SDSU School of Theatre, Television, and Film

What SDSU School of Theatre, Television, and Film does

SDSU School of Theatre, Television, and Film is an academic unit within San Diego State University (part of the California State University system) that delivers higher-education programs across three divisions: Theatre, Television/Film/New Media, and Design and Technology. It offers 13 undergraduate and graduate degrees — including B.A., B.S., M.A., and M.F.A. tracks — plus two minors and an Entertainment Management certificate, supported by 65+ combined faculty and staff and five performance venues, most prominently the newly renovated Main Stage Theatre and Prebys Stage within the SDSU Performing Arts District.

The school functions as a platform-plus-institutes model: alongside degree instruction, it operates research and creative centers such as the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film (originator of the "Celluloid Ceiling" and "Boxed In" studies), the New Musical Initiative, the Alicia Annas Historical Costume Collection, the Production Center for Documentary and Drama, the Musical Theatre Archive, and the SDSU Story Lab for narrative and XR research. Student production capacity is substantial — the Television, Film, and New Media student body produces over 100 films per semester, and the school hosts four film festivals annually.

The school is not a commercial enterprise; its inflows come primarily from California state appropriations, SDSU tuition and fees, and institutional budget allocations, supplemented by theatre ticket sales and alumni/donor contributions via a dedicated giving page. Its primary customer segment is prospective undergraduate and graduate students, and it markets through SDSU institutional channels, social media, public productions, and earned media around student and alumni achievements. The school holds accredited institutional membership with the National Association of Schools of Theatre and maintains production partnerships with La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, San Diego Repertory Theatre, and Diversionary Theatre.

Name

SDSU School of Theatre, Television, and Film

Legal name

San Diego State University

Website

https://ttf.sdsu.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SDSU School of Theatre, Television, and Film is an academic unit within San Diego State University offering 13 undergraduate and graduate degrees across theatre, television/film/new media, and design and technology, serving prospective students through accredited, production-intensive programs linked to regional professional theatres.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education — Performing Arts and Media

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Film, Television & Media Arts Colleges (EDAHAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN), Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE), Educational & Instructional Nonfiction (MPADADAL), Children’s & Youth Educational Entertainment (Edutainment) (EDAGALAK)

Keywords

• Theatre arts education
• Film production programs
• Television media studies
• Design technology training
• Musical theatre degrees

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and State Funding: As a public university department within San Diego State University, the school is funded primarily through a combination of California state appropriations, student tuition and fees, and institutional budget allocations from SDSU.
2. Theatre Ticket Sales: The school sells tickets to its public theatre productions through season packages and individual performance sales. Ticket packages are available for purchase via the school's production calendar.
3. Alumni and Donor Contributions: The school maintains a dedicated giving page (givenow.sdsu.edu/school-of-theatre-television-and-film) and engages alumni through an update form to stay connected and seek donations and mentorship support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SDSU School of Theatre, Television, and Film is an academic department that delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, minors, and certificates in theatre arts, musical theatre, design and technology, and television/film/new media production and critical studies. It complements classroom instruction with hands-on production work through five performance venues and faculty-led research centers and institutes, producing over 100 films per semester and hosting four film festivals annually.

Product overview

SDSU School of Theatre, Television, and Film offers a comprehensive educational portfolio spanning undergraduate and graduate degrees across three main divisions: Theatre (performance, design & technology, youth theatre, musical theatre), Television/Film/New Media (production and critical studies), and Design & Technology. The school operates as a platform-plus-institutes model, combining academic degree programs with research centers including the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film and the New Musical Initiative. Students produce over 100 films per semester, and the school hosts four film festivals annually. The MFA in Design and Technology is a three-year professional degree, while the M.F.A. Film and Television Production prepares students for careers in narrative, documentary, and digital production. The school also offers minors in Theatre Arts and Television/Film/New Media, plus an Entertainment Management certificate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film: A nationally recognized institute led by faculty focusing on research and employment of women in media.
• SDSU New Musical Initiative
• The Production Center for Documentary and Drama
• Alicia Annas Historical Costume Collection
• Musical Theatre Archive
• Centers for the Study of Media and Performance
• SDSU Story Lab

Products and services

• B.A. Musical Theatre Undergraduate degree combining theatre, music, and dance for careers in musical theatre.
• B.A. Theatre Arts - Performance Emphasis Undergraduate degree emphasizing theatrical performance skills and acting techniques.
• B.A. Theatre Arts - Youth Theatre Emphasis Undergraduate degree focused on teaching theatre arts to young people and youth theatre programming.
• B.A. Theatre Arts - General Theatre Arts General undergraduate degree providing broad foundation in theatre arts.
• B.A. Theatre Arts - Design and Technology Emphasis Undergraduate degree focusing on scenic design, costume design and technology, lighting design, technical direction, production design, and projection design/integrated media.
• B.S. Television, Film, and New Media - Critical Studies Emphasis Undergraduate degree focused on critical analysis and scholarly study of television, film, and emerging media.
• B.S. Television, Film, and New Media - Production Emphasis Undergraduate degree focused on practical production of television, film, and new media content.
• Theatre Arts Minor Minor program providing foundational theatre arts coursework for non-majors.
• Television, Film, and New Media Minor Minor program introducing television, film, and new media studies and production.
• Entertainment Management Basic Certificate Certificate program covering business and management aspects of the entertainment industry.
• M.A. Theatre Arts Master of Arts degree in Theatre Arts for advanced scholarly study.
• M.F.A. Musical Theatre Master of Fine Arts focused on advanced musical theatre performance and training.
• M.F.A. Theatre Arts - Design and Technology Concentration Three-year Master of Fine Arts with emphases in scenic design, costume design and technology, lighting design, projection/integrated media design, production design, and technical direction.
• M.F.A. Film and Television Production Master of Fine Arts designed for candidates with creative/artistic potential to complete original narrative, documentary, or digital production work at professional craft levels.
• Theatre Ticket Packages and Public Performances Ticketed public theatre performances and season ticket packages produced by the school for the broader San Diego community.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• The Center for the Study of Women in Television and FilmflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerA nationally recognized institute led by faculty of the School of Theatre, Television, and Film, providing research leadership in gender representation in media. The center is housed within TTF and is a key differentiator for the school.
• SDSU New Musical InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA faculty-led initiative dedicated to developing new musical works, housed within TTF. Students collaborate on world premieres of new musical theatre productions.
• Center for Media and PerformancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA faculty-led research and creative center housed within TTF, supporting interdisciplinary work across media and performance studies.
• La Jolla PlayhousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA premier regional theatre adjacent to SDSU. Faculty and students engage in production collaboration and professional networking with La Jolla Playhouse. Multiple faculty members have professional affiliations with the theatre.
• The Old Globe TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA major San Diego regional theatre. Multiple faculty members hold professional roles at The Old Globe, and students benefit from industry exposure and potential production opportunities.
• National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST)coreOthersThe school holds accredited institutional membership with NAST, which sets standards for theatre education programs across the United States.
• College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts (PSFA)coreOthersThe parent college within SDSU that encompasses the School of Theatre, Television, and Film along with related arts and communication disciplines.
• San Diego Repertory TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA local San Diego theatre company. Community engagement activities and student production opportunities connect the school with this organisation.
• Diversionary TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA San Diego LGBTQ+ theatre company. Faculty member Wilfred Paloma serves as Director of Education & Community Engagement, and student DocuDramas have been developed in partnership with the theatre.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• La Jolla Playhouse: Premier San Diego regional theatre partnering with SDSU TTF on productions, internships, and faculty appointments. Comparable as a professional theatre ecosystem player rather than an academic peer.

Direct peers

• American Film Institute: Conservatory focused on MFA-level film and television production training. Comparable in advanced film-production curriculum, though narrower (graduate-only) than SDSU TTF.
• USC School of Cinematic Arts: University-based film, television, and media arts school offering undergraduate and graduate degrees with substantial production output. Most direct comparable to SDSU TTF in discipline mix, although substantially larger in scale and resources.
• Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama: Top-tier university school offering BFA/MFA in drama with strong production and design emphases. Comparable in theatre-training depth and design/technology specialization.
• CalArts: California-based arts conservatory covering film, theatre, design, and music with significant production output. Comparable in California arts-school positioning and degree structure.
• Emerson College: Specialized college with strong performing arts, film, and media programs. Comparable in its focused arts-and-media curriculum and student-production emphasis.
• Boston University College of Fine Arts: University-based fine arts school offering degrees in theatre, music, and visual arts with conservatory-style training. Comparable academic structure to SDSU TTF as a CFA-style unit.
• UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television: California-based university school offering degrees in theatre, film, and television with strong research centers. Closely comparable in geographic footprint and academic structure to SDSU TTF.
• Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts: California-based film school with intensive production programs and industry-connected faculty. Comparable in production output focus and Southern California location, though more specialized in film/media than theatre.
• NYU Tisch School of the Arts: Premier arts school offering conservatory-style training across film, television, theatre, and design. Highly comparable in degree portfolio and production intensity, though located in New York with a much larger national brand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SDSUVideo
• Facebookfacebook.com/SanDiegoState
• Instagraminstagram.com/sandiegostateuniversity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sdsu-ttf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SDSU School of Theatre, Television, and Film