American University - School of Communication

I am finishing up my MFA in film and media arts at American University, and I would highly recommend it for a smaller and more intimate, social justice driven film school. I have learned a lot from world-class faculty - many of whom went to Columbia University for their MFA.

Simply put, the film program in AU is a joke. Most faculties and student have no taste for film. You will not get enough training in any aspect of filmmaking. And the tuition is relatively high, so don't waste your time and money.

AU is a bit of a diamond in the rough in terms of Film BAs. Well, maybe not diamond - but one of the lesser gems. I had a great experience at AU and within my major but I struggle to agree that I went to "film school". The film program has a lot of excellent professors - as well as some okay ones - but there is a real disparity amongst students and what they want to achieve with their degrees. I mean that in terms of drive as well as future goals. Traditionally more focused on docs, there has been a trend towards narrative films within the program. There were some growing pains as the faculty realized their student body was pretty 50 / 50 but they seem to be moving in the right direction. The program definitely has a distinctively indie feel.

That said, if you are someone who wants to be on film sets regularly, this may not the place for you. There are opportunities for students to do great work but there is not a lot of consistency. Some students never touched a camera until their senior year while others were excellent with cameras - and they all took the same requirements. The same can be said for networking, getting internships, etc. It's there in theory, but takes some extra effort. Surely COVID-19 and online courses impacted this but there is definitely a lack of follow through overall.

I will say, I found AU to be a pretty well-rounded degree. Housed within the School of Communications, students take other SOC curriculum and all SOC students are required to declare a minor. Upon graduation, I had a lot of hirable skills within media production and related industries like PR and graphic design. AU itself may not be a big name within the industry but if a student applies themselves to the coursework, it can definitely be a rewarding degree.

What ultimately hinders AU for certain filmmakers is its location. DC is an incredible city but for narrative filmmakers, it is not ideal in terms of internship opportunities and jobs. Going to AU will not break you into the film industry - but it will could help you become someone with the ability to do so.