Welcome to the fastest-rising film school in the world. We call it “the friendly film school,” a village of filmmakers and creative thinkers all working together, with a unique sense of community and collaboration.
There’s no other film school where students are as warmly embraced and as passionately supported as here, both personally and professionally — by faculty, staff and other students.
This is critical to why we’ve risen in the key rankings to be #4 in the country (in both The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter).
We have the best facilities of any film school (including three full-size soundstages and a state-of-the-art virtual studio, our Dhont Innovation Hub, slated to open in February 2026) and a constant flow of A-list writers, directors, producers, publicists, cinematographers and newsmakers — all coming in and out of our classrooms every day.
We’ve made a huge push in three areas that make us unique:
HOLLYWOOD CONNECTIONS
- Career Center
In 2021, we opened a brand-new Career Center under the leadership of former agent Joe Rosenberg and producer Susie Landau Finch. Their team has landed our students more than 500 internships with major companies such as Warner Bros., Paramount, NBC Universal and CAA, and worked on more than 1,300 student resumes.
- Master Classes
The Master Classes have become central to our brand. Students get to interact with A-list creators and artists such as Sofia Coppola, Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez, Daniel Craig, Michelle Yeoh, Damien Chazelle, Barry Jenkins, Lulu Wang, Halle Berry, Guillermo del Toro and numerous others. We routinely organize intimate dinners for these guests to meet with our students.
- Distinguished Visiting Artists
Each semester, we bring one or more top-level artists into our classes. Among the most recent: actress-writer Natasha Lyonne (Orange Is the New Black), writer-director Billy Ray (The Hunger Games), two-time Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi (A Separation), writer-director-actress Julie Delpy (Before Sunrise) and two-time Oscar-winning writer-director Alexander Payne (Sideways).
- Animation Greats
Our Animation and Visual Effects program includes one-on-one mentoring by some of the giants in the field, including our current mentors: Director John Musker (Moana, The Little Mermaid) producer Lauren Faust (My Little Pony), three-time Oscar-winning visual effects artist Rob Legato (Titanic) and Oscar-winning writer-director Brenda Chapman (Brave).
- Superstar Faculty
Many of our faculty are famed for their work — from Oscar-winning writer-director David Ward (The Sting, Major League) to cinematographer Michael Grady (Ozark, The Morning After). We’ve even had a Nobel Peace Prize winner helping students in our documentary program — Nadia Murad, who received the honor in 2018.
STUDENT SUPPORT
Everyone is made to feel seen here. We’ve soared in the number of international students and students of color and our most recent freshman class was majority-female.
- Dodge Insider Program
Crucial to making students feel welcome is our new Dodge Insider Program. Launched in Fall 2023, the program pairs 50 sophomores and juniors with incoming freshmen. Over the next few years, we plan to enlarge this so that every freshman is assigned a student mentor.
- College 101 Mentorship Program
Many of our students volunteer to mentor high school students from disadvantaged communities, who come to Dodge every other Saturday for special classes. This has enormously enriched our students’ sense of purpose and changed the lives of their young proteges.
MODERNIZATION
- Facilities
We have a gleaming, colorful lobby, designed to be a hub where students can hang out and interact (and they do!); a state-of-the-art LED screen, where students learn the latest technology used in shows such as The Mandalorian; and soundstages that are as up to date as those of any major studio.
- Curriculum
Our job isn’t to teach students about the world we came from — it’s to prepare them for the world they’ll be entering. Because of that, we’ve merged Dodge’s two halves (film and TV); introduced imaginative new classes (such as “AI for Creatives” and “Screenwriting in Spanish”); and brought in teachers who are working on some of the most cutting-edge projects of our day.
Every week, I like to take small groups of students out for breakfast so that I can get to know them. I really look forward to meeting you!
Stephen Galloway
Twyla Reed Martin Dean of Film and Media Arts