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I love this question! I attended USC both as an undergraduate from 1st year to 5th year as an Architecture major (it is a 5-year minimum program) and then 11 years later as a Graduate student to get a Masters of RealEstate Development (MRED) for two more years. Thus I only have a few answers for this simple question…USC Trojan Alumni AssociationThe USC Alumni Association official motto is “Lifelong and Worldwide” and with 66 total alumni clubs and 22 of which are overseas this is very true. I have also enjoyed the company of several international clubs.Trojan for LifeWe don’t accept part-time Trojans or fans. If you don’t like it here, please leave and give up your seat for someone else. People say that we are like a cult or a mafia and we seldom disagree with that idea.Trojans Take Care of our OwnLove us or hate us, everyone one knows that Trojans take care of Trojans. This big idea is pushed into our skulls as freshman students once on campus that once a Trojan looks after you,you too, must take care of a future Trojan and pass it forward whatever that might be.Trojans Only Hire TrojansThis is completely false but it is so close to being true that I listed it. USC Alumni love to hire other USC Alumni, as that was how we were taught. The reality is that we will always give the USC applicant a look, shot or an interview when looking for a job but there is simply no guarantee that you will get an employment offer.USC Trojan PrideFor whatever reason, USC alumni and fans have tons of pride in their university and athletic programs. Not only can you see USC apparel being worn with pride around Southern California but also internationally as I have experienced. I dare you to try to count the crazy number of USC license plate frames driven around Southern California, which is second to none!City of Los AngelesUSC was established in 1880 at our very same location and unlike UCLA or Pepperdine, we are not moving, just making our location, neighborhood and community better.Location along the Pacific RimThis is very significant to USC as early on when the prestigious universities in the US along the Pacific Ocean and in all parts of Asia organized, USC took a commanding role as leader of these united academic institutions under the former leadership of past USC President Dr. Steven Sample. This was a more powerful alliance than anything that was created in Europe, for example.Strong Study Aboard ProgramsFrom personal experience via USC, I lived in Italy as part of USC's very first semester aboard program in Lake Como and then backpacked around the rest of Europe for a total of half of a year. During my graduate studies I went to the continent of Asia to Seoul, South Korea then to Shanghai, China and then to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for three crazy weeks that changed my life. I know that all first year MBAs are sent to Asia for at least a week for another example.Southern California WeatherReally? You would rather attend Notre Dame, Michigan, Colorado, or even NYU? What is wrong with you?How USC Was CreatedFirst off, I love the fact that USC was created by three local landowners donating their land and it actually sounds like a bar joke. History shares with us that a Methodist, a Jew and anIrish-Catholic came together to donate the various parcels of land outside of the boundaries of what was the city of Los Angeles to be called the University of Southern California.Tommy TrojanMaybe it starts with our beloved statue of Tommy Trojan showcased in the center of our campus. Every building on campus is referenced from where it is located from Tommy Trojan and if you don’t know where Tommy is located you are clearly new to campus so just ask anyone on campus as we are all very friendly. This statue is secured 24 hours a day the week prior to the UCLA Football game by the Trojan Knights on campus thus no harm will be done to it, guaranteed. We cannot say that for that ugly little magnet bear across town.USC Historical TraditionsWhen you start your life as USC in 1880 and you have such a passionate group of students and alumni everywhere, you never want to be the class that let USC down. We have Traveler the white horse racing down the sidelines of each home game touchdown! We have the kicking of the flagpoles before you crossExposition Blvd to attend a home game. Another tradition is the annual, never to fail, USC Beat UCLA Bonfire rally. And yes, we send busloads of freshmen during orientation to the Original Tommy Burgers on Rampart Blvd.The Spirit of Troy, Trojan Marching BandThey are simply referred to as "The Greatest Marching Band in the History of the Universe"! I was never qualified to be a member but I don’t know of any university in the world where members of the Marching Band are held in such high esteem. It is simply crazy as to what it takes to become and stay a member of the Spirit of Troy Marching Band at USC. They are treated like individual Rock Stars on campus during game day when in uniform. USC is the only university that sends its band to each and every away game no matter how far away. The Spirit of Troy always represents USC no matter where.Private Research UniversityI would have a much stronger answer to this if I personally was a scientist myself but the fact that I know this to be true is significant. Much has been made about the fact that USC does a ton of Federally funded scientific research on many fronts including the US Military thus USC has been a leader as a Private Research University for many decades.Prestigious ReputationIn the past two decades USC has officially become the highly selective university that it was always meant to be. In 2016, USC only accepted 16% of its applicants, sorry UCLA, Berkeley and one or two Ivy League colleges. That also means that over 31% of the students that were accepted had to at least have a 4.0 GPA.Truly International Student BodyUSC has for many decades had the most international students of any US University and it clearly shows if you take a look at the diversity of the USC student body. It was personally very interesting to have the huge diversity of international roommates that I had while at USC.Large Financial EndowmentUSC does not have the largest university endowment by any means but it is very highly ranked in the top-10. Huge money gives the University many options.National Leader in offering Financial Aid programsUSC has traditionally offered the most amount of financial aid compared to any other university and that amounts to over $300 Million annually.70% of students qualify for Financial AidI personally love this reason as my family and I could never afford full tuition at USC thus to learn that a clear majority of students that attend each year have some typeof financial aid package helps defy a lot of myths that only rich people attend USC. A lot of our people from middle to poor families also attend USC.Trustee scholarshipsUSC awards250 Trustee scholarships to incoming Freshmen every year. Trustee Scholarships are full tuition scholarships that are renewable for 4 years, as long as the student maintains a 3.0 average. Students must apply to USC very early, in November. The scholarships are then awarded in December. I am hold that we are taking away students from the Ivy Leagues and Stanford!100% of your Financial Need will be metUSC full tuition always costs a lot of money in their private school tuition model but what most outsiders fail to learn is that USC has been committed to meet each accepted students financial need which is the delta between what USC costs and what the state of California states that you and your parents based on your income and assets and your parents income and assets can afford. In my case and in the case of quite a lot of my USC peers, this was a HUGE hole to fill and USC financial aid made this possible for a non-rich student and family like mine! Fight On!Leader in the Recruitment of Minority StudentsAt 23%, USC has the most students of any Private University that are awarded federal Pell Grants according the Department of Education. 22% of all USC undergraduates are underrepresented minorities, due to very active and targeted recruitment of these students.USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative (NAI) programDecades ago,this was community program was established to give local minority students an opportunity to get a full-ride scholarship to USC. 7th graders start the program where they come to campus each Saturday for specialized tutoring for 5 hours each weekend. Parental involvement is a must and both have to sign contracts to entry into the NAI program. Six years later the program annually graduates 75 to 90 kids and one-third qualify to attend USC where they are given full scholarships for four years. Pretty Great!Celebrity GraduatesPersonally I am not a fan of celebrity because I was born and raised in LA but I get that it is a bigger deal to most people outside of Hollywood. Since USC has the history and prestige and is located in the middle of LA a lot of famous people are attracted to USC and thus attend or send their children to USC. You can easily find that list of famous USC Alumni somewhere else. Here is a hint: both John Wayne and Neal Armstrong are USC Alumni and if you don’t know who they are, then you just flunked your US history quiz.Olympic GloryUSC has a reputation and long tradition of nurturing Olympic athletes. From the 1904Summer Olympics through the 2014 winter games, 422 Trojan athletes have competed in the Games, taking home 135 gold medals (with at least 1 gold in every summer Olympics since 1912), 88 silver and 65 bronze. There have been more Trojans in the Olympics than from any other university in the world – if USC were its own nation in the Olympics, it would rank tied for 8th in the world in total gold medals earned. – Wikipedia.USC National ChampionshipsThe Trojans have won 123 team national championships, 100 of which are NCAA National Championships. This is the third highest NCAA count of all universities behind Stanford with 105, and UCLA with 113. Note that the NCAA does not award Football Championships, which USC has 11, thus we are actually neck and neck with the Bruins.The Trojan men have won 97 national championships (84 NCAA titles), more than any other University. USC was established for 41 years before the NCAA granted it’s first championship thus the difference in numbers.The Women of Troy have earned 26 national championships (16 NCAA titles), third in the nation.The Trojans won at least 1 national team title in 26 consecutive years (1959–60 to 1984–85). – Wikipedia.USC Football plays in the historic LA ColiseumThere are a lot of college football teams that play on campus or in our case across the street but if your college happens to be in Westwood Village, then your team plays all the way across town in Pasadena, about 30 miles from your actual campus. You can tell me how pretty the Rose Bowl is but you cannot convince me that many UCLA students want to spend hours on a bus to get there each game day because that is not happening.Most Beautiful Campus in Los AngelesGiven that UCLA is in a better part of town, it might be controversial and bias to state that as an Architect myself and past student at both campuses, USC has a better, more attractive overall campus. It has been very difficult to keep track of all of the new buildings and great architecture that has been created on campus in the past few decades. The great examples of architecture are not limited to one quadrant of the campus which is the case across town in Westwood. The amount of new buildings that were torn down and demolished to make way for better, more modern educational facilities is amazing. This opinion will only become more clearly apparent next year once the 15-acre $700 Million USC Village is completed across Jefferson Blvd. This will be the largest development project ever in South Los Angeles and add about 10% more acreage to the campus and almost 20% more campus space.Tailgate SaturdaysMany wonderful universities throughout the United States, outside of UCLA, have a glorious tradition of tailgating on their very own campus. USC’s ability to party on campus during home game days as well as those that tailgate around the LA Coliseum make those 6-7 Saturdays in the fall each year very special.Happiest Place on Earth?Okay this might feel that this is far fetched but honestly there are many of us USC Alumni, like myself, who are the happiest when coming back to campus. Unreal? No Way? I actually designed and built theme parks for Walt Disney Imagineering around the world and I also happened to be married to a Maui, Hawaii wife thus we go every year to that wonderful island. I will promise you that I am still much more happy on the USC campus during each home football game day since I have met so many friends over the decades than both of those wonderful places.OCTOBER 2016 UPDATE:The initial Wall Street Journal / Higher Times Education ranked over a 1,000 US Universities and they claimed that USC is the #15 best university in America. Sadly Cal Berkeley and UCLA did not make the top-25…

This is a question I normally would not dare respond; however, this has become a rather “hot button” topic. In fact I just received this from an academic colleague in California US.University of California Will End Use of SAT and ACT in AdmissionsUniversity of California Will End Use of SAT and ACT in AdmissionsThe change is expected to accelerate the momentum of American colleges away from the tests, amid concern that they are unfair to poor, black and Hispanic students.Reading this the first question to arise is “what about the poor white, Asian, or other ethnicities?”Why are black and Hispanic students called-out as needing assistance in college entrance due low-test-performance? There are many people of all races and social classes that do not perform well on tests.There are poor and middle-class black and Hispanic students that do very well on college entrance and classroom tests; why slap them in the face and place the stigma of inferiority on them?The University of California, Davis, a public research university, provides one with a snapshot of poverty by race.Clearly the distribution of poverty by race indicates that the adjective “poor” is not the driver, but black and Hispanic students are used as pawns to ”…accelerate the momentum of American colleges away from the tests”.If the objective is to aid those deemed socioeconomically disadvantaged by providing an opportunity for higher-educations, then such a program should quantitatively reflect the chart above.There have existed college special admissions for minority students in the US for over 50-years.The problem with these programs is they create animosity and racism. The black and Hispanic people that I know and have worked-with that are intelligent and did it on their own, despise “cheat programs” that imply they are not “smart enough” to do it on their own. Black and Hispanic as a people are tainted with the stigma, “you are not smart enough, and you needed a cheat program”.There is probably no greater example of panchreston than US college admissions.But to eliminate testing for college admissions?Is “equality” eliminating tests and performance measures?We are all not equal in any quantifiable measure, height, weight, intelligence, etc… Some can run faster (we use time as metric), some can throw further (we us length as a metric), some are more intelligent (we use examination as a metric), some are musically talented, some are artistically talented, some have no talent. “Life is not fair”, and legislation and college programs cannot make it fairer by invalidating nature.The argument is college entrance test scores are meaningless due to the fact that other factors already dominate the admissions process.However, one then must decide the priorities in US education.It is to educate the best and brightest students to provide the most talented and intelligent workforce in an ever increasing competitive global economy and to provide the most talented and intelligent workforce to ensure that the interworking of the US economy and government is operating at the highest level. Or is to provide diverse mediocre workforce.National Council on Teacher Quality concerning the SAT and ACT: Assessment Bias “An assessment instrument has cultural bias if any of its items either offend or unfairly penalize some students on the basis of their ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status.” Really?Clearly there are two district metrics for college admissions, 1) Merit, and 2) Diversity.MeritMerit is based on academic aptitude and intellect. The process to measure these qualities is “test” prospective students.Why use a standardized test such as the ACT or SAT?A standardized test is one that requires all test takers to answer the same questions from common bank of questions, and is scored in a “standard” or consistent manner. This makes it possible to compare the relative performance of individual students or groups of studentsIn other words standardized testing allows for comparisons to be made by student’s academic aptitude, not based on high-school transcripts. What it takes to earn an A at one school is not the same at all schools. We have all witnessed students with a perfect high-school GPA completely fail the lowest mathematics placement test. We need a metric that measures relative attitude among the body of students applying for admission.Over the years the US has devised many educational programs to politically lift low-income low-scoring low-academic aptitude students into higher educational paths, such as Affirmative Action, special admissions, college retention programs, and used discount admission metrics such as diversity, race, the disadvantaged, perceived social hardship, sexual identity, sports, and victimhood.These programs and the lowering of standards are never is never enough, so delete academic performance from academic institutions.In 2019 The College Board (administrators of the SAT) announced plans to assign an adversity score to capture their social and economic background of students who take the SAT to adjust for race and class in college admissions. Later that year, 2019, College Board announced it was replacing the SAT adversity score with metric called “Landscape”. Landscape is a rebrand of “adversity score”. Call it what they will, it is still an adjusted score.Asians that have never been exposed to US or Western-World culture or norms, they are some of most socioeconomically disadvantaged in the world, from impoverished agrarian subcultures, a different nature, a different nurture, and score in the top percentile. However, as a faculty member we were constantly told how US citizens did poorly because they were socioeconomically disadvantaged and the tests were Eurocentric.I have experienced students of many races and ethnicities in US academia and the US workforce that come from absolute abject poverty and never needed a “cheat ticket” or “free pass” based on Socioeconomics.In the US as a faculty member I would hear “I am really smart I just do not take tests well” from every C to F student. I would then proceed to examine this terrible affliction. I would give an office oral exam, “what is your address?”, “what is home town?”, “what high school did you attend”, they would always score a perfect 100 percent! Then they would claim “but that was an easy test”, yes, it was, we have a place for people that only do well on simple tasks and test, and it not here at the University. At one time I had a Burger King application on my desk as an aid to make this point, but was admonished and disposed the application.DiversityDo minorities in the US have the social and economic barriers in 2020 as they did in 1961 when President John F Kennedy introduced Affirmative Action by executive action? Is the US so racist they would not elect a black-man as President?If a black-man can become President of the US, then we must ask, what is the objective in the elimination of academic performance for blacks and Hispanics as the standard of college admission?The answer for lowering-the-bar in college admissions always been “it is needed to ensure diversity”.I have spent many years in and working with US academia and have been told, “Diversity and multiculturalism is vitally important for the college experience”.We have been told diversity on college campuses; improve the “intellectual engagement, self-motivation, citizenship, and cultural engagement, and academic skills like critical thinking, and problem-solving”.The person next to me could have been black or white, rich or poor, straight of gay, tall or midget, how could that possibly improve my academic skills like critical thinking, and problem-solving?I attended class to learn, not to share my culture or learn about other people. The only person in the room that I focused my attention was the instructor.I viewed people (regardless of diversity classification) in a classroom as competition, which encouraged me to perform at my best. The marks and grades earned would be recorded in my college transcripts, which reflected my performance relative to others in the class.The best way to improve my academic skills like critical thinking, and problem-solving would be pack the classroom with high-achievers that kick-arse on the SAT and ACT. Make the class competitive, force people to compete that “A”; create a learning environment that reflects the real world: “competitive”.If “The change is expected to accelerate the momentum of American colleges away from the tests…” how are students tested and ranked on their comprehension and understanding, what incentive do students have to learn the course material?In the 1960’s 58 percent of U.S. college students were men. Today in 2020 56 percent are women. Despite the fact that females score 36 points below males on the Math portion of the SAT and 4 points lower on Verbal. The ACT gender gap grew by one-tenth of a point to .3, the equivalent of about 12 points on the SAT.Where is the program or movement to create gender equality, or 50% male, 50% female?Such an initiative would be ill-conceived as it would use gender not academic aptitude to place people in an institution of higher of leaning.A tax payer funded institution should use a relative criterion such as academic aptitude for institutions for higher learning for ‘all citizens’, any other classification or criteria discriminates against those with greater qualifications.It is not the government’s role to “slap people to back of the line” by “pushing less qualified, less gifted, and less intelligent to the front-of-the-line”.In identity politics whose son or daughter is “pushed to the back-of-the-line”? Who was denied opportunity by identity politics?No one is against or has a problem with diversity if occurs naturally.I did not attend undergraduate in the US; however, in US graduate schools I was quite often a minority in the hard-sciences and engineering as a white male, as classrooms were heavily populated by Asians; I was quite often a minority in electives such as business management as a foreign student, as many were Americans, it had no effect on my marks or performance. I strived for the highest scores in the class, and having the best and brightest from around the world made the competition more fun. I have spent never understood what the goal of diluting the student body with poor-performing studentsThe private sector technical workforce in the US is “naturally” quite diverse. I have spent my career in private sector research and technical consulting, these industries, we have a dominant population by people from the US, Europe, India, China, and Korea. It is a “natural diversity”, I have never hired or discharged a person by their race, ethnicity, or National origin.The TaxpayerThe Academic Institutions that employ these “cheat tickets” or “free passes” are taxpayer funded. This would appear to be one of the biggest crimes against democracy of our times.I attended a university in Pasadena California in the 1990’s. I remember California Proposition 209.Proposition 209 amended the California Constitution to prohibit public institutions from discriminating on the basis of race, sex, or ethnicity.At the ballot box the measure was passed by 55% to 45%. Where are the demands for “popular vote”?Why is forced diversity an issue in the US in 2020?· The US had a black man elected to the highest-office in the land, President Obama.· The US needs the best and brightest students to provide the most talented and intelligent workforce in an ever increasing competitive global economy and to provide the most talented and intelligent workforce to ensure that the interworking’s of the US economy and government is operating at the highest level, regardless of race, ethnicity, or other sham classification.The most important point of this discussion is the “taxpayer”. In a democracy of elected representation any organization, institution, or entity that is supported by the “taxpayer” must not penalize a portion of “taxpayers” at the benefit of others.The topic is “taxpayer funded” institutions of higher learning, “colleges and universities”.Colleges and universities use the argument, governments justify using taxpayer money to fund colleges by claiming the investment produces graduating students that will benefit economy.In this argument, as a taxpayer funded institution the colleges and universities should reflect the demographic of the population, blacks and Hispanics must be represented regardless of academic talent. It is justifiable to lower-the-bar on talent to reflect the demographic of the population.What about other “taxpayer funded” institutions and organizations?Taxpayers pay hundreds of millions in direct subsidies and tax breaks to help professional sports build stadiums and arenas for organizations such as the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLP generate millions for owners and players. It is not just new facilities; cities and states spend taxpayer money to refurbish old ones to prevent an existing team from leaving.Many see stadium subsidies as corporate welfare. Governments justify using taxpayer money to fund sports teams by claiming it is an investment that will benefit economy.I have a home in Boston MA, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, “cost taxpayers $72 million”. I am a “taxpayer” in Massachusetts.Teams that play in taxpayer funded stadiums should reflect the demographic of the population, blacks and Hispanics must be represented regardless of academic talent. It is justifiable to lower-the-bar on talent to reflect the demographic of the population.Where is the program to accelerate the momentum of American professional sports teams away from the physical tryouts, amid concern that they are unfair to small white and Asian athletes?There could be no such program, no one is against or has a problem with diversity if occurs naturally. The racial makeup of professional sports teams is as it should be, based on talent.Sports and CollegeWhile in the US America working on my doctorate in mathematics we were faced with the question of race and talent. The graduate students were required by the administration to tutor athletes and low-performing program students in mathematics. My advisor was not only a great man of reason, but possessed great wisdom. It became clear our efforts would bear little or no fruit. The office of Minority Affairs and Athletes Director demanded answers, as if we were the problem; of course we did not provide the secret universal equation or share the magic beans.My advisor proposed that the Basketball coach (who made an order or magnitude more in pay, implying his teaching and coaching skills must be superior) should train his mathematics grad students to be starting basketball forwards. The coach scoffed that we lacked any athletic ability or human characteristics to be basketball players no matter how many hours or training or practice we were granted. We all looked at each other and adjourned the meeting.Final Thoughts of ReasonIf colleges and universities lower-the-bar for entrance and graduation:Who do you think is teaching your children?

Q. What is the best rated university for film education?USC - THR Ranks the Top 25 American Film Schools 6:30 AM 8/18/2016Illustrations by Rami NiemiLearning to become a filmmaker used to be much simpler: All you needed was a 16mm camera, a few scraps of film stock and an inspirational teacher. But these days, film schools are considered useless unless they offer state-of-the-art augmented reality labs, high-end digital Steadicams and at least one course taught by James Franco — all of which makes applying to these institutions more confusing than ever before.To help, THR presents its sixth annual ranking of the 25 best U.S. film schools (and a list of 15 of the best foreign film schools). As always, the magazine assembled the list by consulting with academic experts, industry professionals and scores of film school alumni.Reporting by Ashley Cullins, Rebecca Ford, Mia Galuppo, Borys Kit, Kendal McAlpin, Pamela McClintock, Brian Porreca, Tatiana Siegel and Rebecca Sun.25 Yale University Film and Media Studies ProgramTuition: $45,800 (undergrad)If classes like World Cinema — which explores the "coexistence of globalization and the persistence of national identities" — are your cup of tea, then Yale is the school for you. Its film program also boasts impressive partnerships: You can study abroad at the Czech Republic's FAMU. And while James Franco doesn't teach any courses, he plans to get his Ph.D. here.NOTABLE ALUMNI New York magazine film critic Bilge Ebiri, The New York Times film critic Wesley Morris24 FSU's College of Motion Picture ArtsTuition: $3,880-$7,760 (in-state undergrad); $12,980-$25,960 (out-of-state undergrad); $14,380-$21,589 (in-state grad); $33,321-$49,982 (out-of-state grad)Tucked away in Tallahassee, Fla., FSU recently unveiled a 5,000-square-foot visual effects lab and will launch a VR storytelling curriculum in 2017. Some alumni feel the school's greatest asset is its remoteness. "You're out of New York or Los Angeles, so you have pure instruction and pure filmmaking," says Spotlight exec producer Jonathan King ('92). "Florida State is a conservatory. You get away and create."NOTABLE ALUMNI The Maze Runner director Wes Ball, It Follows director David Robert Mitchell23 Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing ArtsTuition: $43,440Upstate New York's other film school also focuses on international filmmaking, with exchange programs in Bosnia, Peru and Italy (where students get to work with the great Bernardo Bertolucci). It also has a strong presence on the festival circuit, sending students for internships at Cannes and Sundance.Says alum and Princess and the Frog screenwriter Rob Edwards, “Barely a day goes by when I don't think about the principles I learned as a film student at Syracuse. Many schools focus on theory but Syracuse puts it into action. I made 6 films during my Freshman year and the practical experiences made me fearless and eager to take on the challenges of the hyper-competitive Entertainment Industry.”NOTABLE ALUMNI Pixar's Jim Morris, producer Thom Oliphant, Coraline director Henry Selick22 Cal State University, NorthridgeTuition: $6,582 (in-state undergrad); $7,848 (in-state grad), $15,510 (out-of-state undergrad), $15,660 (out-of-state grad)A $2 million grant from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is helping spruce up this San Fernando Valley campus — half the money is being used to update equipment and facilities. The school also is fighting the good fight for diversity, devoting the other half to scholarships for students from underrepresented populations.NOTABLE ALUMNI Actress Joan Chen, My Cousin Vinny writer Dale Launer, Screen Gems production president Glenn Gainor21 San Francisco State UniversityTuition: $6,476 (in-state undergrad); $18,380 (out-of-state undergrad); $7,742 (in-state grad); $19,646 (out-of-state grad)In 2014, it had 800 undergrad and graduate students; this year, enrollment has ballooned to 1,200. But its masters programs remain exclusive: Only 15 students are admitted each year for MFAs and only 10 for MAs. "My favorite experience at SFSU was walking around the city with a 16mm Bolex and only a loose idea of what I wanted to film," recalls Ethan Van der Ryn ('85), who went on to become sound editor for the Transformers and The Lord of the Rings franchises.NOTABLE ALUMNI Steve Zaillian, producer Jonas Rivera (Inside Out)20 Art Center College of Design, PasadenaTuition: $40,046 (undergrad); $42,324 (grad)Courtesy of “Under” director, Javier Barcala(Pictured: Students at Pasadena's ArtCenter College of Design set up a shot.)It's one of the few schools that lets students retain rights to the work they make on campus. "The school doesn't baby you," says filmmaker Saman Kesh ('11), attached to direct Cube at Lionsgate and Controller at Fox. "It's like a mini-industry when you're there." ArtCenter recently signed a partnership with China's Huace Group for a $300,000 scholarship fund, and it's adding augmented reality facilities to a new Immersive Media Lab in spring 2017.NOTABLE ALUMNI Michael Bay, Pulp Fiction co-writer Roger Avary, The Vow director Michael Sucsy19 Rhode Island School of DesignTuition: $46,800It's an arts school — arguably the arts school — so it's hardly surprising that half of the film program's students focus on animation. A partnership with Laika, the Oregon studio that made the Oscar-nominated film Coraline, has turned the school into a pipeline to Hollywood animation studios.NOTABLE ALUMNI Seth MacFarlane, Gus Van Sant, Martha Coolidge18 Ithaca College ArtTuition: $41,776Come to upstate New York and see the world. Ithaca offers students more semester-abroad options than just about anybody — you can study in London, New York, Los Angeles and now Cuba. Three students are in Brazil, assisting NBC Sports as it broadcasts the Rio Olympics. Back on campus, the new Innovation Lab, filled with 3D printers and eye-tracking devices, is set to open in the fall. "My best friends in L.A. are IC grads," says TLC president Nancy Daniels ('94). "They've become my West Coast family."NOTABLE ALUMNI Bob Iger, David Boreanaz, producer Bill D'Elia17 Savannah College of Art and DesignTuition: $35,190 (undergrad); $36,045 (grad)The only school on this list that produces its own streaming sitcom; every quarter a new episode of The Buzz — about a bunch of college grads hanging out in a coffee shop — gets produced, directed, edited by a different set of students and streamed on the school's website. The show is produced at SCAD's new 22,000-square-foot filmmaking complex, but the school also has a digital media center in Atlanta. "It had such a rounded curriculum — you could just bounce around," says video editor Alex Hammer ('06). "It was an entire visual effects program."NOTABLE ALUMNI Sicario associate producer Emma McGill, Zootopia animator Zach Parrish16 Ringling College of Art & DesignTuition: $39,510 (undergrad)The youngest film school on this list — the 48-acre Sarasota, Fla., campus launched its film program in 2007 — it will open in December a 30,000-square-foot soundstage and postproduction complex, the Gulf Coast's first such professional film facility. And Ringling's Studio Lab program, a partnership with Semkhor Networks, continues to lure talent, collaborating with directors like Kevin Smith, who will shoot his next film on location there in November.NOTABLE ALUMNI Oscar-winning animator Patrick Osborne, YouTube star Michelle Phan15 Columbia College of ChicagoTuition: $24,590 (undergrad); $28,950 (grad)The largest film school in the U.S., offering about 200 specialized courses, is located 2,000 miles from Hollywood. But that's a plus, according to Eric Freedman, the new dean of Columbia's School of Media Arts. "Our students engage with and learn from one of the nation's most dynamic media ecosystems — Chicago." A few other pluses: There's a $100,000 annual fund for student films, a partnership with the Beijing Film Academy and — in Hollywood — a five-week studio immersion program.NOTABLE ALUMNI Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, The Lego Movie editor Chris McKay, Barbershop producer George Tillman Jr.14 University of North Carolina School of the ArtsTuition: $8,930 (in-state undergrad); $24,400 (out-of-state undergrad); $10,556 (in-state grad); $23,963 (out-of-state grad)This small school in a picturesque patch of Winston-Salem is transforming into a cutting-edge tech hub. This fall, it's offering a new track in immersive entertainment and augmented reality as students create a VR movie with help from Jacquie Barnbrook, producer of The Martian VR Experience. In 2015, the school completed its 30,000-square-foot digital media building, housing state-of-the-art equipment for digital design, gaming, animation and effects. Enrollment has skyrocketed, up nearly 37 percent compared with 2015.NOTABLE ALUMNI Vice Principals creators (and UNCSA classmates) David Gordon Green, Jody Hill and Danny McBride13 Boston UniversityTuition: $49,176 (undergrad); $49,176 (grad)The film program got new digs this year: It has taken over a 3,000-square-foot space on Babcock Street that used to store dorm-room mini-fridges and transformed it into a production beehive for cinematography and directing classes. The university picked up the bill for the renovations, and Chinese venture capitalist Hugo Shong provided cash for a slew of state-of-the-art cameras and other equipment.BU also is known for its outpost in L.A., on Wilshire Boulevard, where 200 students come to learn from industry pros. "BU is about finding yourself as a filmmaker," says director Henry Hughes ('06), who got an Oscar nomination for his 2015 short Day One.NOTABLE ALUMNI Lauren Shuler Donner, Bonnie Arnold, Joe Roth, Nina Tassler12 Stanford UniversityTuition: $47,331 (grad)This MFA program focuses on documentaries and only documentaries. And now, thanks to the new $85 million McMurtry Building — home to the Department of Art & Art History, where the program resides — every student gets his or her own editing room. Not such a tight squeeze, considering only eight MFA applicants are accepted to the program each year.The intimacy tends to keep students bonded for life. "Six years after graduating, I still work closely with my classmates," says Jason Sussberg ('10), co-director of the upcoming The Bill Nye Film.NOTABLE ALUMNI Leah Wolchok (Very Semi-Serious), Mike Attie and Meghan O'Hara (In Country), Mark Becker (Art and Craft, Pressure Cooker)11 University of Texas at AustinTuition: $4,977 (in-state undergrad); $17,621 (out-of-state undergrad); $6,362 (in-state grad); $12,436 (out-of-state grad)Where else can you learn at the feet of Matthew McConaughey? "In the Script to Screen class, students get to follow the journey of a film I'm working on through a semester," says the Oscar-winning actor ('93), who delivers lectures on campus and through recorded videos. "Students become privy to the choices and changes we make during the process."Aspiring writers participate in a writers room workshop, with their scripts shopped around to network and cable outlets. Plus there's the Austin Film Festival. All right, all right, all right!NOTABLE ALUMNI Director-producers Mark and Jay Duplass, DreamWorks Animation's Jennifer Howell, Sony Pictures Classics' Michael Barker10 Emerson College, Visual & Media Arts SchoolTuition: $42,144 (undergrad); $1,251 per credit (grad)For a school in Boston, it has great industry connections. Its internship program is super-aggressive, placing students with Hollywood producers, networks and studios. New Regency production president Pamela Abdy ('95) did her internship at Jersey Films then landed a gig as the company's receptionist."The internship program gave me access to Hollywood," she says. "And honestly, being from New Jersey, I had no Hollywood connections whatsoever." Emerson also has a satellite campus in Hollywood, which recently upgraded to cool digs on Sunset Boulevard. But back in Back Bay, the college that graduated Jay Leno and Norman Lear launched a BFA program in comedic arts in 2015.NOTABLE ALUMNI DreamWorks' Holly Bario, Sony's Andrea Giannetti, Viacom's Doug Herzog9 Wesleyan UniversityTuition: $50,312 (undergrad)Wesleyan's College of Film and the Moving Image is a liberal arts college as much as it is a film school, meaning students are not only educated in the practical side of filmmaking but also steeped in critical and historical analysis. Beloved faculty icon Jeanine Basinger all but invented the discipline of film studies — and we mean discipline. "We were not allowed to be late — if you were late for her class, she locked the door," recalls The Purge franchise producer Brad Fuller ('87). Adds Chuck & Buck director Miguel Arteta ('89), "Jeanine puts into your mind that your own greatest weapon is the screwy way you see the world." Other teachers at the Middletown, Conn., school include The New York Times film critic A.O. Scott and A24 executive David Laub.NOTABLE ALUMNI Michael Bay, Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, Matthew Weiner, D.B. Weiss, Paul Weitz, Joss Whedon8 Loyola Marymount University School of Film and TelevisionTuition: $43,526 (undergrad); $20,916 (grad)Producer Effie Brown ('93) couldn't get in to LMU's School of Film and Television, so she enrolled as a theater major but then cornered the film dean and begged him to let her switch."He said, 'You had me when you started talking about your heart,' " recalls the Project Greenlight star. The school, based in Westchester, Calif., remains smallish — 12 students per teacher — but its curriculum continues to grow. It's launching a facility in neighboring Silicon Beach and new certificate programs in documentary and digital storytelling and media.NOTABLE ALUMNI Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Parts 1 and 2 director Francis Lawrence, American Horror Story producer James Wong, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli7 Chapman University's Dodge College of Film & Media ArtsTuition: $24,155 (undergrad); $24,180 (grad)There's a reason Ted Sarandos, Steve Mosko, AMC's Ed Carroll and even Hugh Hefner have sent their children to this school — and it's not only because the Orange County campus is close to home. Chapman's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts is equipped with a $42 million, 76,000-square-foot facility designed by Bastien and Associates, the same firm that has built soundstages for Paramount, DreamWorks, Universal and Warner Bros. Say Matt and Ross Duffer ('07), who recently hit it big with the Netflix horror series Stranger Things: "The kids are smart and passionate. And it's not too pretentious — our senior thesis was about a shape-shifting cannibal, and the students and faculty loved it."NOTABLE ALUMNI Dear White People director Justin Simien, BoJack Horseman staff writer Kelly Galuska6 California Institute of the ArtsTuition: $45,030Naturally, the school Walt Disney built in Valencia, Calif. — he introduced it to the public in 1964 by screening a short during the premiere of Mary Poppins — is famous for producing top-notch animators. In February, Pete Docter ('90) became the latest to pick up an Oscar, for Inside Out.But cartoonists aren't the only ones who go there: Zackary Drucker ('07) and Rhys Ernst ('11), co-producers on Amazon's Emmy-winning series Transparent, are CalArtians (yes, that's what they call themselves). "I wish I could go back," muses Jorge R. Gutierrez ('98), the Mexico-born director of animated movie The Book of Life. "To be surrounded by such diverse and incredible talent was inspiring." This fall, students can be inspired by One Act to Cinematic Event, a class James Franco has taught at CalArts for about five years.NOTABLE ALUMNI John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Kirby Dick, Tim Burton, Brenda Chapman (co-director of Brave and the first woman to win an Oscar for an animated feature)5 Columbia University School of the ArtsTuition: $52,478 (undergrad); $57,296 (grad)Without Columbia's MFA program, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016, Making a Murderer would not have happened. The crime doc series was hatched a decade ago when two graduate students — Moira Demos ('08) and Laura Ricciardi ('07) — began tracking the Steven Avery case.When they went on to make the show for Netflix in spring 2015, they chose one of their former professors, film program chair Maureen Ryan, to serve as production adviser. "Columbia is so focused on story, character and narrative — it played a major role in helping us turn thousands of hours of footage into something a layperson could follow," says Demos. Other faculty moonlight for Netflix as well, including Frank Pugliese, who in February was promoted to co-showrunner on House of Cards.NOTABLE ALUMNI Nicole Holofcener, James Mangold, James Ponsoldt4 UCLA School of Theater, Film and TelevisionTuition: $15,457 (in-state undergrad); $16,405-$26,917 (in-state grad); $42,139 (out-of-state undergrad); $31,507-$39,162 (out-of-state grad)There was grumbling when the undergraduate film program shifted from a two-year to a four-year program in 2014, but UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television remains the first choice for a huge number of aspiring filmmakers (only 2 percent of undergraduate applicants are accepted). Part of the reason is its free-spirited approach to filmmaking, encouraging students — and graduates — to experiment.When Francis Ford Coppola ('67) recently came up with his Live Cinema concept — a combination of live theater, film and TV performed in front of an audience — he tested it at his alma mater, with 75 students as his crew. And when Courtney Marsh ('09) came up with the idea of "traveling to a foreign country and filming a documentary in a language I didn't speak" — that would be her 2015 Oscar-nominated short Chau, Beyond the Lines, about a 16-year-old Vietnamese boy disabled by Agent Orange — UCLA guided her as she planned her trip."They even helped me in getting the funds," she says. When not lecturing at USC or NYU, James Franco sometimes teaches here as well.NOTABLE ALUMNI Frank Marshall, Justin Lin, Dustin Lance Black, George Takei3 New York University Tisch School of the ArtsTuition: $53,882 (undergrad); $56,804 (grad)NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, the best, most prestigious American film school east of the Hudson River, is alma mater to such cinematic heavyweights as Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone and M. Night Shyamalan. Ang Lee ('82), after studying drama at the University of Illinois, arrived on the NYC campus barely speaking English but discovered the universal language of 16mm."Making movies was easier than every other thing I did in America. It's just sight and sound; I could speak broken English and make it work," says the director, who in November will release his experimental 120-frames-per-second film Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. NYU students create more than 5,000 movies a year — some on old-school celluloid — and can pick the brains of David Fincher, Sofia Coppola and scores of other A-list filmmakers as part of the recently launched Chair's Workshops series. James Franco not only sometimes teaches here, it's also where he got his MFA.NOTABLE ALUMNI Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch, Cary Fukunaga, Joel Coen, Colin Trevorrow2 American Film InstituteTuition: $47,030 (first year); $58,216 (second year)AFI made history at this year's Student Academy Awards, becoming the first school to sweep the medals — gold, silver and bronze — in the narrative category. It can add those to the pile of trophies its alumni have collected during the past year, including prizes at the Cannes and Venice film festivals, and display them in the school's newly renovated library on its woodsy campus overlooking Hollywood.AFI's efforts toward gender equality also are awards-worthy: In 2015, for the first time, the incoming class for the directors program included more female students than male. The school's editing track is getting a boost with the hiring of Oscar nominee Matt Chesse, and students' thesis films are guaranteed distribution through American Film Institute, where they are available for rental or purchase. "The biggest lesson I learned at AFI was the challenge of executing a vision that you have to defend and get other people to collaborate on," says Patty Jenkins ('00), director of Warner Bros.' upcoming Wonder Woman. Jenkins' AFI thesis, by the way? A female superhero movie.NOTABLE ALUMNI Darren Aronofsky, David Lynch, Terrence Malick1 University of Southern California School of Cinematic ArtsTuition: $51,442 (undergrad); $46,454 (grad)USC's School of Cinematic Arts has been around since 1929, but THR's No. 1 film school — for a fourth consecutive year — always is one step ahead of its time. These days USC is betting big on virtual and augmented reality, with VR content company Jaunt announcing in January that it would fund a VR incubator at the school. The Jaunt Cinematic Virtual Reality Lab, under construction next door to the Zemeckis Center, will be home to courses like Directing in the Virtual World (taught by Oscar-winning visual effects artist Michael Fink).But the school is ahead of the curve in other ways as well, pushing Hollywood toward diversity: In October it received a $10 million endowment, partly from alum George Lucas ('67), earmarked for financial support for students from underrepresented communities. Says The Birth of a Nation producer Jason Michael Berman ('06), who teaches a course, "Filmmakers from diverse backgrounds have really incredible and important stories to tell, so to be able to offer those students these scholarships is going to be amazing and so important." USC's location — in Exposition Park — also keeps the school on top, providing easy access to many of the best brains in the business … and James Franco, who teaches one of his far-flung film courses here.NOTABLE ALUMNI Judd Apatow, John August, Susan Downey, Kevin Feige, Doug Liman, Shonda Rhimes, Bryan Singer, John Wells10 Best Film Schools in America of 2017 | TheBestColleges.org(Image Source)What is it that makes one film school superior to another? The process of creating a film, regardless of whether it is art, cinema, documentary or an event, or regardless of where it is filmed – Wyoming, Wisconsin, West Virginia – requires knowledge in a variety of areas. Camera operators must understand the theory behind film, the technology necessary to capture events on film and the knowledge to produce a meaningful series of images which convey the intended meaning behind the film. A good film school will teach students the skills and knowledge necessary to perform the functions required to accomplish this. An excellent film school will produce graduates who have developed an inherent understanding of what must be done, the creativity to produce unique projects and the ability to successfully implement their ideas. Developing a curriculum which matures each student’s natural abilities and cultivates an advanced understanding of what makes great film is essential to significant success in the commercial or private film industry.Camera operators will need to understand the foundational premises of a number of subject matters. Attaining an understanding of the areas of journalism, communications, marketing, graphic design, computers and photography are all valuable. Each field provides knowledge essential to the production of meaningful films. Students may need to develop a more in depth understanding of certain areas based on the type of film in which they intend to work. Certain schools may provide a general overview of the field but may concentrate more in one area than another. Schools which offer strong degree programs in film will provide sufficient training in each area to ensure graduates are equipped with a comprehensive understanding of the entire industry, not just small segments which barely cover the vital areas. By encompassing all of the subjects relevant to the film industry as a whole, students will be given the opportunity to explore the various areas of focus and make an informed decision as to where their strengths lie and which specialty is most relevant to their abilities.With the high level of competition expected for individuals vying for positions in the film industry, choosing the right school will be important. Graduates entering the film industry will need to rely substantially on the reputation of the school where the degree is earned to provide an advantage over other applicants applying for the same position. A limited number of entry level positions are expected to be available over the next several years. Competition for the available positions will be fierce. With limited practical experience, the quality of the education received by a candidate will be the factor employers will consider most when making a decision. Selecting a school ranked among the top in the nation will provide the advantage needed.1. Vanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt University was established in 1873 as a small private institution with ties to the church. Throughout the next century, Vanderbilt University grew exponentially in geographical size, student enrollment and in academic regard. Vanderbilt University has earned membership to the Association of American Universities and has placed among the top twenty private universities in the nation. The private research university possesses numerous degree programs which consistently rank among the top ten in the country. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, students are in close proximity to one of the main a cultural hubs in the nation. The flexible curriculum affords students the opportunity to tailor the degree programs to their educational goals. Alumni of the university boast leadership positions in the industries for which they studied. The University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.The interdisciplinary film studies degree programs provides a comprehensive education in the cinema arts. Students learn about the cultural, historical, theoretical and aesthetic aspects of the field. The students learn through academic exploration and practical experience and training. Required courses for the program include film studies, film theory, communication, culture and consciousness, cultural rhetoric of film, culture and society, history of art, America on Film. In addition to the major specific courses, students will be expected to complete general studies courses in communications studies, philosophy, psychology, Asian studies, art, and European studies. In addition to the curriculum, students have the opportunity to participate in the film festivals and contests hosted by the University where they have the opportunity to compete and showcase their work.2. University of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a renowned research institution with a highly regarded curriculum. Considered a pioneer in education and research, the University of Chicago is credited with developing programs which have been duplicated across the nation. The college boasts more than 80 Nobel Prize winners among its faculty members and students as well as a Pulitzer Prize winner. University of Chicago has a history in film dating back to the late 1800’s when the institution provided one of the first public viewings of motion pictures. Since these early beginnings, the established Department of Cinema and Media Studies has evolved into a leader in the field. The challenging, interdisciplinary curriculum encompasses the central areas of theory, history and criticism, but also placing emphasis on video production and performance studies. The University of Chicago houses the oldest and most prominent student film society in the nation.The degree programs offered at the University of Chicago include both undergraduate and graduate programs. The degree programs examine the various cinematic forms and techniques and how cinema is affected by production. Students also analyze the method by which cinema conveys a story. The cinema studies courses will explore the aesthetic perspective of films, film culture and the styles of film. Additionally, the curriculum will include studies in narrative contexts, racial and national identity, transnational media production and circulation, commercial and leisure entertainment forms and consumer culture. Students will concentrate on American films with some examination of European, Russian and East Asian films. The curriculum requires students to complete coursework in general studies as well as cinema. Students take courses in Anthropology, art history, music, history, philosophy, English and Comparative Literature. Students will also be expected to complete a research paper3. University of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California has earned its reputation as one of the top ranked film programs due to its high caliber degree program, central location, extensive resources and expert instructors. The university is dedicated to developing the creative and leadership abilities and skills in students through the study of film and interactive media. The concentration on experiential learning provides ample opportunity for students to gain practical experience. Students create their own short films; assuming the role of camera operators, writers, directors, scriptwriters and exploring the various other critical function of the film industry. The school is located in the cinema capital of the world, Los Angeles; in close proximity to motion picture and television companies. The University of Southern California offers unparalleled state of the art facilities which include sound stages, animation facilities, mixing theaters, digital classrooms, screening rooms, and post-production suites. The award faculty members are working professionals in the field; comprised of directors, screenwriters and a number of other professionals.The School of Cinematic Arts offers interdisciplinary undergraduate, graduate and doctorate degree programs in the creative field of film. The school is composed of six divisions and includes two research units. Students study the theory and practices of the film industry as well as fields with creative and cultural relevance. The curriculum provides exposure to all aspects of the various mediums of moving video including film, television and interactive video. Students, regardless of their area of focus, study all aspects of the field to develop an inherent understanding of the importance and impact of each and to expand their abilities into other areas. Students are provided with consistent opportunity to implement theory with substantial practice. Concentration areas include critical studies centering on the processes behind creating film and he effect of film on culture and social, political and economic facets of society; film and television production where students concentrate on scriptwriting and storytelling, editing, sound design, producing an directing; animation and digital arts, interactive media, producing program and media arts and practice.4. New York UniversityThe department of Cinema Studies at New York University was one of the earliest departments dedicated to the film discipline. Film studies at NYU concentrate on the traditional areas of history, theory and film aesthetics through interdisciplinary study. The impact of the international and cultural influences on film as well as the technologies and central mediums utilized to produce the finished results are also analyzed. The study of film at New York University isn’t limited to only the traditional scopes though; instead including the areas of video art, online projects and broadcast television. The program is consistently updated to include the various evolving aspects of the discipline, taking into consideration the changing nature of film. The 300 plus instructors within the department are professional artists with extensive experience in the profession. New York University offers an extensive library of videos for the use of its students. The weekly cinematic provides opportunities to participate in film screenings. Located in New York City, NYU provides substantial opportunities for cultural enrichment.New York University offers a number of degree options in the film major. Students are required to compile and submit a portfolio for admission into some of the major programs. Degree programs include the Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in cinema studies, a double major option with the second major in humanities, social sciences or arts, the Master of Arts in cinema studies or in moving image archiving and preservation and the PhD in cinema studies. Three areas of study are required for the major; core curriculum, small lecture courses in cinema studies and large lecture courses in film aesthetics, directors and genres. The curriculum includes an intensive expository writing requirement, courses in language, literature, dramatic literature, theater history, world through art, foreign language, world cultures and social science courses including journalism and linguistics and a quantitative reasoning and natural science course. The special programs offered at the school to enhance the experience include a study abroad option in places such as London, Prague, Shanghai and Dublin and summer internship opportunities.5. Cornell UniversityCornell University, labeled as one of the elite Ivy League schools, offers a long history of excellence in quality education, research and alumni success. The department of Theatre, Film and Dance at Cornell provides flexible degree options with an extensive range of opportunities. Students are afforded the opportunity to take courses in film without committing to the major. The major can be declared in the sophomore year, permitting students the time to decide which course of study they prefer to pursue. The interdisciplinary film studies programs encourage students to explore courses in many other related disciplines including history, romance studies, psychology, anthropology history, German studies and Asian studies. The Cornell Cinema Exhibition is an opportunity for students to explore and to screen a range of film samplings and participate in film workshops. Guest filmmakers come to the campus to participate in the events. Students are able to joint film making clubs where they can organize screenings of their work and receive funding for equipment and various projects.The students pursuing a film major at Cornell University are afforded exceptional flexibility in developing their degree programs. Both undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered in film studies. Students can choose to complete a double major with another discipline or to create their own major developed from the film studies curriculum. Students can pursue a program in film studies or film production. Film studies centers on the history, theory and criticism of film. Students examine the various genres of film, the cultural contexts and the artistic and creative aspects. Film production concentrates on creating and developing ideas and learning the various techniques of filming including audio editing, using software tools and video editing. Students study the various genres of film; documentary, animation, narrative and take courses in directing, play writing, screenwriting and acting. All students are required to complete a senior project which provides the opportunity to create and experiment with their own film. The study abroad program allows students to spend their junior year in Paris at the Center for Film and Critical Studies.6. Columbia UniversityIn addition to being regarded as one of the top ranked national universities, Columbia University is considered one of the premier film schools in the country. At Columbia, the various forms of art, including film, are researched as vigorously as other disciplines. Students together with expert faculty members collaborate on intense and innovative research projects to create and discover new processes and techniques while still adhering to the curriculum studying the traditional concepts of history, theory and criticism. Columbia University adheres to a distinctive perspective of the study; endeavoring to develop unique methodologies from which to view the field. Students learn to and are encouraged to develop their own style and creativity through studying and analyzing the experts from the past and present, learning the history of the field and exploring related disciplines and how they impact and affect the discipline. The intellectual aspects of the field are emphasized as much as the creative.Students are able to pursue both undergraduate and graduate degree programs in film studies. The curriculum permits students to explore the discipline from varying perspectives. Students can choose a program which focuses on art, technology or even cultural significance. The program includes coursework in the arts and humanities. Students will create a program with the assistance of an adviser comprised of twelve required courses. Courses include introduction to the study and theory of film, auteur studies, genre studies, national cinemas, film theory, lab in fiction film making, script analysis, narrative strategies in screen writing and non fiction film making. Intense concentration on writing, seminars in screenwriting and film making are also part of the curriculum. Internship opportunities with film companies are offered to students. Other opportunities to participate in film projects can be found with the student run film organization.7. University of California – BerkeleyThe University of California Berkeley campus is a part of the renowned California University system. Film studies at Berkeley encompass the traditional, historical forms of moving-image as well as the most recent, cutting edge developments in the industry. The degree programs emphasize theoretical and historical analysis of films in humanitarian and interdisciplinary studies context. Students are able to attend the Pacific Film Archive, a highly regarded internationally recognized cinematheque where film makers are able to visit the campus to screen films. Located in one of the cultural hubs of the world, the University of California provides extensive opportunities for students to explore the various aspects and settings of the film industry. The advisers help students develop a plan to ensure all requirements are met and to answer any questions concerning courses and internships.The students majoring in film studies at the University of California Berkeley have the opportunity to pursue undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Students are also offered the option of pursuing a double major. Students will complete courses including history of silent and sound film, documentary and the avant-garde film, film theory, film genres, introductory film and video production, screenwriting, and a variety of courses centering on specific film makers and various national cinemas. The curriculum develops the student’s skills in analytical thinking, critical thinking, communications and visual literacy. Students also study political science, anthropology, ethnic studies, women’s studies, comparative literature and foreign languages. Hands on production opportunities are sometimes offered as are internship opportunities with local film and video production companies and the Pacific Film Archive and journal Film Quarterly.8. University of PennsylvaniaAs one of the top ranked Universities in the nation, the University of Pennsylvania is a premier institute of higher learning. The university offers superior degree programs, expert faculty instructors and an advantageous location in the cultural center of Philadelphia. The university has a pioneering history in cinema studies, beginning with controversial performances in the late 1800’s. Cinema studies at the University of Pennsylvania center on the essential areas of history, theory and criticism, but also encompass the vital aspects of production and screenwriting. The University of Pennsylvania boasts among its alumni DreamWorks CEO, former presidents of CBS and Warner Home Video, current president of Columbia Pictures and directors from the renowned Sundance Film Festival; evidence of the quality of its cinema program. The University of Pennsylvania possesses extensive film library within the department from which students are allowed to borrow. Students are offered the opportunity to participate in the study abroad programs which enables them to attend festival screenings or experience the preservation and archiving of the National Film Archive.Cinema degree programs at the University of Pennsylvania are offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students are also offered the option of pursuing the field as either a major or minor course of study and of pursuing a certificate program in graduate studies. Studies incorporate a traditional humanities program framework; studying theory, history and aesthetics. Students will analyze national cinemas, international film movements, legal and political forces governing film industry practices, various film makers and film and media theory. The curriculum for the cinema studies degree programs are interdisciplinary; drawing substantially on a variety of methodological approaches from varying subjects for studying the discipline. Students will evaluate the relationship between film and other various forms of art. Coursework can include such diverse courses as languages and literature, women studies, romance languages, fine arts, communications, anthropology, English and history. Other required and elective courses will include world film history, introduction to film theory, Soviet montage theory, French auteur theory, and a range of enema courses in various cultural areas.9. Yale UniversityYale University is ranked among the top universities in the nation and has earned international recognition for the superior quality of its degree programs. The Film Studies programs offered at Yale University are no exception. Film studies are considered as an artistic expression with significant cultural and social import. The programs concentrate on the history, theory and criticism of film. Both undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered in film studies. Students are offered the opportunity to create films or videos as part of the curriculum and possibly gain admission to either the fiction or documentary film workshops. Students are encouraged to develop a collaborative relationship with other departments; utilizing resources which are relevant to film studies and completing course within the department which will complement the area of interest which they want to pursue. The lecture series offered at Yale University in Film Studies provides opportunities to hear renowned experts discuss various aspects of the film industry.The interdisciplinary degree programs in film studies encompass all of the essential elements of the discipline. Students are permitted to develop a curriculum tailored to their interests, pending approval by a committee within the department. Students are expected to complete certain prerequisite courses including introduction to film studies. Other required courses include Close Analysis of Film, Film Theory and Aesthetics, Issues in Contemporary Film Theory and studies in international, cultural films. The production seminar courses, theater studies, creative writing and art concentrate on the creative aspect of the film process. An area of concentration is expected to be chosen by each student in history of art, literature, philosophy, social sciences, film theory, productions, race and gender, photography, or national or regional cultures and their cinemas. All students are required to complete a senior essay or project which incorporates all of the knowledge and skills gained throughout the student’s years in the film degree program.10. University of California – Los AngelesThe University of at Los Angeles has long been regarded as one of the premier institutions of higher learning in the nation. The School of Theater, Film and Television within UCLA maintains that reputation continuing with the tradition through rigorous and dynamic degree programs, award winning faculty members and advisors and extensive resources and network connections. The curriculum concentrates on the traditional areas of theory, practice and criticism; with a strong emphasis on experiential learning, analytical thinking and creative development. UCLA prepares the future leaders of the industry by encouraging innovation and risk taking. Students enrolled at UCLA have access the school’s renowned film and television archive; the largest of its type in the world. UCLA hosts workshops credited with developing exceptional skills in various areas of the field of cinema. UCLA also offers summer programs for high school students, college students and professionals. The online film program offers the opportunity to complete courses at the convenience of the student.The University of California at Los Angeles offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the field. Students intending to enroll in the Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television will only be able to do so in the last two years of their undergraduate program. The first two years of the program will be dedicated to general educational studies. Coursework include foundational arts and humanities, society and culture, scientific inquiry, writing, foreign language, literature, American history and institutions. The curriculum provides a comprehensive overview of the field. Students learn all of the relevant areas of the field; the conceptual areas of history and theory as well as the technical and creative aspects. Storytelling is a main focus of the field as it is considered the central element of film. Additional areas meant to expound the students abilities and understanding include special effects for film and television, digital library research and archival restoration, computer animation, interactive television and web based media arts.