Our Program

Develop your craft through CSU's unique BFA program.

Writing, directing, producing, cinematography, editing, interactive media and acting — it's all here for you to develop your craft as you pursue your Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Students complete 72 credits in the major by taking nine credits each semester over eight semesters. The six planned tracks include:

• Acting and Directing
• Cinematography
• Interactive Media
• Post Production
• Writing and Directing
• Writing and Producing
   

The program also leverages a Criteria for Assessment of Student Work standard that ensures students graduate with a portfolio of work that reflects industry standards.

Excel in a cutting-edge studio environment.

Have a table read in a seminar room. Block a scene on a soundstage. Tweak the color in a finishing suite. No matter which program track you pursue, you'll learn in a space that has been designed to put you as close as possible to a true professional environment. Housed on the top floor of Ideastream's Idea Center at Playhouse Square, the school's 36,000-square-foot facility has 24-foot studio ceilings, two 2,000+ square-foot sound stages, extensive natural light, and sweeping views of downtown Cleveland and Lake Erie. Each space within the facility has a different look, providing students with the ability to shoot nearly any scene or location imaginable. 

The studio was designed by VAA Architects and Bastien and Associates — Bastien's prominent design and building projects include Manhattan Beach Studios and the Marion Knott Studios at Chapman University — and features state-of-the-art teaching laboratories, digital editing bays, professional production equipment and access to additional Idea Center facilities, which provides even more opportunities for training and internships as well as a potential distribution outlet for the content that students create.