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Los Angeles, CA · Film & media production

Film & media production at USC

USC graduates about 178 film majors a year, 3% of its graduating class. That puts it 2nd of 285 schools we score for film, a standout program at 97 out of 100. Graduates in the major earn a median $59,000 four years out, 1.33× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $3 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

97/100Standout#2 of 285 for film →
Graduates a year1783% of the class
Median pay 4 years out$59,0001.33× the same major nationally
Research in the field$3Ma year, NSF
Admit rate10%whole school
SAT middle 50%1470–1540whole school

Around USC

Scene from Three Stooges short film "No Census, No Feeling" filmed on USC campus
Stooges film on 34 street 1Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · source
Scene from Laurel & Hardy's "Hog Wild" filmed on USC campus. Following a cra
Hog wild 1930 frame clip 3Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · source
Among the classic movie posters inside the USC School of Cinematic
Put Me on the Road (5253726754)Photo: cogdogblog · CC BY 2.0 · source
USC Physical Education Building (PED), designed by Parkinson & Parkinson as
Physical education building 1Photo: Seauton 13 April 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Where film happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Scene Dock Theatre, Technical Theatre Laboratory, Kenneth and Eileen Norris Cinema Center, School of Cinematic Arts - SCX, School of Cinematic Arts - SCC, School of Cinematic Arts - SCE, School of Cinematic Arts -SCB, School of Cinematic Arts - SCI, Bing Theater, School of Cinematic Arts - SCA.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 106 · Dorm 15 · Arts 7 · Library 4 · Athletics 3 · Chapel 2.

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Nearby in the film ranking

  1. New York University 100
  2. University of Pennsylvania 96
  3. University of California, Berkeley 95
  4. University of California, Davis 94
  5. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor 93

Other strong majors at USC

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares USC with every school we score in film. It weighs what graduates earn four years out against the same major nationally (25%), research spending in the field (20%, NSF), how many undergraduate courses the department lists (20%), the student body's test scores (20%) and the size of the program (15%, capped so size alone can't win). 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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