Banner Photo: Carl Rennie, Guest Artist

About Film Studies

The Film Studies program teaches students critical studies in the areas of film aesthetics, history, and theory.

The major teaches the study of film as a crucial element of the global environment. Students in our film studies program have taken advantage of 天娱传媒鈥檚 affordable (or Free City) tuition to transfer to four-year colleges and graduate schools.

The Associate of Arts Degree in Film Studies prepares students for upper-division and graduate level film studies courses through the study of film aesthetics, history, and culture. The curriculum emphasizes both formal analytical skills and historical research. The program provides an international foundation in the study of film movements, institutions, and technologies. The Associate of Arts Degree in Film Studies at CCSF is the first and only AA Degree in Film Studies that may be completed entirely online in the United States.

The Film Studies Certificate of Achievement includes all the courses available in the Associate of Arts Degree in Film Studies curriculum but does not require the general education courses needed for the AA Degree. The Film Studies Certificate of Achievement at CCSF may be completed entirely online.

Explore Potential Careers

Studying Film Studies can lead to a variety of different jobs or career paths. Below are just some of the many options you will have!

  • Consultant
  • Curator
  • Distributor
  • Film Archivist
  • Film Critic
  • Film Programmer
  • Film Publicist
  • Historian
  • Journalist
  • Marketing Specialist
  • Media Buyer
  • Media Librarian
  • Museum Technician
  • Professor
  • Public Relations Specialist
  • Specialist Researcher
  • Technical Writer

Program Options 

Click on the degree or certificate you are interested in earning to see a sample map of possible courses to enroll in.

Please note that the course maps provided are just examples to help you get started. Please meet with a counselor to personalize a plan for you to meet your academic goals.

Semester 1 

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
CINE 18 American Cinema 3  
CINE 21 Introduction to Film Studies 3  
ENGL 1A + 1AS University-Parallel Reading and Composition + Support 4-6  
GE Area G1 Health Knowledge Requirement 2-3  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  

Total Units: 15-18 

Semester 2

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
MATH 46, MATH 60 or 860, ET 108B, or ET 50, or PSYC 5, or ECON 5, or LALS 5, or PHIL 12A, or FIN 136M or higher math course (or equivalent) Math Graduation Requirement 3-8  
CINE 20B Film History: Contemporary Film Expression 3  
CINE 20A Film History: Evolution of Film Expression 3  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  

Total Units: 15-20 

Semester 3

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
CINE 19 or 22 or 23A or 23B Documentary, Digital Media and Society or The Documentary Tradition or Films of Alfred Hitchcock or Focus on Film Noir 3  
GE Area C Natural Sciences Requirement 3-6  
GE Area A Communication and Analytical Thinking 3  
GE Area G2 Physical Skills Requirement 1-3  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  

Total Units: 16-21

Semester 4

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
Additional Major Requirement (See Counselor) 3  
GE Area D Social and Behavioral Sciences Requirement 3  
GE Area F United States History and Government Requirement 3  
GE Area H Ethnic Studies, Women's and Gender Studies and LGBTQ Studies 3  
Degree Applicable Elective   3  

Total Units: 15

Semester 1 

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
CINE 20A Film History: Evolution of Film Expression 3  
CINE 20B Film History: Evolution of Film Expression 3  
CINE 21 Introduction to Film Studies 3  

Total Units: 9

Choose 6 units from the following Film History/Studies elective courses

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
CINE 18 American Cinema 3  
CINE 19 Documentary, Digital Media and Society 3  
CINE 22 The Documentary Tradition 3  
CINE 23A Films of Alfred Hitchcock 3  
CINE 23B Focus on Film Noir 3  

Total Units: 6 

Choose 3 units from the following elective courses

Course Number Course Title Units Notes
ASAM 30 Asian American Issues Through Film 3  
ASIA 15 Asian Societies and Cultures through Film 3  
ASIA 30 Manga and Anime 3  
BCST 101 Media Literacy 3  
BCST 103 Mass Media and Society 3  
CINE 24 Basic Film Production 4  
CMST 8 Rhetoric of Popular Culture 3  
ENGL 61 Literature and Film 3  
IDST 14 American Cultures in Literature and Film 3  
LGBT 11 Film Expression: History of Queer Film 3  
LGBT 12 Contemporary LGBTQ Film 3  
LGBT 75 Queer Cinema in the 1970s 3  
PHST 30 Philippine Society and Culture Through Film 3  
WGST 10 Women and Film 3  

Total Units: 3 - 4

Overall Total Units: 18 - 19

Transfer Options

The program coursework you complete at City College will satisfy lower-division requirements for related majors at several colleges and universities. Start planning your transfer by exploring film production and studies programs at the following institutions:

  • California State University, Chico
  • California State University, Fullerton
  • California State University, Los Angeles
  • California State University, Northridge
  • California State University, San Marcos
  • Sacramento State University
  • San Diego State University
  • San Francisco State University
  • University of California, Berkeley
  • University of California, Davis
  • University of California, Irvine
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • University of California, Santa Barbara
  • University of California, Santa Cruz
  • University of Southern California

Have questions about transfer? Visit the Transfer Center for help, transfer information, and/or to speak with college representatives.