As I mentioned in a previous post, I am the incredibly fortunate recipient of a BAFTA Fulbright Scholarship. This award has given me the funds to pursue a Filmmaking master’s degree in America. Because the Fulbright funding only supports one year, I had a choice to make early on. While you can choose a two-year program if you find separate funding for the second year, I decided I wanted an intense, one-year course. I wanted something that would rapidly elevate my skills as a filmmaker but allow me to come home to Scotland afterward to continue building my career.
The difficulty? A lot of filmmaking master’s programs in the US are two to three years long. Places like NYU, Tisch or UCLA offer brilliant courses, but multiple years mean paying astronomical amounts of money. While these universities do offer good scholarships - and being a Fulbrighter definitely helps your chances of getting support - the logistics of securing three years of funding is incredibly daunting.
Furthermore, to secure your US student visa, you often have to prove upfront that you have the money to cover the entire duration of the degree (we’re talking over $300,000). Most people do this via financial guarantors, but if you don’t have someone who can front or guarantee that kind of capital, you’re stuck. Your Fulbright package only proves your funding for year one.
Anyway, I digress. My point is, I drew a line in the sand: I was looking for a one-year course. Specifically, I wanted a program for a Director that included scriptwriting modules. I didn’t want a pure screenwriting or producing course; I wanted a practical, hands-on, “learning-by-doing” program focused on directing films.
I scoured the internet, and for the longest time, I couldn’t find a single one-year filmmaking master’s. Eventually, I stumbled upon two options, so here’s how they stacked up.
Option 1:
New York Film Academy (NYFA) – Los Angeles
MA in Film and Media Production
Length: 12 months (3 semesters) | August 2026 – August 2027
Annual Tuition Cost: $67,500
Location: Los Angeles, California
On paper, NYFA looked great. It was a one-year course, highly focused on the practicalities of filmmaking, and located right in the heart of LA. When you apply for a Fulbright, you have to specify which schools you intend to apply to, so I put NYFA down on my initial application.
However, the more research I did, the more I noticed a specific reputation surrounding the school. Online, many users described it as a “money-grabbing” private institution with a near-100% acceptance rate.
Wanting answers, I asked to speak with the head of the department. To be fair, they put me in touch with him quickly, and he was perfectly pleasant while walking me through the curriculum. But when I gently tried to address the school’s mixed reputation, he essentially avoided the question and said nothing. He also wouldn’t give me an exact cost for the final thesis film - he said it’s as expensive as you make it, which I think is true, but I just wanted a bit of guidance.
Red flag number two: I tried to find previous students’ thesis films to check the quality of the end product. While NYFA proudly lists famous or successful alumni on their website, I could not find raw examples of average graduate films anywhere. They also wouldn’t put me in touch with former students.
The Inside Scoop
Eventually, via Sherlock Holmes style stocking, I managed to connect via Instagram with an alumnus who had done the course. He was an international student from Iran and a fellow Fulbrighter. He gave me a very candid breakdown:
The Good: The technical training is solid. If you’ve never touched a camera, it’s a great, fast-paced access point.
The Bad: He called the administration “chaotic” and unhelpful - a massive worry for an international student dealing with complex visa and financial paperwork.
The Fine Print: He claimed students weren’t easily allowed to use the school’s equipment outside of strict class assignments. There were also massive hidden costs. While most film schools require you to self-finance your thesis film, NYFA was no exception - you need to budget an extra $15,000 or so for your final film. You also couldn’t use the schools insurance or buildings for your projects.
The Application & Financials
The application process is incredibly straightforward. You pay your fee, upload unofficial screenshots of your transcripts (no third-party verification needed), submit your portfolio, and you’re essentially in.
To their credit, their institutional financial aid was great. They immediately offered me a talent scholarship and a means-tested scholarship, which brought the tuition cost down significantly.
The Curriculum
Semester 1 (Fall): Film Production, Screenwriting, Thesis Development, Drawing Techniques for Storyboarding, Cinema Studies
Semester 2 (Spring): Film Directing II, Producing, Thesis Review, Media & Culture
Semester 3 (Summer): Final Film Production, Emerging Formats, Thesis Submission, Theories of Cinema
Option 2:
School of Visual Arts (SVA) – New York
MPS in Film Directing
Length: 9 months (2 semesters) | September 2026 – May 2027
Annual Tuition Cost: $64,690
Location: Manhattan, New York
I found SVA on what felt like my tenth deep-dive Google search, desperately looking for an alternative to NYFA. They offered an MPS (Master of Professional Studies) in Film Directing. It checked every box: one year long, intensely focused on directing, with built-in scriptwriting modules.
The structure was fascinating - classes are held in the evenings, taught by working industry professionals, and the entire year builds toward a final thesis film.
From my very first email, the contrast in administration was night and day. The SVA admissions contact was incredibly helpful. She was completely transparent about the extra costs, explicitly stating that I should expect to spend around $15,000 of my own money to finance the thesis project. Crucially, she sent me links to past graduates’ work and shared alumni email addresses so I could ask unfiltered questions.
The Inside Scoop
I spoke on the phone for an hour with an alumna from France who attended during COVID. Her takeaway was very balanced:
The Pros: She loved the course and highly praised the scriptwriting modules. She noted that New York is an incredible, bustling place to live, and unlike LA, you don’t need the massive expense of a car.
The Cons: Manhattan is intensely expensive. Because the course attracts a lot of international students who have never done film before, she occasionally felt a bit ahead of the baseline curriculum. Her advice was: If you are outgoing and ready to hustle to make the most of it, it’s absolutely worth it.
The Application & Financials
The application process was much more rigorous than NYFA’s. Grades aren’t everything, but your portfolio heavily matters - you have to submit up to three full videos, a personal statement, and a 1-minute video introducing yourself.
The most stressful part was the transcripts. SVA requires international degrees to be formally evaluated by a third-party service like WES (World Education Service) to convert your grades into an American GPA. I requested my transcripts from the University of Glasgow in late November, but it took about 2 months for them to come through. WES didn’t clear them until mid-January. I technically missed SVA’s official deadline of January, but I kept them updated, submitted everything else on time, and they were incredibly accommodating.
My advice to anyone applying to the US: Get your international transcripts converted and evaluated the second you decide to apply. Do not wait.
The major downside to SVA is the lack of institutional financial aid. Unlike other schools, they don’t offer housing or meal discounts. I did receive a $10,000 departmental scholarship (which will go directly toward my thesis film), but otherwise, you are on your own.
The Curriculum
Semester 1 (Fall): Film Language, Analysis and Criticism; Screenwriting; Producing for Film Artists; Directing
Semester 2 (Spring): Film Language, Analysis and Criticism; Director’s Toolbox; Editing as Storytelling; The Thesis Project
What Did I Choose?
I’m not going to lie: the financial side of choosing SVA has been incredibly stressful. (I will write a completely separate post breaking down exactly how I managed to piece together funding). The reality is that if I’d chosen NYFA, I wouldn’t have been so stressed about finances. But, ultimately, I realised I’m getting one shot at an amazing master’s degree in America and I just wanted to go with my gut.
SVA simply felt like the right fit for me as a filmmaker. Their communication has been supportive every step of the way - they’ve even been accommodating with a slight delay in my fee payments. I’ll write a separate blog on how I’ve been able to finance SVA…because it has been a journey, but increasingly I’m feeling it’s the right one.
I actually think I could have had a fun time in LA at NYFA. The course does look good and - even if it isn’t perfect - I don’t think you can go too wrong with studying film in LA. Plus…it’s a lot cheaper with all the financial aid. Also, the likes of Curry Barker went to NYFA (albeit he dropped out), so it can’t be that bad!
But for me, SVA felt like the better option… only time will tell if it actually is.
I’ll be sure to post a proper update on my time in Manhattan once I land!