LMU’s appeal is a production education within a university, with opportunities to find collaborators across film disciplines. Its public reviews contain useful praise for that community and specific concerns about equipment and professional preparation. Those details matter more than a general claim that the school is well connected.
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At a glance
Our assessment: A plausible fit for students who want broad filmmaking practice and collaborative university study. Investigate the exact specialization, access rules and preparation for distributing work. The strongest reasons to attend should survive a comparison of your net costs and an ordinary week in the course.
| Decision point | What to know |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate production degree | Film and Television Production BA. Animation, Screenwriting, Recording Arts and Film/TV/Media Studies are separate routes. |
| Graduate route | Film and Television Production MFA, with later specialization. |
| 2026–27 undergraduate tuition | $68,042 for the academic year at the published full-time rate, before additional fees and living expenses. |
| Graduate film rights | The current MFA page says students own their films; confirm the agreement and third-party clearances for your project. |
| Review coverage | A 2023 undergraduate account, a recent editing alumnus account and an older MFA perspective are labeled separately. |
Choose the right program
Undergraduate Film and Television Production BA
The undergraduate production BA belongs to a broader set of SFTV degrees. It should be compared with other production degrees, not confused with Recording Arts or Film/TV/Media Studies. Request the current degree planner and identify where general education ends, where required production begins and how much elective capacity remains for your craft. [1]
Graduate production and specialization
The MFA page says students direct two shorts in the initial three semesters before choosing among fiction directing, non-fiction directing, creative producing, cinematography or editing. Later work and thesis deliverables depend on the specialization. That structure can be valuable for a filmmaker still testing roles, while someone seeking immediate advanced specialization should inspect the early requirements carefully. [2]
Acting is a separate assessment
The SFTV production degrees are not acting courses. Actors need their own evidence about scene study, rehearsal, voice and movement, auditions and access to usable footage. Being able to collaborate with filmmakers can help, but it does not substitute for a performance curriculum.
Projects, equipment and access
LMU’s current MFA page says students retain film rights. That is a meaningful comparison point with schools that own student productions, but ownership alone does not clear music, performances or locations. Ask how the school teaches releases, licensing and delivery before planning a public release. [2]
An equipment inventory is useful only with booking rules. Ask whether reservations are guaranteed for assessed work, how faults and clashes are handled, and what backup kit is available. Equipment complaints from earlier years should prompt current questions rather than be repeated as proof that today’s facilities are defective.
Ask who receives your cut or script at each stage, whether notes are individual and how much revision time remains afterward. Graduate editors should inspect workflow teaching and turnover to sound and color; directors should investigate actor rehearsal and feedback before the shoot.
Student and graduate experiences
The accounts below are public self-reports. Course and attendance details are attributed to the writers; neither identity nor enrollment has been independently verified.
Praises editing instruction, collaboration and a professor’s referral, while criticizing equipment allocation and preparation for distribution. Comments about directing peers are secondhand and do not establish those students’ own experience.
Values practical work, professors and a collaborative environment, but wants stronger preparation for crowdfunding and distribution. That concern is more specific than a broad claim that the degree does or does not lead to work.
Describes useful fiction and documentary training and internship opportunities, alongside high cost. This is an older account. The same person’s separate forum discussion is not counted as another independent student.
The recurring useful question is what happens beyond making the film: finding money, delivering it and getting it seen. Positive reports of collaborators and faculty help coexist with those gaps. Neither a referral nor an equipment complaint establishes a typical outcome for the whole school.
Tuition and the complete budget
All amounts below are in US dollars. The year and pricing unit matter: annual, semester and full-program figures are not interchangeable.
| Cost item | Published figure or question |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate tuition, 2026–27 | $34,021 per semester, or $68,042 for the academic year at the published full-time rate. [3] |
| Other undergraduate costs | University fees, housing, food, transport, insurance where applicable and project spending need a separate allowance. |
| Graduate tuition | SFTV publishes a graduate schedule, but the page reviewed does not clearly label it as the 2026–27 rate. Obtain a current quote before relying on its total. [5] |
| Production and completion | Ask for required project contributions, thesis costs, summer enrollment and any charges if post-production continues beyond the planned course. |
An undated graduate table should not be silently presented as this year’s price. Request a dated semester-by-semester estimate, including required credits and an explanation of any grants. Compare what you must pay after confirmed aid, and check whether the award applies to every term needed to finish.
Admissions and study commitments
Use the admissions instructions for the exact undergraduate or graduate program. For the MFA, ask how intended specialization affects selection and when the final choice is made. For transfers, ask how many production semesters remain after credit evaluation. A portfolio should state your role clearly and show decisions you can discuss, rather than rely on a school or production company credit to explain your contribution. [1] [2]
Career support and graduate outcomes
One reviewer’s account of a professor helping with a first job is useful evidence of a possible relationship, not a placement rate. Ask for recent examples of paid work by specialization and what the career team actually does: application feedback, introductions, internships or continuing alumni support. Also ask whether students practice budgeting, crowdfunding, festival strategy and deliverables before they need those skills for a thesis.
What to watch out for
- The BA and MFA have different teaching structures and costs. An undergraduate testimonial should not be used to sell graduate specialization.
- Equipment allocation and backup arrangements affect whether a class project can happen. Ask current students about their most recent booking experience.
- A strong film portfolio can still leave gaps in fundraising and distribution. Find out where those skills are explicitly taught.
How to get more from the course
- Use early crew work to identify reliable collaborators across sound, camera, writing and editing.
- Build a release and delivery checklist into every production, even a small assignment.
- For your chosen craft, keep before-and-after examples showing what feedback changed. These can demonstrate learning more clearly than a list of film credits.
Compare alternatives
Compare LMU’s BA with the particular undergraduate routes at USC, UCLA and Chapman. Graduate students should compare the MFA’s broad start and later specialization with a discipline-specific AFI offer. The better fit depends on what you already know and what you need supervised practice to learn.
- USC School of Cinematic Arts review
- UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television review
- Chapman University — Dodge College review
- AFI Conservatory review
Compare all US school reviews or browse the complete film-school review directory.
Is it worth applying?
LMU merits a closer look if you want production within a university community. The next step is to match your intended craft to the current teaching plan, equipment access and preparation for getting finished work seen.
Before accepting, compare the actual offer, required course plan and realistic living budget. Speak separately with a current student and a recent graduate in your intended route.
Common questions
Is LMU production a BA or BFA?
The undergraduate production route listed by SFTV is a BA. The graduate production degree is an MFA. [1] [2]
Do students own MFA films?
LMU’s current program page says they do. Confirm the applicable agreement and remember that third-party material still needs permission. [2]
Why is there no single graduate total here?
The SFTV tuition schedule reviewed is not clearly dated for 2026–27. A current, program-specific written quote is more useful than relabeling an older total as current.
Sources and review method
Reviewed 31 October 2026. Official program pages establish the advertised structure and published fees; independent accounts are used for attributed student experience. Older accounts and other programs are labeled where included. These sources do not constitute an inspection of teaching or a representative student survey.
We do not publish a numerical student-satisfaction score from this uneven sample. Public reviews may be selective, anonymous or duplicated across platforms. Google school ratings, when available, also mix programs and visitor experiences; they are not a production-course rating. No direct Google review collection is claimed here.
- Undergraduate programs
- MFA curriculum, specializations and rights
- 2026–27 undergraduate tuition
- Original program-specific student accounts
- Graduate fee schedule: confirm applicable year
If you studied here, include your program, campus, attendance dates and whether you completed it when adding a comment. Do not post private personal information. Corrections are most useful with a link to the relevant current policy.