Film, tv and Digital Media Programs and Degrees

Do you want to study Film, TV, or Digital media in the United States? We’ve put together a useful guide to what’s top and what you can expect going into one of these programs.

A Brief Introduction

Film, television and digital media programs combine a theoretical and scholarly approach to the study of visual media with professional training in how to actually produce a piece of original work.

Undergraduates pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in film studies attend courses that are for the most part “theory heavy” providing scholarly overviews of the various media, the industries involved, their history and recent trends while availing the opportunity to “taste” the field by taking on internships with film companies or trying their hand at working for graduate student films.

Schools that offer Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degrees introduce students to the craft of film making and include courses in animation, art direction, cinematography, directing, editing and sound, producing and screenwriting.

Coming through as a well-educated, determined, imaginative and creative person can heavily tilt the scales in your favour.

Graduate programs dig deeper and make it possible for students to choose between Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees and the opportunity to enrol for research heavy PhD programs. The MA includes courses in cinema and media studies and is many ways an extension of ground already covered in undergrad studies while the MFA focuses on the actual craft of film/television/digital media “making” whether in terms of production, directing or screenwriting.

Several top schools such as the Columbia University School of the Arts place the MA and MFA programs close together, so that students have ready access to the experience of their counterparts across the MA/MFA divide and some schools even make it compulsory for students to dip in to both theory and practice in equal measure.

Schools offering PhD degrees provide students the opportunity to conduct in depth research in film and media studies often paving the way, among other professions, to academic careers.

Unsurprisingly, getting into the top schools is tough and expensive but the rewards just as sweet in terms of top class training, exposure, influential contacts and nearly always a push to recognition.

What it Costs and What it Pays

Although the average tuition fee for a year at film school at any of the leading US universities is about USD 38,000 – 40,000, what you pay for can be a difference.

Tuition costs per year for a graduate program tend to cost a tad less than that for a BA or BFA certificate. But some Masters degrees such as an MFA in Cinematography or Directing can go on for up to four years as against just two years for the undergrad degree in Film making.

The average annual starting salary for a student who has completed a film production major is at the lower end at about USD 36,000. But the prospect of earning big bucks right after film school is not why those wanting to work in the film or related industries go to school in the first place.

As with most other creative pursuits, the question of whether attending school is of value can be answered equally honestly in two opposing ways: it is, if you realise that attending a recognised film program is one part of what it will take to start a solid career and it isn’t if you view it as the only or main factor in your employability.

Where is Best

Versions of the world’s top ten film and other media programs abound. A recent one compiled by The Hollywood Reporter is probably one of the most comprehensive as it takes into account various not-so-obvious factors such as a school’s commitment to imparting a sense of the “culture of film-making”, the unusual opportunity to complete a debut feature film while still a student, or the benefit of referring to some of the personal papers and film material of filmmakers in the school’s archives.

The top ten film schools in the world according to this list are:

1. American Film Institute, Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies, US

2. University of Southern California, US

3. Beijing Film Academy, China

4. New York University Tisch School of the Arts, US

5. University of California Los Angeles US

6. California Institute of the Arts, US

7. Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Czech Republic

8. Columbia University School of the Arts, US

9. Wesleyan University, US

10. National Film and Television School, UK

Which School Should You Choose?

Depending on your personal strengths and your preference for an exclusive or multidisciplinary approach, the list of top ranking film schools above or any other can be redrawn to better suit your individual interest.

If the prospect of a truly interdisciplinary experience appeals to you in addition to a deeply rooted commitment to global diversity both in student body representation and in the rare opportunity to conduct creative work and research practically anywhere on the globe then UCLA’s school of TFT (Theater, Film and Television) is tailor-made for you.

If you are pretty clear about what you want to do and already have a few years of work experience in the bag, then the exclusive and small sized American Film Institute is a better bet. Here, students get the opportunity to make a thesis film, are given access to the Screen Actors Guild for their casts and USD 13,500 in financing.

If the reputation for having probably the largest number of its graduates in the industry carries weight for you it would make USC come out on tops. In addition is what its dean calls the advantage of soaking in “the culture of film making” – thanks to its state-of-the-art facilities, its strong ties to Hollywood and its emphasis on film history and technique.

A closer look at each of the leading film school’s offerings will give you a sense of which suits you best.

Your Program and Degree Choices

On the whole, there is a clear distinction between academic and profession oriented programs where Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Master of Arts (MA) degrees focus on a theoretical emphasis while Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) focus more on the “creative and technical aspects of the moving image”.

Depending on your own key strengths, you have a good shot at a variety of professions.

However, some schools do offer the opportunity to graduate with a BA degree in something like film and television production which while providing a theoretical grounding to the history and evolution of film and television also include an equal emphasis on the aesthetics and craft of producing a piece of original work.

As an undergrad you can choose between a broad array of alternatives including a BA in Critical Studies, BA in Film & Television Production, BA in Animation & Digital Arts, BA in Interactive Entertainment and BFA in Writing for Screen & Television.

As a graduate student, you can choose between a MA in Critical Studies, MFA in Film & Television Production, MFA in Animation & Digital Arts, MFA in Interactive Entertainment, MFA in Producing and MFA in Writing for Screen & Television. (Source: USC, Cinematic Arts)

Other schools offer a few more variants of the MA degree including in Moving Image Archive Studies (UCLA, TFT), Cinema and Media Studies (UCLA, TFT) but with the same unifying goal in mind: to provide a mainly scholarly overview to the field as distinct from the MFA degrees.

There are also PhD programs for those interested in analyzing the field by way of in-depth research.

What You Can Become. Career Prospects.

Almost 60% of film studies graduates went into full-time employment in 2009. Of those, 12.5% found jobs within the art/design/culture sector and, within the film industry itself, 2.1% became directors, 1.2% video/film recorder operators and 1.4% broadcasters. Some 34% found work in retail/catering, perhaps as a temporary measure and an indication of the competitive nature of the industry.

The focus of your degree is an important factor, says Margaret Holbrough of Graduate Prospects. “Careers within the film industry are fiercely competitive and opportunities to pursue a technical or practical career will depend on the graduate’s experience and the content of the degree, and whether it focuses more on hands-on film production skills as opposed to the appreciation, analysis and interpretation of films and film genres,” she says.

Within the film, TV and video industries the roles may include film/video/television editor, camera operator, photographer, art director, TV or film producer or production assistant, runner, location/props manager or programme researcher.

In addition, the publishing industry, including printed newspapers, magazines, online publications and websites, may offer opportunities to write about films as a journalist, content manager or editor, or to work in film and picture research and archiving.

Some business areas, such as advertising, marketing and communications, may also utilise the creative and analytical abilities of film studies graduates in roles such as art directors, account managers, copywriters and market researchers.

Teaching and lecturing are also potential career options and require a postgraduate teaching qualification.

Of those who graduated in 2009, 6% went on to study for a higher qualification. There are many masters and postgraduate diploma courses available in film studies, providing an opportunity to specialise in areas such as scriptwriting, directing, producing and final editing. Some jobs require a postgraduate qualification, such as teaching or journalism. There is also the chance to do postgraduate research in film-making.

No matter how high up your film school is in the rankings, one piece of advice often given to students of film and digital media is to not rest on the laurels of having a top-notch degree under your belt but to be prepared to “hustle”: to make and keep contacts within the industry, go after the company and position of your dreams and demonstrate your unique selling point in order to get a foot in the door of this highly competitive and ever changing industry.

And this applies of course more to those students keen to join the industry itself in some capacity than those more interested in studying or researching or teaching about it.

Timing the Degree

There are two schools of thought on when it is the best time to join film school. The first proposes that given the value attached to youth in the film and digital media industries, wisdom lies in pursuing and completing a degree early on. The other proposes that no matter how much value is placed on youth there is an undoubted advantage in securing a high-quality, competitive degree from a film school of repute and that students gain from attending film school after having tried their hand at working in any of the related industries for a few years.

As an instance, the film school that tops the list of the world’s best according to the Hollywood Reporter, the American Film Institute, is attended by students who are older than the average graduate student (about 27 years old) and usually obtain a place after having worked for at least a couple of years in the industry.

Studying Film & Television: Degrees at a Glance

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) suggests that to obtain a higher-level position in the film & television industry, such as director, writer or producer, you may need to have a bachelor’s degree. Even with an undergraduate degree, you will likely need to start in assistant positions and gain several years of professional experience to move up the ranks in this field. Earning a graduate degree in film & television studies can provide you with time to hone your skills, build a portfolio and make connections with industry professionals. Doctoral degrees in film & television studies might appeal to you if you want to teach at the collegiate level.

The BLS predicted that producers and directors would see an 11% employment growth rate (about average) over the 2010-2020 decade, while screenwriters would see a slower-than-average 6% growth during that time. Postsecondary teachers were expected to see a job rate increase of 17% during the same decade.

	Master’s	Doctorate
Who is this degree for?	Individuals who want an advanced overview of the film & television industry so that they might find jobs in production, editing or similar fields	Individuals who want to teach film & television at the postsecondary level or act as consultants
Common Career Paths (with approximate median annual salary)	– Director or producer ($71,000)* – Film editor ($53,000)* – Screenwriter (includes all writers and authors - $56,000)*	Postsecondary teacher ($64,000)*
Time to Completion	About 2 years	2-4 years
Common Graduation Requirements	– Core film courses – Thesis or graduate project	– Core courses – Possible foreign language requirement – Dissertation – PhD exam
Prerequisites	– Bachelor’s degree – Portfolio or resume	Bachelor’s or Master’s degree
Online Availability	No	No

Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2011 figures).

Admission Process

The basic criteria for eligibility includes: evidence of English language proficiency, comparable and verifiable proof of high school grades and certificates when applying as a freshman and those of college education when applying for grad studies. Of equal value is being able to present proof of financial support to pay for your educational and living expenses. Broadly speaking, it is advisable to develop a plan to cover the cost of tuition, fees and living expenses for the entire length of your program and always keep a look out for scholarships exclusive to your school.

Some well-endowed universities such as USC offer merit based scholarships for undergrad studies to international students in which case admission runs concurrently with the financial aid process. But this is quite rare.

International students are, however, often eligible for school-based scholarships and fellowships as and where they exist. International students may also be eligible for loans through private lending sources, which usually require a co-signer who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. What distinguishes the application process to film school or film studies on the whole is the relatively greater weight given to talent, creativity and imagination. Various schools have slightly different ways of gauging this whether by means of a phone or in-person interview, the weight given to portfolios and the student’s statement of purpose (SoP).

Exercise 17. What do these acronyms stand for? Browse through the article again to find their full version and translate them into Russian.

BA –

BFA –

MA –

MFA –

PhD –

UCLA –

TFT –

USD –

USC –

BLS –

SoP –

Exercise 18. Give the definition of the following word combinations in English.

1. to combine a theoretical and scholarly approach with professional training;

2. visual media;

3. to avail the opportunity to “taste” the field

4. to try one’s hand at working for graduate student films;

5. can heavily tilt the scales in your favour;

6. graduate programs dig deeper;

7. to enroll for research heavy PhD programs;

8. an extension of ground already covered in undergrad studies;

9. to access to the experience of the counterparts;

10. to make it compulsory for students to dip in to both theory and practice in equal measure;

11. to conduct in depth research in film and media studies;

12. getting into the top schools is tough and expensive but the rewards just as sweet;

13. the average tuition fee;

14. the average annual starting salary;

15. the prospect of earning big bucks;

16. the main factor in your employability;

17. the list of top ranking film schools above can be redrawn to better suit your individual interest;

18. a deeply rooted commitment to global diversity;

19. it is tailor-made for you;

20. the exclusive and small sized university is a better bet;

21. it carries weight for you;

22. the advantage of soaking in “the culture of film making”;

23. thanks to its state-of-the-art facilities;

24. as an undergrad you can choose between a broad array of alternatives;

25. full-time employment;

26. a temporary measure and an indication of the competitive nature of the industry;

27. hands-on film production skills;

28. not to rest on the laurels;

29. to have a top-notch degree under your belt;

30. to be prepared to “hustle”;

31. in order to get a foot in the door;

32. there are two schools of thought on the problem;

33. wisdom lies in pursuing and completing a degree early on;

34. a film school of repute;

35. to hone your skills;

36. the BLS predicted that producers and directors would see an 11% employment growth rate;

37. core film courses;

38. the basic criteria for eligibility;

39. English language proficiency;

40. comparable and verifiable proof;

41. to cover the cost of tuition, fees and living expenses for the entire length of your program;

42. to keep a look out for scholarships;

43. well-endowed universities;

44. to offer merit based scholarships;

45. admission runs concurrently with the financial aid process;

46. to be eligible for loans through private lending sources;

47. to require a co-signer who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

Exercise 19. Odd word out.