The LMU School of Film and Television is committed to preparing students for their creative and professional lives. Through their course work, creative projects, and internships, students will learn the art and craft of communicating ideas through images and sound and writing for the screen. They will also gain an appreciation for the history of these art forms and develop their ability to critically analyze these works. We aim for that delicate balance between theory, technology and the creative impulse–where the balance is always heavily weighted toward the creative and human.
It is important for artists to be aware and considerate of diverse views, yet have the freedom to discover their individual voices and the courage to express their own points of view. As faculty, our most important work is to help our students find those creative voices and express them, because we believe that art is of utmost importance to the human race. We strive to create an atmosphere in which lasting and useful original works are fashioned-by the students and by the faculty and staff. We encourage our students to address a wide audience, to appreciate the contributions of all who labor to tell a story, and to work as part of a community of artists to find new ways to tell new stories.
True to the Loyola Marymount tradition, we also seek to remind students of the ethical and social responsibilities that go with the power of these media, and we encourage them to have a reflective mind and generous spirit as they seek to create works that inform, enlighten, and entertain.
The School of Film and Television offers three Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degrees:
In partnership with the College of Business Administration, the School of Film and Television offers a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree:
Specific degree requirements are listed under each individual program.
All applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. The department welcomes applicants who have received degrees in unrelated fields. There are only a limited number of openings in the graduate School of Film and Television programs, and applications are reviewed and accepted for the Fall semester each year.
Applicants must submit all materials to the Graduate Division by the date published on the Graduate Division website. These materials include: application, $50 application fee, detailed personal statement, all transcripts, GRE scores (required only if undergraduate GPA is lower than 3.0), two letters of recommendation, and supplemental materials including any creative work in written and/or multimedia formats that illustrate a particular talent or expertise that the applicant would like to highlight for the selection committee. Film and Television Production applicants must submit creative samples (see the SFTV website for specific requirements). Applicants to Writing and Producing for Television or Writing for the Screen programs must submit writing samples (see the SFTV website for specific requirements).
A non-refundable $500 deposit must be submitted with your commitment by the deadline specified on the admissions letter. The deposit is applied toward tuition. Notices are sent on a rolling basis.
June 15 is the deadline to register for Fall classes. Any applicant who does not register by this date will forfeit his or her spot, and it will be offered to another student.
The School of Film and Television offers the following five degrees:
Degree requirements are listed under each individual program.
There is a formal application procedure for students who wish to be accepted into the School of Film and Television or who wish to transfer from one SFTV program to another (See the SFTV website for specific requirements). At this time, students will not be considered for internal change of program to the Film and Television Production major. Applications are due on the last day of February for admission to the following Fall semester and on the last day of September for admission to the following Spring semester.
The University requirements for admission, graduation, and all general rules and regulations of the University as set forth in this Bulletin are applicable to and binding upon all students enrolled in the School of Film and Television.
The curriculum of the School of Film and Television incorporates required courses in university core, major sequences, and elective courses which complement and enhance the student’s major field of concentration.
120 semester hours are required for graduation with the following distribution:
Students should consult the Dean’s Office for specific policies applicable to the School of Film and Television.
A semester of international study abroad is recommended. Programs specific to the School of Film and Television are described below. For details on these programs, consult the Study Abroad office.
Screenwriting Majors and Minors have the opportunity to study Screenwriting, Production, and Film Studies in English with Hungarian and international students in Budapest, Hungary. Two required Screenwriting courses are taught by an LMU professor, with additional courses taught by European experts. Our host is the Budapest Film Academy located on the campus of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), the largest university in Hungary. Straddling the Danube River, Budapest is a bustling capital city, home to a thriving film community. Its Central European location shares borders with Austria, Ukraine, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Croatia.
Students in the Film and Television Production major and the International Documentary Production minor have the opportunity to participate in an intensive documentary production study abroad experience in Bonn, Germany. The program focuses on documentary film production and European media and culture. Courses are taught by both LMU faculty and German instructors. The program’s structure includes three-week workshops and immersive, hands-on production training. Cultural opportunities while overseas include film festivals (depending on the season), exhibitions, theater performances, tours of film and television studios, and a trip to Berlin. Participating students will earn 15-18 semester hours of credit, including the production sequence, and will produce a 10-minute documentary that can be distributed or exhibited at festivals or through other channels. The Bonn program includes additional requirements.
This study abroad program is scheduled to coincide with the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival, which is the largest and most prestigious film restoration festival in the world. As such, the topic of the festival is film history. The program allows students who have met the pre-requisite of having taken one film or animation history course to take two courses in Bologna (the topics change every summer). The program is designed for students to approach and appreciate historical aspects of filmmaking that are then reinforced during the week-long festival that screens upwards of 400 films during the last week in June. The program is open to all LMU students.
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