The Cinema & Media Studies Division offers foundational education in the cultural, artistic, political and commercial contexts of media creation, production, circulation and consumption. Students of this pioneering program develop a deep understanding of how technology, business, art, politics and history shape and respond to media at regional, national and global scales. Training at this historic department has taken its graduates to key positions at leading studios, universities, and media organizations in the US and around the world.
Our Cinema and Media Studies BA, MA and PhD program fall under the CIP code: CIP code 50.0601: Film/Cinema/Media Studies.
The Division is known for the varied expertise of its faculty, the program’s interdisciplinary affiliations, and its wealth of institutional resources:
- Faculty areas of specialization include global media, Hollywood industry and practices, gender and sexuality in media, television history and theory, African American cinema, Latinx and Latin American media, Asian American media, cinemas of South Asia, East Asia and South East Asia, critical theories of race, transgender and queer media, documentary history and theory, sports media, gaming media, digital humanities, interactive media, avant garde and experimental film, postcolonial and decolonial theory, media historiography, industry studies, archival practices, media of the Global South and (post)socialist media.
- Faculty members hold affiliations across diverse departments within USC including the departments of American Studies and Ethnicity, Communication, Comparative Literature, East Asian Languages and Cultures, Gender and Sexuality, History, Media Arts + Practice, and Visual Studies, among others.
- Resources for research in film and media on campus include the Cinematic Arts Library, which holds multiple donor collections, the Warner Bros. Archives, the Hugh M. Hefner Collection, the Shoah Foundation Archive, and more. The Greater Los Angeles area is known worldwide for its media archives, theaters, museums, among other art and research centers.
Stories
USC Ranked Number One Film School By The Hollywood Reporter
Film School Ranking
News Story
Cinema & Media Studies Professor Discusses the Program and the Field
Priya Jaikumar
Faculty Profile
Professor Priya Jaikumar moderates panel on the history and future of Bollywood films.
Bollywood Films Come to SCA!
News
The SCA Diversity Council Honors CAMS Student with Award
Diversity Awards
Program Profile
Student Stories
RJ Edrolin
BA, Cinema & Media Studies '25
Read Story
Sammy Barr
BA, Cinema and Media Studies '25
Read Story
Grace Gordon
BA, Cinema & Media Studies '26
Read Story
Featured Student Work
Degree Programs
UNDERGRADUATE
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts in Cinema & Media Studies offers an education in the cultural, historical, and narrative constructs of both new and traditional media. As a result, students develop the academic foundation necessary to excel in an industry that is constantly evolving and graduate with the broad tools and knowledge necessary to work in a variety of fields.
GRADUATE
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts in Cinema & Media Studies offers a comprehensive examination of the cultural, artistic, and commercial contexts of media creation, consumption, and scholarship. Graduates from the MA in Cinema & Media Studies develop a sophisticated understanding of how creative expression, technology, business, politics, history and ideology are interlinked within American and international media trends. MA alumni have embarked on successful careers in the film and media industries, higher education, non-profits, curating, criticism and archiving.
Doctor of Philosophy
Established in 1959 as the first PhD program of its kind, the Doctor of Philosophy in Cinema & Media Studies remains at the forefront of scholarly work in the cinematic arts. Students tailor their curriculum to their own creative and scholarly interests under the guidance of SCA's world-renowned faculty. Past PhD recipients have published award-winning books and essays, secured tenured positions at the most prestigious universities in the world, and have become influential public intellectuals in a variety of fields.
Contact Information
The Division of Cinema & Media Studies
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Program Coordinator
University Park, SCA 319
Los Angeles, CA 90089-2211
Phone: 213.740.3334
mediastudies@cinema.usc.edu