Fiercely independent
For more than four decades, SDSU’s program in Television, Film and New Media has been an ardent champion of independent thought and approaches to the production and study of media. Our program prepares students to become leaders in production and criticism, navigating the mainstream and independent media worlds with the ethical acuity of community action and global citizenship. Situated between Los Angeles and an international border, our program combines the benefits of proximity to the mainstream entertainment industry with the perspectives and opportunities offered by a binational backdrop.
Students are immersed in the tandem pillars of a state-of-the-art production education and a forward-thinking critical studies curriculum. TFM’s facilities include industry-grade production and post-production centers, scene shops, and sets. The Hollywood Reporter ranks the program’s production design emphasis as one of the world’s ten best. The critical studies curriculum brings life to the possibilities of the media, from the rich aesthetic histories that enliven the cinematic arts, to today’s most pressing conversations around media industries, global cultures, and identity, led by the pioneering Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film.
As part of a nationally-ranked university and a strategic alliance with the School’s Theatre Program, TFM offers students opportunities to work, intern, and study with the best in the region and travel the world through SDSU’s robust international programs. Between the undergraduate major and minor, and the MFA in Film & TV production, the TFM student body produces over 100 films per semester, making it one of the most productive in the country.
TFM alumni have changed the face of film, from industry legends like Kathleen Kennedy (Amblin Entertainment, Lucasfilm) to contemporary trailblazers like Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12, Marvel’s Shang Chi). Others have become behind-the-scenes leaders in the film industry and high-profile national film critics. Regardless of where they pursue their craft, all graduates leave the program with a deeper, more ambitious, and more comprehensive picture of what it means to be an independent creative and professional.