles, praying to the render gods that your 48-hour export doesn't crash at 99%.
You'll straddle the line between artist and computer scientist, learning modeling software, game engines, and coding alongside color theory and storyboarding.
What you'll do after college
You are heading for the entertainment or tech industry. Grads are scooped up by Pixar, Disney, EA, tech startups, and VFX houses. The work is highly collaborative and often project-based.
Burnout is a risk during "crunch times," but the pay can be incredibly lucrative, and seeing your name in the credits of a blockbuster game or movie is a unique thrill.
Famous graduates
- John Lasseter — Former CCO of Pixar and Disney Animation; B.F.A. from CalArts
- Beeple (Mike Winkelmann) — Digital artist who sold an NFT for $69M; B.S. in Computer Science from Purdue
- Tim Burton — Stop-motion auteur and director; B.F.A. from CalArts
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings
By SAT median
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings
Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Arts & Photography | 354 | 11,216 | 40% / 60% | 8% | $53,439 | 93% |
| Digital Arts | 92 | 1,772 | 44% / 56% | 3% | $47,925 | 93% |
| Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia | 23 | 1,386 | 39% / 61% | 5% | $52,818 | 94% |
| Digital Media | 65 | 1,349 | 39% / 61% | 11% | $52,346 | 95% |
| Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects | 14 | 1,134 | 39% / 61% | 12% | $51,743 | 90% |
| Animation | 48 | 1,056 | 42% / 58% | 7% | $47,096 | 93% |
| Photography | 97 | 765 | 31% / 69% | 7% | $44,387 | 93% |
| Digital Communication and Media | 21 | 442 | 46% / 54% | 6% | $53,032 | 95% |
| Digital Media Production | 6 | 331 | 28% / 72% | 4% | $61,030 | 99% |
| Digital Communication | 22 | 329 | 29% / 71% | 21% | $53,553 | 89% |
| Media Arts | 4 | 172 | 30% / 70% | 3% | $46,249 | 96% |
| Media Production | 5 | 142 | 54% / 46% | 2% | $57,158 | 97% |
| Computer Animation | 1 | 132 | 24% / 76% | 27% | $90,480 | 91% |
| Commercial and Advertising Art | 10 | 119 | 19% / 81% | 8% | $52,649 | 93% |
| New Media and Digital Design | 1 | 110 | 20% / 80% | 6% | $94,989 | 91% |
| Electronic Media | 2 | 94 | 60% / 40% | 0% | $51,702 | 95% |
| Mass Media Arts | 1 | 92 | 26% / 74% | 0% | $42,781 | 87% |
| Digital Audiences | 1 | 91 | 36% / 64% | 7% | $56,462 | 100% |
| Interactive Media and Design | 1 | 91 | 43% / 57% | 5% | $81,704 | 96% |
| Digital Animation | 2 | 83 | 76% / 24% | 6% | $51,374 | 89% |
| Game and Interactive Media Design | 8 | 80 | 51% / 49% | 4% | $44,808 | 93% |
| Animation and Computer Graphics | 1 | 76 | 43% / 57% | 0% | $52,852 | 85% |
| Arts and Entertainment Technologies | 1 | 76 | 55% / 45% | 0% | $56,463 | 96% |
| Digital Media and Design | 1 | 75 | 52% / 48% | 3% | $72,509 | 100% |
| Studio & Digital Arts | 1 | 74 | 24% / 76% | 1% | $49,783 | |
| Interactive Media Arts | 1 | 72 | 28% / 72% | 50% | $78,889 | 94% |
| Commercial Photography | 5 | 64 | 30% / 70% | 3% | $59,809 | 92% |
| Digital Media & Journalism | 1 | 62 | 60% / 40% | 2% | $55,768 | 93% |
| Creative Technologies | 1 | 56 | 68% / 32% | 0% | $61,770 | |
| Design | Media Arts | 1 | 56 | 30% / 70% | 20% | $66,570 | 93% |
| Human Computer Interaction | 2 | 48 | 46% / 54% | 38% | $86,902 | 100% |
| New Media Design | 1 | 47 | 34% / 66% | 2% | $87,271 | 100% |
| Media Arts and Entertainment | 1 | 43 | 23% / 77% | 2% | $79,738 | 100% |
| Photographic and Imaging Arts | 1 | 40 | 38% / 62% | 12% | $52,310 | 95% |
| 3D Digital Design | 1 | 34 | 53% / 47% | 3% | $80,999 | 92% |
| Animation and Digital Arts | 1 | 32 | 41% / 59% | 19% | $70,187 | 85% |
| Photography and Video Arts | 1 | 31 | 68% / 32% | 6% | $48,484 | 94% |
| Interactive Media | 2 | 30 | 53% / 47% | 0% | $66,598 | 100% |
| Animation and Game Design | 1 | 29 | 55% / 45% | 0% | $43,719 | |
| Media Arts and Sciences | 1 | 29 | 0% / 100% | 17% | $126,694 | 100% |
| Game Art | 1 | 28 | 32% / 68% | 7% | $66,137 | 92% |
| Computer Graphics | 2 | 24 | 42% / 58% | 0% | $58,385 | 97% |
| Digital Media Design | 4 | 23 | 52% / 48% | 13% | $54,848 | |
| Interaction Design | 1 | 23 | 26% / 74% | 70% | $127,872 | 100% |
| Interactive Digital Studies | 1 | 22 | 32% / 68% | 0% | $57,739 | 98% |
| Media Arts and Design | 1 | 21 | 52% / 48% | 5% | $79,070 | |
| Web Design | 1 | 21 | 10% / 90% | 5% | $71,767 | |
| Studio for Interrelated Media | 1 | 19 | 16% / 84% | 5% | $40,093 | 88% |
| Digital Multimedia Design | 1 | 18 | 61% / 39% | 0% | $68,253 | 100% |
| Interactive Digital Design | 1 | 18 | 72% / 28% | 6% | $57,942 | 91% |
| Drafting Technology | 2 | 17 | 59% / 41% | 0% | $65,381 | 100% |
| Digital Studies | 2 | 16 | 31% / 69% | 6% | $53,372 | 96% |
| Moving-Image Production | 1 | 16 | 69% / 31% | 6% | $56,997 | 92% |
| Motion Design | 1 | 14 | 36% / 64% | 7% | $45,454 | |
| Professional and Technical Communication | 1 | 14 | 29% / 71% | 0% | $48,301 | |
| Game Art and Design | 1 | 13 | 62% / 38% | 8% | $53,715 | 97% |
| Photography and Imaging | 1 | 13 | 38% / 62% | 15% | $47,688 | 94% |
| Photography and Media | 1 | 13 | 31% / 69% | 23% | $47,104 | 83% |
| Media Informatics | 1 | 12 | 58% / 42% | 0% | $51,481 | |
| Media Communications | 1 | 11 | 73% / 27% | 0% | $49,907 | 83% |
| Moving Image Arts | 1 | 10 | 20% / 80% | 20% | $50,091 | |
| Graphic Design and Communication | 1 | 9 | 11% / 89% | 0% | $57,325 | |
| Art Photography | 1 | 8 | 25% / 75% | 25% | $51,793 | 94% |
| Creative Computing | 1 | 8 | 100% / 0% | 25% | $45,922 | |
| New Media Production | 1 | 8 | 38% / 62% | 0% | $47,820 | |
| Visual and Media Arts | 1 | 8 | 62% / 38% | 0% | $55,707 | 91% |
| Visual Communication | 2 | 7 | 29% / 71% | 0% | $46,819 | 98% |
| Media Communication Arts | 1 | 7 | 57% / 43% | 14% | $55,967 | 97% |
| Computer Art and Animation | 1 | 6 | 100% / 0% | 17% | $62,400 | |
| Interactive Media Design | 1 | 6 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $57,371 | 97% |
| Multimedia | 1 | 6 | 17% / 83% | 17% | $43,994 | 94% |
| Digital Media Arts | 2 | 5 | 20% / 80% | 0% | $50,464 | 100% |
| Digital Literacy and Multimedia Design | 1 | 5 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $52,355 | |
| Digital Arts & Sciences | 1 | 4 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $59,330 | |
| Digital Media and Graphic Design | 1 | 4 | 75% / 25% | 25% | $47,891 | |
| Game Arts | 1 | 4 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $55,115 | 91% |
| Game and Interactive Media Design (Dev) | 1 | 4 | 75% / 25% | 0% | $49,435 | |
| Art and Technology Studies | 1 | 3 | 33% / 67% | 33% | $47,796 | |
| Photography and Media Arts | 1 | 3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $42,615 | |
| Communications Design | 1 | 1 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $61,325 | 90% |
| Animation and Interactive Media | 1 | 0 | $49,604 | |||
| Visual Communications | 1 | 0 | $45,139 |