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Master's Degrees in Film Studies

History, theory, criticism and research: film and cinema studied as an academic discipline. This list includes master's degrees in the field itself, degrees with an officially named film studies concentration, and broader film degrees whose published curriculum substantially covers it. Each card says which.

15 programs

Sort:A–ZDeadlineAnnual tuitionStipendRecently verified

Listed alphabetically by school. This directory is not a ranking — editorial selections are published separately under Top Schools. What we list

Boston University logo

Boston University

MFA in Film & Television Studies

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Film & Television Studies
Location: Boston, MA
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus.
Fields: Film Studies (dedicated degree)
Duration: Four terms
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $2,282 per unit · All students — COM master's tuition, billed per unit · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
California Institute of the Arts logo

California Institute of the Arts

MFA Film and Video

MFAMaster of Fine Arts - Film and Video
Location: Valencia, CA
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus.
Fields: Film Production (dedicated degree) · Film Studies (broader film degree)
Duration: Three years
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $62,954 per academic year · All students — Full-time BFA and MFA programs · 2026-2027
Deadline: December 1, 2026 · Fall 2027
View programSelected in: Top Film Schools in the USA, Top MFA in Filmmaking Programs in the USA
Chapman University logo

Chapman University

Film and Media Studies (MA)

MAMaster of Arts in Film and Media Studies
Location: Orange, CA
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus.
Fields: Film Studies (dedicated degree)
Duration: Two years
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $1,715 per credit · All students · 2026-2027
Deadline: November 15, 2026 · Fall 2027
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CUNY Brooklyn College

Screen Studies, M.A.

MAMaster of Arts in Screen Studies
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus. · Full- or part-time
Fields: Film Studies (dedicated degree)
Duration: Two years full-time
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $5,545 per semester · In-state — M.A. full-time (12 credits), New York State residents
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
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Howard University logo

Howard University

Master of Fine Arts in Film

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Film
Location: Washington, DC
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus.
Fields: Film Production (dedicated degree) · Film Directing (broader film degree) · Cinematography (broader film degree) +1
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: Tuition not published
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View programSelected in: Top Film Schools in the USA
New York University logo

New York University

MA in Cinema Studies

MAMaster of Arts in Cinema Studies
Location: New York, NY
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus. · Full- or part-time
Fields: Film Studies (dedicated degree)
Duration: Three semesters full-time
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $29,112 per semester · All students · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
Ohio University logo

Ohio University

MA in Film Studies

MAMaster of Arts in Film Studies
Location: Athens, OH
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus.
Fields: Film Studies (dedicated degree)
Duration: Two years
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $4,928 per semester · In-state — Full-time comprehensive (9-18 hours), Ohio resident · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
Regent University logo

Regent University

M.A. in Film & Media Culture

MAMaster of Arts in Film and Media Culture
Location: Virginia Beach, VASchool location; coursework is online.
Format: OnlineCoursework is delivered online. Check attendance: some online programs still require campus visits or residencies.
Fields: Film Studies (dedicated degree)
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $670 per credit · All students — Master of Arts rate · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
San Francisco State University logo

San Francisco State University

Master of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies

MAMaster of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies
Location: San Francisco, CA
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus.
Fields: Film Studies (dedicated degree)
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $4,274 per semester · In-state — Graduate, 6.1+ units (full time) · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
Syracuse University logo

Syracuse University

Film, MFA

MFAMFA in Film
Location: Syracuse, NY
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus.
Fields: Film Production (dedicated degree) · Film Studies (broader film degree)
Duration: Three years of residency
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: Tuition not published
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View programSelected in: Top Film Schools in the USA
Temple University logo

Temple University

Film and Media Arts MFA

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Film and Media Arts
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus. · Full- or part-time
Fields: Film Production (Cinematic Arts: Narrative and Documentary concentration) · Screenwriting (Screenwriting concentration) · Film Studies (broader film degree)
Duration: Time limit for completion: 5 years
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $974 per credit · In-state — Graduate, Theater, Film, Media Arts, PA resident, per credit hour · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View programSelected in: Top Screenwriting Schools
The University of Texas at Austin logo

The University of Texas at Austin

MA in Radio-Television-Film, Media Studies concentration

MAMaster of Arts in Radio-Television-Film (Media Studies concentration)
Location: Austin, TX
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus.
Fields: Film Studies (broader film degree)
Duration: Two years
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $8,684 – $10,554 per academic year · In-state — Full-time graduate, Texas resident (fall and spring, estimated range) · 2026-2027
Deadline: December 1, 2026 · Fall 2027
View program
University of California-Los Angeles logo

University of California-Los Angeles

Cinema & Media Studies (MA)

MAMaster of Arts in Film and Television — Cinema & Media Studies
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus. · Full-time
Fields: Film Studies (dedicated degree)
Duration: Three quarters (one academic year), extendable to seven quarters
Funding: Funding not verified
Tuition: $15,066 per academic year · In-state — UC Systemwide Tuition (graduate students) · 2026-2027
Deadline: December 1, 2026 · Fall 2027
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University of Iowa

MA in Film Studies

MAMaster of Arts in Film Studies
Location: Iowa City, IA
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus.
Fields: Film Studies (dedicated degree)
Duration: Typically two years
Funding: Fully funded (conditions apply)
Tuition: Tuition not published
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
University of Southern California logo

University of Southern California

MA in Cinema & Media Studies

MAMaster of Arts in Cinema & Media Studies
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Format: On campusClasses, workshops and productions meet in person on campus.
Fields: Film Studies (dedicated degree)
Duration: Duration not verified
Funding: Partial funding
Tuition: $2,700 per unit · All students · 2026-2027
Deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program

How master's film studies programs are classified

  • Dedicated degree: The degree itself is in this field.
  • Named concentration: An officially named concentration, specialization or track inside the degree.
  • Broader film degree: A broader film degree whose official curriculum substantially covers this field.

Film studies programs ask for academic writing samples (often a critical or research paper) rather than films. PhD applicants usually submit a statement of research interests.

See the full Film Studies field guide or every master's program.