Our M.A. program prizes the rich diversity of cinematic expression — whether critical examination of “mainstream” media production or independent or foreign filmmaking, experimental works or new media interventions including video installation — the faculty strives to broaden our students’ experience. Much of this takes place in the context of coursework where faculty members bring their own diverse research, theoretical and cinematic interests to bear, but also in extracurricular encounters — visiting filmmakers or scholars, community events (e.g., film festivals), largely profiting from the virtue of our city, San Francisco. The M.A. in Cinema Studies at SF State offers students the opportunity to pursue graduate research in cinema and media scholarship. We believe that “cinema” refers to all moving image media, from early films to emerging digital media forms. The M.A. program emphasizes not only the study of cinema history, theory and criticism, but of all “cinematic” media and the theories related to them. The curriculum allows students considerable freedom to choose among a wide variety of course offerings, building toward producing a thesis that emphasizes focused research on a specific topic related to their interests.

Graduates have secured successful careers as managers of local and regional media arts organizations, curators at art museums and film festivals and as media archivists and librarians.