Top 10 Film Schools: Best Film Schools in the Nation
Film schools located in universities and colleges offer Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts in film production and screenwriting. They may also offer Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking or a Ph.D. in Critical Studies. This article provides information on various film schools within the U.S.
Top U.S. Film Schools
1. University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA
The film school at the University of Southern California (USC) is known as the USC School of Cinematic Arts. It was founded in 1929 as the United States' first film school; today, it houses departments devoted to production for film and television, criticism, animation, screenwriting, producing and interactive media. Degree programs for undergraduates are available in all of these areas except producing and lead to either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). Graduate offerings include the producing program and primarily lead to a Master of Fine Arts (MFA); the critical studies program leads to a Master of Arts or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). In 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked USC as the 23rd-best university in its category 'National University Rankings'.
2. New York University in New York City, NY
New York University (NYU) is home to the Tisch School of the Arts, which offers film programs through its Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television. Undergraduate students majoring in film and television take classes in areas such as film history, production, animation, directing, acting, audio production, editing, scriptwriting and film criticism. Graduate students may pursue an MFA in Filmmaking or a dual MFA and Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Producing. MFA students create at least five movies while in the program, and they gain practice working as crewmembers and camera operators on their classmates' projects. Overall, U.S. News and World Report ranked NYU as the 33rd-best university among national universities in 2011.
3. Ohio University in Athens, OH
Ohio University is public university that each year serves approximately 32,300 students who are spread across six different campuses. The main campus in Athens, Ohio has 11 different colleges. Ohio University was ranked 124th among national universities in 2011, by U.S. News and World Report. The School of Film at Ohio University is in the College of Fine Arts and offers several degrees in filmmaking, including a MFA, a Master of Arts (M.A.), an undergraduate minor in film and a Honors Tutorial College BFA. The honors tutorial program is a 4-year program that has two study specializations: film studies and film production. In addition to the coursework required for completion, there is also a final major thesis project for either of the specializations.
List of Ten Great Film Schools in the U.S.
| College/University Name | Distinction | Location |
|---|---|---|
| American Film Institute Conservatory | The American Film Institute Directing Workshop for Women program | Los Angeles, CA |
| California Institute of the Arts | The Community Arts Partnership program | Valencia, CA |
| Columbia University | The multidisciplinary Arts Collaboration Lab summer program | New York, NY |
| Florida State University | The Torchlight Program for film business | Tallahassee, FL |
| New York University | The First Run Film Festival | New York, NY |
| Northwestern University | Film program offers interdisciplinary MFA in film and theater | Evanston, IL |
| Ohio University | The Honors Tutorial College BFA in Film | Athens, OH |
| University of California - Los Angeles | The MFA in Cinematography program | Los Angeles, CA |
| University of Southern California | The MFA Producer's Program | Los Angeles, CA |
| University of Texas - Austin | The University of Texas Film Institute (UTFI) | Austin, TX |
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8 Popular Schools
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
- Florida (1 campus)
Online and Classroom-Based Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Florida (1 campus)
- Illinois (1 campus)
- Nevada (1)
Classroom-Based Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Georgia (1 campus)
Classroom-Based Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Florida (1 campus)
Classroom-Based Programs
- Associate
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School locations:
- Online Learning
- Arizona (2 campuses)
- California (8)
- Colorado (1)
- Florida (4)
- Georgia (2)
- Illinois (2)
- Indiana (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota (1)
- Missouri (1)
- North Carolina (2)
- Nevada (1)
- Ohio (1)
- Oregon (1)
- Pennsylvania (2)
- South Carolina (1)
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (5)
- Utah (1)
- Virginia (3)
- Washington (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
Online and Classroom-Based Programs
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Master
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- Master in Film
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Bachelor
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- Bachelor in Digital Filmmaking & Video Production
- Bachelor in Film & Digital Production
- BS in Digital Cinema & Video Production
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- Bachelor in Sound & Motion Picture Technical Arts
- Bachelor in Entertainment Design
- Bachelor in Photography
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Associate
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- Associate in Digital Filmmaking & Video Production
- Associate of Arts in Photographic Imaging
- Associate of Science - Video Production
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- Associate in Digital Photography
- Associate in Photographic Imaging
- Associate in Audio Production
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Non-Degree
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- Certificate in Audio Production
- Certificate in Photography
- Certificate in Digital Workflow
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- Certificate in Portrait Photography
- Certificate in Studio Photography
- Diploma in Commercial Photography
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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Master
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- MA in English and Creative Writing - Screenwriting
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- Bachelor
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be 18 years of age or older
School locations:
- Online Learning
Distance Learning Programs
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Non-Degree
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- Career Diploma in Artist: Comprehensive
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Other Schools:
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School locations:
- New York (1 campus)
Areas of study you may find at Syracuse University include:
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- Graduate: Doctorate, First Professional Degree, Master
- Non-Degree: Certificate
- Post Degree Certificate: Post Master's Certificate, Postbaccalaureate Certificate
- Undergraduate: Associate, Bachelor
- Visual and Performing Arts
- Design and Applied Arts
- Drama and Theatre Arts
- Fine Arts and Studio Art
- Musical Arts
- Photography, Film, and Video
- Cinematography and Film Production
- Photography
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School locations:
- Iowa (1 campus)
Areas of study you may find at University of Iowa include:
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- Graduate: Doctorate, First Professional Degree, Master
- Undergraduate: Bachelor
- Visual and Performing Arts
- Dance
- Drama and Theatre Arts
- Fine Arts and Studio Art
- Musical Arts
- Photography, Film, and Video
- Cinematography and Film Production
- Film and Cinema Studies
