Art Center College of Design
The film program within this design institute counts Michael Bay and Zack Snyder among its alumni and places a particular emphasis on the visual aspect. Students choose from three tracks—directing, cinematography, and editing—with courses including public service announcements and a business workshop.
Beulah
Just outside Los Angeles, the Beulah Snyder School of Film and Media Arts has benefited from a multimillion-dollar investment that has given it production facilities that rival programs decades older than it. As religious content continues to find mainstream audiences, Beulah combines Christian values with serious creative ambition.
Cal State Long Beach
With annual tuition as low as $7,000 for California residents, Long Beach’s Bachelor of Cinema Arts degree allows students to pursue a film education while worrying less about debt in the uncertain early graduate years.
Azusa Pacific University
Offering a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Cinematic Arts, Azusa’s unique Executive Entertainment concentration is aimed at students looking to take classes in subjects such as marketing, finance, and packaging.
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Pace University
This school in lower Manhattan offers both Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees in filmmaking—the former focusing on production, while the latter includes historical and analytical study. Tailored courses cover casting, story development and film reproduction, and students have access to both digital cameras (ARRI and Blackmagic) and Bolex 16mm equipment.
City College of New York
The Harlem-based Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program ($305 per credit for residents, $602 for nonresidents) covers fiction and nonfiction filmmaking, and its free biweekly Documentary Forum offers film screenings and panel discussions that augment the coursework.
State University of New York Stony Brook
The MFA program is directed by independent film legend (and honorary Academy Award winner) Christine Vachon of Killer Films, with a focus on writing, directing and producing. In addition to creative and practical production courses, student producers can expect lessons on distribution strategy and financing.
Purchase College
The conservatory-style program at the public liberal arts school provides an overview of key locations in the film collection, and students then choose a concentration in their final two years. While most film programs focus on commercial filmmaking, the Purchase program, with graduates such as Azazel Jacobs, offers a degree in experimental film production.
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Our standards
In order to determine which programs constitute “Hollywood Reporter”List of the Top 25 American Film Schools – and Where They End on the List Information is collected on annual changes to the school’s faculty, facilities, curriculum, tuition, and financial aid/scholarships. The universities of the filmmakers behind awards season contenders, box office winners, and film festival winners are also taken into account. Note: THR started a list of the best animation schools in the US, so animation-focused film programs, such as the Rhode Island School of Design and CalArts, are not included in this list.
