Underground Film Journal

Underground Film School Guide

Underground Film Resources: Index

Below is a list of North American film schools that have faculty whose names feature prominently on the Underground Film Journal and in the underground film world. Clicking on the faculty members’ names will take you to an index of articles written about them on this website, so you can do research on who you potentially want teaching you film. Clicking on the university names will take you to each school’s film program page where you can get more detail on what each one offers exactly. (The author of this page is a graduate of RIT’s Film/Video program.)

Bard College
PO Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504
Offering: Contact school for degrees offered
Underground Faculty: Peggy Ahwesh; Jacqueline Goss; Ed Halter
Quote: “Critical thinking and creative work go hand in hand in the Film and Electronic Arts Program, which integrates various creative practices with the study of theory and criticism.”

Baylor University
Department of Communication Studies
One Bear Place #97368
Waco, TX 76798
Offering: BA in Film/Digital Media
Underground Faculty: Chris Hansen
Quote: “Courses in the Film and Digital Media Division are designed to provide students with a broad-based understanding of this field, enabling them to become ethical, articulate, creative, and innovative leaders in media production, media management, and media studies.”

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
24700 McBean Parkway
Valencia, CA 91355
Offering: BFA, MFA in Film/Video
Underground Faculty: Adele Horne; Lewis Klahr
Quote: “The School of Film/Video is especially unique in that it promotes the studies of all major types of filmmaking: dramatic narrative, documentary, experimental live-action, character-based animation, experimental animation, multimedia, and installation.”

Concordia University
1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. West
Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 1M8
Offering: BFA in Animation and Production; MFA in Production
Underground Faculty: Mike Rollo; Richard Kerr; François Miron
Quote: “A central aim of these programmes is to prepare students to become filmmakers, film animators or film historians/critics/theorists who have a two fold awareness: on the one hand, of the artistic and cultural potential of their medium and, on the other, of its history and traditions.”

DePaul University
243 South Wabash Avenue
Chicago, IL 60604
Offering: Contact school for degrees offered
Underground Faculty: Lisa Barcy
Quote: “Whether your passion is storytelling, gaming or interactive design at the School of Cinema and Interactive media you will find the right degree to prepare you a career in your field.”

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
One Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623
Offering: BFA in Animation and Production; BS in Digital Cinema; MFA in Animation and Production
Underground Faculty: Skip Battaglia; Howard Lester
Quote: “Students of SOFA are encouraged to develop their own personal vision and independent work while they develop the skills needed to fulfill any creative or technical role in our profession.”

University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
1309 South Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60607
Offering: BFA, MFA in Moving Image
Underground Faculty: Deborah Stratman; Ben Russell
Quote: “Moving Image places focus on creative and alternate approaches to both experimental and documentary forms in the filmmaking process. The program includes production courses, seminars and independent study in film, video and digital animation.”

Underground Film Resources: Index