Film/Video and Photographic Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design

SCAD's film program starts below both national and state medians—graduates earn just under $24,000 in year one—but the trajectory matters more than the starting point. By year four, earnings jump 52% to over $36,000, well above what typical film graduates earn nationally ($25,173). Among Georgia's twelve film programs, SCAD ranks in the 60th percentile, meaning it outperforms most in-state alternatives despite the rocky first year.

The $27,000 debt load is remarkably low for a private art school, matching both state and national medians exactly. This puts the debt-to-earnings ratio at 1.13—higher than ideal for year one, but increasingly manageable as salaries climb. The real question is whether your child can weather those lean early years, likely through freelancing or entry-level production work, while building the portfolio and connections that drive later earnings.

Here's the practical reality: film careers are famously front-loaded with struggle, and SCAD's numbers reflect that industry pattern. But the strong earnings growth suggests their graduates are finding traction by year four, likely through SCAD's extensive alumni network in major production hubs. If your child needs immediate post-graduation earnings to service debt, this will be challenging. If they have financial runway for the first few years and you're comparing Georgia schools, SCAD's combination of reasonable debt and upward mobility makes it the safer bet than most local alternatives.