HFPA Grantee

Being a first-generation American himself and having been brought up by hard-working Hispanic immigrants, Cal State LA’s President William Covino knows the tremendous value of education, not only for one’s own life but for society at large. Covino has worked relentlessly to help increase the number of students attending Cal State LA and to make sure that students get the best value possible out of their educational experience. The University was ranked number one in the U.S. based on the upper mobility of students. This statistic comes from a recent study published in the New York Times, which also found that the average college in the US shows only a 1.9% of student upward mobility from the low to high-income strata. In contrast, Cal State LA’s average is 9.9%.

Another point that defines Cal State LA is its overall focus on social justice issues. Occupying the eighth place in the U.S. on the diversity scale and having an almost equal female-male student population, it’s no surprise that students graduate with a developed sense of their stance in society or that sociology is the most popular discipline. At the College of Arts & Letters, which includes Film & TV, performing arts, humanities and communication studies, female outnumber male students by a 60-40% ratio. The school of Television, Film and Media Studies is the most popular program in the College of the Arts & Letters.

The robust undergraduate Television, Film and Media Studies (TVFMS) undergraduate program offers four directions to about 800 students: Production/Post-Production, Documentary/Social Justice, Screenwriting, and Critical Studies. A great deal of emphasis is placed on special initiatives that allow the students to acquire practical experience, such as the Motion Picture Incubator program, which involves about 30 students annually, and the Student Production Unit, which partners student filmmakers with non-profit organizations.

The Television, Film, and Theatre (TVFT) graduate program offers its select students (around 100) the opportunity to acquire hands-on experience and understand the ins and outs of television and film production.  TVFT encourages interactive training and collaboration with the undergraduate TVFMS and TD (Theatre & Dance), in addition to boasting its place as the most affordable MFA in TVFT in the country.

The Cal State LA campus is located in East Los Angeles, near the 10 freeway, with easy access to parking lots.

Visit their website: http://www.calstatela.edu