So, you want to be a director. Or a screenwriter. Or a sound engineer. Or maybe you just want to take a class on independent movie producing taught by Matthew McConaughey. Whatever your dream, there’s a film school in the United States — or abroad (see sidebar) — that wants your tuition check.

But, of course, not all film schools are created equal. That’s why THR has been ranking the top 25 programs every year for half a decade. To assemble this year’s list, the magazine toured campuses, met with deans and educators, talked to academic and industry experts and observers, and interviewed scores of alums. Multiple factors were weighed during the assigning of these rankings — prestige, practical experience, inspirational teachers, potential career connections and access to cutting-edge equipment (like the VR cameras USC recently acquired). The results on the following pages are nothing if not educational.

See the 2014 List The Top 25 Film Schools in the United States 2014

See the 2013 List The Top 25 Film Schools in the United States 2013

This story first appeared in the Aug. 7 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

San Francisco State University

Tuition: $18,372 (out-of-state undergrad); $19,368 (out-of-state grad)

Last fall, the program graduated from being merely the department of cinema to the full-fledged School of Cinema. And it has been adding muscle to more than just its name, hiring five professors in the past three years. “I would say our students get a smattering of everything,” saysSteven Kovacs, the former head of Roger Corman‘s company who now is the school’s interim chair. Recent grads have landed jobs at Industrial Light & Magic and the Cinema Arts Centre in New York.

Notable Alumni: Inside Out producer Jonas Rivera

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/best-film-schools-2015-top-828483