2026 Best Documentary Production Schools

Documentary Production is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.

For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 28 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for documentary production students pursuing a degree.

What’s on this page:

• Degree-Level Rankings
• Best Overall Documentary Production Schools List

Choosing a Great Documentary Production School

The school you choose for documentary production can shape your career. That is why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Documentary Production rankings. For our Best Overall Documentary Production School ranking, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

To find the best fit, you can narrow this list to a specific degree level below.

Documentary Production Rankings by Degree Level

We offer several rankings, including this Best Documentary Production Schools list, to help you decide. Want schools in a particular part of the country? Narrow the list by region or state.

Want to compare schools head to head? Try our College Combat tool to weigh the factors that matter most to you.

See how we build our rankings

Best Schools for Documentary Production in the United States

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the documentary production degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Documentary Production

1

Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

11 Documentary Production Degrees Awarded

$67,369 Median Starting Salary

Our analysis ranked Wake Forest University the best school in the country for a degree in documentary production. Set in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. About 89% of students finish within six years. About 11 documentary production degrees were awarded at Wake Forest University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, documentary production degree recipients from Wake Forest University generally make around $67,369. Wake Forest University graduates carry a median of $21,577 in student loans. More information about a degree in documentary production from Wake Forest University

2

New York Film Academy
Burbank, CA

Associate's Degree Highest Degree Type

14 Documentary Production Degrees Awarded

$16,793 Median Starting Salary

A rank of #2 makes New York Film Academy one of the top schools for documentary production. Set in the city of Burbank, New York Film Academy is a small private for-profit institution. About 68% of students finish within six years. New York Film Academy awarded about 14 documentary production degrees in the most recent data year. Documentary Production graduates of New York Film Academy earn a median of $16,793 early in their careers. New York Film Academy graduates carry a median of $20,250 in student loans. Read more about the documentary production program at New York Film Academy

3

Dixie State College Of Utah
Saint George, UT

15 Documentary Production Degrees Awarded

$42,266 Median Starting Salary

Dixie State College Of Utah is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in documentary production, landing the #3 spot this year. This large public university is located in the city of Saint George. The six-year graduation rate is 28%. There were roughly 15 documentary production students who graduated with this degree at Dixie State College Of Utah in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, documentary production degree recipients from Dixie State College Of Utah generally make around $42,266. Students borrow a median of $18,666 to complete this degree. See the full documentary production program report for Dixie State College Of Utah

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Documentary Production by Region

Explore the best documentary production schools by region.

Documentary Production Related Rankings by Major

Explore other rankings in majors related to Documentary Production. Browse the parent area of study.

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 28 schools evaluated.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.