USC is the top-ranked film school in the world. The Graduate program is one of the most difficult programs to be accepted to, more so than even Harvard’s Business School. The program is multi-faceted and extremely rigorous, designed to produce professional filmmakers. USC’s graduates are immediately sought after by the film and television industry as writers, directors or crewmembers; some leave LA only to produce some of the top independent features. Moreover, USC’s instructors have won many of the top awards in the film industry, including Academy Awards for artistic or technical achievements.

USC graduates include such well-known directors as Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump), George Lucas (Star Wars), John Singleton (Boyz ‘n the Hood), Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind), Brian Singer (X-Men) and James Ivory (Howard’s End). Add to that list producer John Wells (The West Wing), cinematographer Conrad Hall (American Beauty), writer John Milius (Apocalypse Now) and editor Walter Murch (The English Patient) and you can understand why USC’s film school is the most competitive in the nation.