Digital Media Schools in California

California has the highest population of media professionals in the world. The Bureau of Labor Statistics combines arts, design, entertainment, and media occupations, giving this group a grand total of 274,570 salaried professionals. Nearly 8,500 of these individuals work in media and communications—this includes digital media. Common industries for digital media professionals include advertising, animation, graphic design, web design, film, photography, gaming, public relations, publishing, and photography. Digital media artists also teach, they work as consultants, they work for non-profit organizations and foundations, and for government departments, museums and more.

Just a few job options for California digital media artists include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), DreamWorks Animation, Sony Pictures Animation, Saatchi & Saatchi, J. Walter Thompson, and Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB). In addition to plenty of job opportunities, California’s aspiring digital media artists have access to dozes of top-tier colleges, universities, and art schools that offer excellent art, design, and media programs. Just a few include the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Otis College of Art and Deign, and the renowned University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Continue reading to learn more about California’s most popular options for aspiring digital media artists.

California Digital Media Schools

According to the most recent report by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the state of California is now home to 454 Title IV colleges and universities, along with dozens of independent art and design schools. Many independent schools are accredited, but they may not have Title IV status (yet), so inquire within. Title IV status means, the school is eligible for federal financial aid programs. Scroll through the list below to review California’s top digital media schools and what they have to offer.

Irvine
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising - Degrees Offered: A. A. in Digital Media, Graphic Design (Branding or Entertainment); many students go on to earn their B. S. degrees in Business Management

University of California, Irvine - Degrees Offered:  B. A. Studio Arts with Emphasis in Digital Media; B. S. Computer Science with Emphasis in Game Culture and Technology; M. F. A. Fine Arts with Emphasis in Digital Media or New Genres

Los Angeles
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising - Degrees Offered: A. A. in Digital Media, Graphic Design (Branding or Entertainment); many students go on to earn their B. S. degrees in Business Management

Otis College of Art and Design - Degrees Offered: B. F. A. Graphic Design, Illustration, Digital Media; M. F. A. Graphic Design

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Degrees Offered:  B. A. Film, Television and Digital Media; Minor Film and Digital Media; Ph.D. Cinema and Media Studies

San Diego
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising - Degrees Offered: A. A. in Digital Media, Graphic Design (Branding or Entertainment); many students go on to earn their B. S. degrees in Business Management

University of California San Diego - Degrees Offered: B. A. Interdisciplinary Computing in the Arts, Media

San Francisco
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising - Degrees Offered: A. A. in Digital Media, Graphic Design (Branding or Entertainment); many students go on to earn their B. S. degrees in Business Management

San Jose
San Jose State University - Degrees Offered: B. A. Art: Design Studies with emphasis in Graphic Design, B. F. A. Art: Animation/Illustration, B. F. A. Art: Digital Media Art, B. F. A. Graphic Design; M. F. A. Art: Digital Media Art Concentration

Santa Cruz
University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) - Degrees Offered: B. A. Film and Digital Media, Art: Electronic/Digital Media; B. S. Computer Science: Computer Game Design; M. F. A. Digital Arts and New Media; Ph. D. Film and Digital Media, Computer Science with focus on Games.

More California schools with Digital media related programs:

Employment and Salary Trends for California Digital Media Artists

California was home to more than 226,000 artists in 2002. According to the latest report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (March 27, 2012), the population is 274,570. The number of media professionals here increased from 2,990 in 2006 to 8,370 today. Salaries increased as well from $47,540 in 2006 to $63,560 today. The average salary for California artists, designers, and media professionals overall is $65,370 annually, up from $51,380 in 2002.

As stated earlier, digital media artists work in many fields—too many to count. Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports average salaries for media professionals, individual salaries vary greatly by company, geographic location, experience, specialty, and more. For example, at $82,870 per year, independent (digital) media artists earn one of the highest average salaries in the U.S. Digital media artists working in film and video average $67,200 per year, and digital media instructors average $50,500.

California has the highest employment level in this occupation, the second highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation, and it is the third highest paying state for this occupation. As of March 27, 2012, the average salary for California media professionals was $63,560. However, at $68,980, the average salary was higher in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale metropolitan area.
Overall, industries with the highest employment levels are film and video; advertising, public relations and related services; colleges, universities, and professional schools; radio and television broadcasting, and local government. Top paying industries for digital media artists are independent artists ($82,870), aerospace ($67,830), film and video ($67,200), manufacturing ($62,760), and office and administrative services ($60,430).