The Cinema Department at SFSU does not review undergraduate applications for admission, which are accepted by the University’s Office of Enrollment Services only during the application filing period of October 1 to November 30 (for admission the following Fall semester). For details on applying to San Francisco State University, see the Undergraduate Admissions site.
The Cinema Department does not require a review of your past work (i.e., portfolio review) for admission. (There is one exception: enrolling in animation program courses within the Department does require a portfolio review). There are, in fact, no particular requirements for admission to the department other than being accepted at SFSU. Simply declare yourself a Cinema major when you apply for admission to SFSU.
The Cinema Department does, however, require all its majors to complete two introductory or “Gateway” courses, CINE 200 and CINE 202, prior to taking most other courses in the department. Please be aware that our system gives priority for enrollment in these classes to already-declared Cinema majors. (For changing your major to Cinema, see below.) A grade of C or higher is required in CINE 200 and CINE 202; a lower grade requires retaking the course(s) or passing the Exemption Exam(s).
If you declared a Cinema major, you will be designated a pre-Cinema major until CINE 200 and 202 have been successfully completed. Upon completion of these courses and your GE Segment I & II requirements, pre-Cinema majors will automatically become Cinema majors.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You can only apply to the Cinema department during the University’s regular admissions period, October 1st to November 30th.
