Best Photography Schools Near Los Angeles, CA (2026)

Los Angeles, California has 5 accredited schools offering photography programs. Los Angeles has a population of about 3,857,897. Median household income is $80,366 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning photography-related role is Graphic Designer at a median $72,400 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Photography Schools to Los Angeles

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer photography programs near Los Angeles, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles. 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.

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#1

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA 4.7 miles from Los Angeles
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
63.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,379
Avg net price $21,413/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Photography Wages Near Los Angeles

Los Angeles is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Photographer$47,840Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$42,113
Graphic Designer$72,400Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$63,732

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.


Los Angeles at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population3,857,897Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$80,366Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+37.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Los Angeles-Area Cities With Photography Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited photography schools are near Los Angeles, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering photography programs near Los Angeles. The closest is Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles, CA (4.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Pasadena City College (16.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying photography roles near Los Angeles?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying photography-related roles near Los Angeles are: Graphic Designer ($72,400), Photographer ($47,840). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Beverly Hills instead of Los Angeles?

Beverly Hills, CA is 2.5 miles from Los Angeles and has its own set of local photography programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Los Angeles an affordable place to study photography?

Los Angeles’s median household income of $80,366 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Los Angeles while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

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 Photography Programs

Other Programs Available in Los Angeles

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

Data verified: August 25, 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.