15
Colleges in California
1,678
Film Studies Degrees Awarded
Film/Cinema/Media Studies is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #142 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 15 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,678 degrees in film/cinema/media studies to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Your choice of film/cinema/media studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for film/cinema/media studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Film/Cinema/Media Studies Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
The schools below may not offer all types of film studies degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
10 Top California Schools in Film Studies
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
7th
Most Popular In CA
106
Film Studies Degrees Awarded
Every student who is interested in film/cinema/media studies has to take a look at University of Southern California. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 106 film/cinema/media studies students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in film/cinema/media studies from University of Southern California
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
16th
Most Popular In CA
It's difficult to beat Chapman University if you wish to pursue a degree in film/cinema/media studies. Chapman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Orange. A Best Colleges rank of #172 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Chapman is a great university overall.
There were roughly 10 film/cinema/media studies students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in film/cinema/media studies from Chapman University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
166
Film Studies Degrees Awarded
University of California - Santa Barbara is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in film/cinema/media studies. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.
There were roughly 166 film/cinema/media studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in film/cinema/media studies from University of California - Santa Barbara
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In CA
121
Film Studies Degrees Awarded
University of California - Los Angeles is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in film/cinema/media studies. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 121 film/cinema/media studies students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in film/cinema/media studies from University of California - Los Angeles
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
251
Film Studies Degrees Awarded
SFSU is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Francisco. This university ranks 30th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 251 film/cinema/media studies students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in film/cinema/media studies from San Francisco State University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In CA
98
Film Studies Degrees Awarded
Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 28th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 98 film/cinema/media studies students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in film/cinema/media studies from University of California - Riverside
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
9th
Most Popular In CA
88
Film Studies Degrees Awarded
UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were approximately 88 film/cinema/media studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in film/cinema/media studies from University of California - Berkeley
Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. This university ranks 29th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 15 film/cinema/media studies students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in film/cinema/media studies from Loyola Marymount University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In CA
175
Film Studies Degrees Awarded
UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were roughly 175 film/cinema/media studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in film/cinema/media studies from University of California - Irvine
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
197
Film Studies Degrees Awarded
CSULB is a very large public university located in the city of Long Beach. This university ranks 36th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 197 film/cinema/media studies students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in film/cinema/media studies from California State University - Long Beach
