FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

About the Film School @ SCC

Q Is the AAS a solid, stand-alone degree or is it intended to be a starting point for a four-year degree?

A. It is both. Many of our students have obtained employment with the AAS degree because in our program you have hands-on training on all kinds of equipment. However, if you chose to pursue a baccalaureate degree, you can transfer many courses to other schools.
 

Q. Do I have other options besides an AAS (Associate of Applied Science) degree?

A. Yes. You can earn certificates in five tracks of study in the MP/TV Program: Screenwriting, Broadcasting, Film Production, Editing, and Analysis and Criticism. To earn a certificate, students take only the MP/TV classes needed in any of the study tracks.
 

Q. Can I complete the degree in two years?

A. If you attend school full time. If not, then it usually takes a minimum of two years and an additional semester. Some students spend about two or more years here because they work part-time or because they want to earn certificates in more than one track.
 

Q How much will earning this degree cost me?

A. Motion pictures and broadcasting are expensive businesses/arts. The Film School @ SCC, of necessity, has to maintain a great amount of expensive equipment. In order to keep that equipment repaired and refreshed when necessary, course fees are imposed for each class in the program. The school charges tuition whose rates change yearly. Additional funds are necessary depending on how elaborate or simple film productions become.
 

Q. Are there other expenses?

A. There are some deposits that need to be made, but they are refunded at the end of term. Students who break or don’t return equipment are fined.
 

Q. I’ve heard that the faculty is made up of professionals from the business, is that true?

A. The full-time faculty members have all had experience in the “real world” of broadcasting and motion pictures. Adjunct faculty are all working professionals.
 

Q. What kind of equipment is provided?

A. The Film School @ SCC Program keeps abreast of the ever changing non-linear editing equipment and software. Where the industry goes, so goes the Film School @ SCC. We have a complete news studio and control room with all the equipment found in local television stations; our radio station also enables students to be “on-air;” and our film equipment includes cameras, sound, lights and all the supporting accoutrements to them.
 

Q. How large is the department?

A. The estimated number of full-time students is 165 for the academic year ’04 – ’05. The number of students enrolled in all the MP/TV courses is over 1000.
 

Q. What kind of facilities do you have?

A. The Program has two full post-production labs that each seat 25 students. We have a television studio complete with a fully equipped control room and a sound booth. We have a radio station and one full sound stage. We have one dedicated classroom and one conference room.
 

Q. How does the Film School @ SCC Program differ from other schools in the area?

A. First of all, we’re the only true hands-on program that teaches all aspects of film and broadcasting production and four levels of screenwriting in our own production facilities. SCC also offers theory and history classes.
 

Q. How is the film and television program rated?

A. There are many websites that rate schools. Among community colleges we generally come in near the top; in all schools across the country, competing with the large universities on the west and east coasts, we are generally given good numbers.