Colleges and Universities

California

As of 2010, this private research university was ranked 26th-best university in the United State by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in film and television production, film and television writing, film studies and producing. Both retired and practicing directors, writers, editors, sound designers and producers make up USC’s film faculty. This film school houses numerous state-of-the-art production centers on campus, including sound and scoring stages, digital arts and animation studios, and editing rooms.

The Cinema Department was founded amid the political activism and artistic experimentation of the 1960’s. Today, as then, the Cinema Department is committed to a curriculum which recognizes cinema to be an independent, powerful and unique medium in the world. Cinema programs combine theory and practice; students are encouraged to engage in scholarship and to pursue production in all forms of cinematic expression.

In the 1990’s, a new facility was constructed, featuring a 2500 square foot shooting stage, greatly enlarging the department’s post-production studios and labs, and beginning the transition from analogue to digital processes. A new screening room, the Coppola Theater (FA 101), equipped for both 16mm and 35mm projection and featuring a Dolby sound system, was named for former Dean of Creative Arts August Coppola, whose efforts were primarily responsible for funding the new building. Digital upgrades to sound and editing labs have further modernized the department’s production facilities.

Undergraduate cinema majors can earn a B.A. in Cinema, a general program in theory and practice that also offers a distinct emphasis in animation; graduate students work toward an M.A. in Cinema Studies or an M.F.A. in Cinema.

SF State Cinema alumni have distinguished themselves as Oscar nominees and winners, high-profile animators, software designers and faculty members teaching on campuses worldwide.

The School of Film/Video is one of the nation’s premiere colleges for studying the art of the moving image. It is singularly devoted to filmmaking as a personal, independent art form. The School is especially unique in that it promotes the studies of all major types of filmmaking: dramatic narrative, documentary, experimental live-action, character-based animation, experimental animation, multimedia, and installation. We offer four challenging programs, each one with its own specialized curriculum focusing on specific areas in filmmaking. At the same time, all four share an ethos for combining rigorous practical training with theoretical inquiry, hands-on production with aesthetic reflection.

Connecticut

Film Studies is an interdisciplinary program that focuses on the history, theory, and criticism of cinema and other moving image media. Undergraduates can major in Film Studies while graduate students can pursue a Film Studies Ph.D. in conjunction with another department. Courses examine cinema’s role as a unique art form that now spans three centuries and the contributions of moving image media as practices of enduring cultural and social significance. The program draws on courses from a number of disciplines and departments including American Studies, Anthropology, Art, Comparative Literature, English, French, German, History, History of Art, Italian, Slavic, Sociology, and Theater Studies. As an interdisciplinary program, Film Studies offers students latitude in defining their course of study within the framework established by the Film Studies Committee. With this freedom comes the responsibility of devoting careful thought to planning a coherent and well-focused program. Because of the special demands of Film Studies and the diversity of its offerings, potential majors are encouraged to consult with the director of undergraduate studies early in their academic careers.

Florida

The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States. UCF is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, and is currently the largest university in the state, and the third-largest university in the United States by enrollment.UCF’s Nicholson School of Communication offers degrees in Advertising, Journalism, Radio & Television and Interpersonal/Organizational Communication.  UCF Film offers a Production B.F.A, World Cinema B.A and Cinema Studies, B.A.  Each program (Communications and Film) offer graduate degrees.

Recently recognized by The Directors Guild of America for its distinguished contribution to American culture, The Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts provides professional training to a limited number of the very brightest students in the world. Small enrollments allow the faculty of professional filmmakers to maintain the high caliber of education necessary for graduates to succeed in an extremely competitive industry.

The FSU Film School is one of the best equipped education facilities dedicated solely to film production. From sound stages to industry standard mix theaters, The Film School makes available to its students the best in production technology 24 hours a day.

The Motion Picture program offers its students a complete curricular experience in critical understanding and effective creation of contemporary moving image media. Its innovative curriculum embraces the creative process from development and writing through production and post production to all forms of media exhibition, and compliments it with a strong grounding in film criticism, aesthetics of the moving image, and international history of cinema.

Iowa

The Department of Cinema and Comparative Literature offers individualized programs in the interdisciplinary study of literature and the study and production of film and audiovisual arts. Our goals are: (1) to develop international perspectives on literature, film, and the arts; (2) to promote interdisciplinary approaches to the cultural study, criticism, and production of literary and audiovisual arts; and (3) to prepare students for careers in related areas, including those aspects of business and the profession that value a demanding liberal arts undergraduate major. C.C.L. at Iowa encourages study in comparative arts, with particular emphasis upon cinema. Students and faculty have easy access to the resources of the Translation Workshop and the Institute for Cinema and Culture.

Massachusetts

We prepare students for success in either the professional or academic world in the interrelated fields of film, television and new media. There are degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level and an extensive study abroad program which includes a semester in Los Angeles.

Over the years, Film & Television graduates have turned out to be some of America’s most successful directors, screenwriters, editors, producers, executives and academics.

We are conscious of the fact that new technologies are transforming the landscape of traditional media, and we prepare our students to embrace and thrive in this rapidly changing environment.

New York

The major in film studies is scholarly, international in scope, and writing-intensive. Students choose to major in film if they want to learn more about the art form, from technology to cultural significance; want to work in the film industry; or are interested in a major that combines arts and humanities. Students usually declare the major toward the end of the second year by meeting with the departmental adviser; together, they create a program of twelve required courses within the major, supplemented by three related courses outside the department.

Students have the opportunity to gain additional experience by taking advantage of internship opportunities with film companies, working on graduate student films, and participating in the Columbia Undergraduate Film Productions (CUFP), an active, student-run organization that provides filmmaking experience to Columbia undergraduate producers and directors. In addition to careers in screenwriting, directing, and producing, graduating seniors have gone on to work in film distribution, publicity, archives, and festivals, and to attend graduate school to become teachers and scholars.

Our program balances film studies and film production within a liberal arts major. We currently have 35-40 film majors, but many more students take our courses. Some choose the Film Major, some double-major in Film and another discipline, and some create their own Independent Major. Many courses in film or related media studies are offered outside the department, which also may be counted toward the major. For a full listing of current film courses and film major requirements, see Film Major Requirements.

Prospective students interested in applying to Cornell to study film should apply for admission into the College of Arts & Sciences. There are no portfolio requirements, and students do not actually claim majors until their sophomore year. See admissions information for more details.

A considerable resource in film education at Cornell is the extraordinary film exhibition program of Cornell Cinema.

Founded in the early 1800s, this private university’s main campus is located in the epicenter of what was once home to some of the United States’ most well-known writers and artists – Greenwich Village. In 2010, this school was listed as a Best Northeastern College by the Princeton Review. Within the school’s Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, interested students can earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Television, a Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking or a dual Master of Business Administration/Master of Fine Arts in Producing. Additionally, the Skirball Center for New Media offers a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema Studies.

The New School’s Media Studies program began in 1975 with the founding of the Center for Understanding Media. Media education pioneer John Culkin sought to create a place that provided “consumer education for the minds and emotions of the audience for all media.” With its history of progressive education, The New School was a logical home for the center. Interest in the field and the center grew, and The New School created the country’s first formally established program in media studies.

Culkin’s passion for studying all forms of media in new and interesting ways is reflected in the program The relationship between theory and practice is at the core of the program and both the curriculum and single courses include a mix of theory and production.

North Carolina

The Film Studies Department prepares students to participate in a world increasingly shaped by moving pictures. Through courses that offer a foundation for understanding cinema—and its relation to culture, history, technology, and aesthetics—Film Studies teaches students to create and analyze moving images, to produce research, and to make art.

Film Studies teaches students to understand the history, aesthetics, business, and social significance of motion pictures and provides practical training in artistic and technical aspects of filmmaking. In addition to preparing students for work in the film industry and in film-related areas, the courses in the Film Studies Department develop skills that students can apply to a variety of disciplines and professions outside of film, such as skills of textual analysis, critical thinking, persuasive and creative writing, visual design, research, computer use, and oral presentation.

Located in the third-largest film production center in the United States, which is home to EUE/Screen Gems Studios, the largest film studio outside of Hollywood, the Film Studies Department is a vital link between UNCW and the local professional film community. The department draws upon film professionals to teach courses in various aspects of film production. As part of the department’s Moviemakers Series, local and visiting filmmakers also make presentations and lead workshops on various aspects of independent and industry film production. The department fosters ties to the local film community through internships that provide students with opportunities to learn about filmmaking by working on film productions and in various film-related enterprises.

Ohio

The Ohio University School of Film is dedicated to providing an educational environment of creativity, diversity, and excellence in which talented, motivated, and disciplined students can examine and develop the art and crafts of the motion picture as an art form, as an educational tool, and as a dynamic cultural element in the 21st Century.

The School of Film offers two graduate degree programs, the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and the Master of Arts in International Film (MA).

The School of Film offers two undergraduate degree programs, Honors Tutorial College BFA, and a Minor in Film.

Pennsylvania

The Penn Cinema Studies major and minor are traditional humanities programs involving the critical study of film and media history, theory and aesthetics. Reflecting the hybrid nature of the field of Cinema Studies, our faculty members are housed in departments across SAS and the university, and we cross-list courses with various departments and schools, including Africana Studies, Anthropology, Communications, East Asian Language and Civilizations, English, Fine Arts, German, History, History of Art, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Romance Languages, Slavic Languages and Literatures, and Women’s Studies. This truly interdisciplinary program will introduce students to the wide range of methodologies used to study film and media, and this intersection with other disciplines makes Cinema Studies an ideal component of a double major.

Our curriculum is built upon three foundational courses that aim to introduce students to some of the most significant film movements, technological developments, genres, and methodologies: World Film History to 1945, World Film History 1945 to the Present, and Introduction to Film Theory. Students will be required to complete 10 other courses for the major (or 4 for the minor), of which 3 (or 2 for the minor) may be production courses. Within these 10 courses, students are required to complete a concentration of 3 courses so that they gain some depth in an area of the field that particularly interests them (e.g. Business and Film, Genre Studies, Race, Gender and Sexuality). To encourage the international perspective that we believe is essential for any good film and media scholar, 3 of the remaining 10 courses for the major (or 1 of the remaining 4 courses for the minor) must focus on cinemas outside of the U.S. context.

The Department of Film and Media Arts offers a Bachelor of Arts program in media production and theory. The program focuses on the development of creative and technical skills in film, video, audio, new media, and the theoretical understanding of media and culture. The program recognizes and explores the creative tension between individual expression and the social, political, and economic forces that shape culture at large.

Students are trained in developing content as well as craft, theory as well as practice. In learning independent and commercial approaches to production and theory, graduates are prepared to develop their own independent productions and/or to assume a creative role in the motion picture and television industries.

The department brings in guest media makers and visiting professors from diverse backgrounds for special lectures and workshops. Students may also select elective courses from other departments in The School of Communications and Theater in such areas as telecommunications, journalism, and theater. A highly recognized graduate program offers undergraduate students numerous opportunities to work on advanced productions and participate in advanced research in the field.

Texas

Our undergraduate program is one of the most dynamic and highly regarded media programs in the country, and we take great pride in the impressive work done by our current students and alumni. Our undergraduates have won numerous awards at international, national, and regional film festivals, and conduct research in media studies that is supported by prestigious scholarships. Many of our students participate in internships with both independent and big-budget film production companies, as well as with radio and television stations, video game and web design companies, and a variety of other media institutions.

Undergraduates learn a broad range of media production and screenwriting skills and examine a variety of media issues, including critical and cultural studies, communication technology and policy analysis, international communication, gender and sexuality issues, ethnic and minority studies, and more.

This combination of production, screenwriting, and media studies is one of the strengths of the Department and is a unique characteristic of the undergraduate program. Students graduate with a solid education in skills and theory, technical and historical knowledge, and creative and critical abilities.

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