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 CCSF’s 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.

View Requirements in College Catalog

Semester 1 

Course NumberCourse TitleUnitsNotes
CINE 18American Cinema3 
CINE 21Introduction to Film Studies3 
ENGL 1A + 1ASUniversity-Parallel Reading and Composition + Support4-6 
GE Area G1Health Knowledge Requirement2-3 
Degree Applicable Elective 3 

Total Units: 15-18 

Semester 2

Course NumberCourse TitleUnitsNotes
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 Requirement3-8 
CINE 20BFilm History: Contemporary Film Expression3 
CINE 20AFilm History: Evolution of Film Expression3 
Degree Applicable Elective 3 
Degree Applicable Elective 3 

Total Units: 15-20 

Semester 3

Course NumberCourse TitleUnitsNotes
CINE 19 or 22 or 23A or 23BDocumentary, Digital Media and Society or The Documentary Tradition or Films of Alfred Hitchcock or Focus on Film Noir3 
GE Area CNatural Sciences Requirement3-6 
GE Area ACommunication and Analytical Thinking3 
GE Area G2Physical Skills Requirement1-3 
Degree Applicable Elective 3 
Degree Applicable Elective 3 

Total Units: 16-21

Semester 4

Course NumberCourse TitleUnitsNotes
Additional Major Requirement(See Counselor)3 
GE Area DSocial and Behavioral Sciences Requirement3 
GE Area FUnited States History and Government Requirement3 
GE Area HEthnic Studies, Women's and Gender Studies and LGBTQ Studies3 
Degree Applicable Elective 3 

Total Units: 15

View Requirements in College Catalog

Semester 1 

Course NumberCourse TitleUnitsNotes
CINE 20AFilm History: Evolution of Film Expression3 
CINE 20BFilm History: Evolution of Film Expression3 
CINE 21Introduction to Film Studies3 

Total Units: 9

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

Course NumberCourse TitleUnitsNotes
CINE 18American Cinema3 
CINE 19Documentary, Digital Media and Society3 
CINE 22The Documentary Tradition3 
CINE 23AFilms of Alfred Hitchcock3 
CINE 23BFocus on Film Noir3 

Total Units: 6 

Choose 3 units from the following elective courses

Course NumberCourse TitleUnitsNotes
ASAM 30Asian American Issues Through Film3 
ASIA 15Asian Societies and Cultures through Film3 
ASIA 30Manga and Anime3 
BCST 101Media Literacy3 
BCST 103Mass Media and Society3 
CINE 24Basic Film Production4 
CMST 8Rhetoric of Popular Culture3 
ENGL 61Literature and Film3 
IDST 14American Cultures in Literature and Film3 
LGBT 11Film Expression: History of Queer Film3 
LGBT 12Contemporary LGBTQ Film3 
LGBT 75Queer Cinema in the 1970s3 
PHST 30Philippine Society and Culture Through Film3 
WGST 10Women and Film3 

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.