Best Film Schools Near Birmingham, AL (2026)

Birmingham, Alabama has 2 accredited schools offering film programs, with tuition ranging from $6,088 to $21,981 per year for indexed programs. Birmingham has a population of about 196,357. In the Birmingham, AL metro area, the top-earning film-related role is Film and Video Editors at a median $74,410 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Film Schools to Birmingham

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer film programs near Birmingham, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Birmingham city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Birmingham. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Jacksonville State University

Jacksonville, AL 62.7 miles from Birmingham
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,235
Avg net price $14,279/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 54

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of South Alabama

Mobile, AL 211.7 miles from Birmingham
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
48.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,379
Avg net price $17,648/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 87

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Alabama schools on the Alabama film page.


Film Wages Near Birmingham

Birmingham is part of the Birmingham, AL metro area (BLS area code 13820). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Alabama statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Film and Video Editors $74,410 Birmingham, AL $81,234
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $64,730 Birmingham, AL $70,666
Producers and Directors $66,110 Birmingham, AL $72,172
Special Effects Artists and Animators N/A AL statewide
Audio and Video Technicians $54,020 Birmingham, AL $58,974
Sound Engineering Technicians N/A AL statewide
Writers and Authors $64,460 Birmingham, AL $70,371
Graphic Designers $52,480 Birmingham, AL $57,293

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Birmingham at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 91.6 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Birmingham-Area Cities With Film Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited film schools are near Birmingham, AL?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering film programs near Birmingham. The closest is Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, AL (62.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of West Georgia (97.9 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying film roles near Birmingham?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying film-related roles near Birmingham are: Film and Video Editors ($74,410), Producers and Directors ($66,110), Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film ($64,730). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Alabama statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Mountain Brook instead of Birmingham?

Mountain Brook, AL is 4.3 miles from Birmingham and has its own set of local film programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Film Programs

Other Programs Available in Birmingham

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Birmingham:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.