Compare 20 Filmmaking-related PhD Programs in the US

Grad School Navigator tracks 20 Filmmaking-related PhD programs in the US across 19 universities. Most do not require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); only 14% report it as a requirement. A typical program takes about 60 months. Start with the ranked programs below, then use Explorer to compare the details that matter to your shortlist.

Top Programs

Sorted by Grad School Navigator University Rank. Each row also shows QS, Times Higher Education, U.S. News, or Academic Ranking of World Universities positions when available.

  1. 1

    Stanford University

    Doctor of Philosophy in Theater and Performance Studies

    Application deadline
    Nov 25
    Annual tuition
    $63,540
    Program duration
    60 months
  2. 2

    University of Chicago

    Doctor of Philosophy in Theater & Performance Studies

    Annual tuition
    $22,400
    Program duration
    96 months
  3. 3

    Columbia University

    Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre

    Application deadline
    Dec 2
    Annual tuition
    $56,840
    Program duration
    72 months
  4. 4

    University of California, Los Angeles

    Doctor of Philosophy in Theater and Performance Studies

    Application deadline
    Dec 10
    Annual tuition
    $36,297
  5. 5

    New York University

    Doctor of Philosophy in Cinema Studies

    Application deadline
    Dec 1
    Program duration
    72 months
  6. 6

    Brown University

    Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies

    Application deadline
    Jan 4
    Annual tuition
    $74,568
    Program duration
    84 months
  7. 7

    The University of Texas at Austin

    Doctor of Musical Arts in Opera Directing

    Application deadline
    Dec 1 +5
    Annual tuition
    $18,326
    Program duration
    36 months
  8. 8

    University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign

    Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre Studies

    Application deadline
    Jan 15 +1
    Annual tuition
    $32,416
    Program duration
    36 months
  9. 9

    University of Minnesota--Twin Cities

    Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre Arts

    Application deadline
    Jan 5
    Program duration
    60 months
  10. 10

    University of Pittsburgh

    Doctor of Philosophy in Theatre and Performance Studies

    Application deadline
    Jan 15
    Program duration
    60 months

Use detailed filters for tuition, deadlines, duration, admission requirements, and rankings in Programs Explorer. Compare programs and create your application shortlist.

Compare all 20 programs in Explorer

Popular Criteria

See programs that match these criteria.

No Graduate Record Examination required7Lower annual tuition2Application fee waived1

Complete Program List20 programs

The complete list of Filmmaking-related PhD Programs, ranked by their global university rank first.

First programs in this cohort
RankUniversityProgramDuration
#2Stanford UniversityDoctor of Philosophy in Theater and Performance Studies60 months
#11University of ChicagoDoctor of Philosophy in Theater & Performance Studies96 months
#12Columbia UniversityDoctor of Philosophy in Theatre72 months
#17University of California, Los AngelesDoctor of Philosophy in Theater and Performance Studies
#24New York UniversityDoctor of Philosophy in Cinema Studies72 months
#30Brown UniversityDoctor of Philosophy in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies84 months
#31The University of Texas at AustinDoctor of Musical Arts in Opera Directing36 months
#38University of Wisconsin--MadisonDoctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies
#41University of Illinois--Urbana-ChampaignDoctor of Philosophy in Theatre Studies36 months
#59University of California--Santa BarbaraDoctor of Philosophy in Theater Studies (literary, critical, and historical research)
#64University of Maryland, College ParkDoctor of Philosophy in Theatre and Performance Studies
#72University of Minnesota--Twin CitiesDoctor of Philosophy in Theatre Arts60 months
#72University of Minnesota--Twin CitiesDoctor of Philosophy in Theatre Historiography
#75University of PittsburghDoctor of Philosophy in Theatre and Performance Studies60 months
#95Ohio State University--ColumbusDoctor of Philosophy in Theatre
#99University of GeorgiaDoctor of Philosophy in Theatre & Performance Studies36 months
#134University of Colorado BoulderDoctor of Philosophy in Theatre and Performance Studies48 months
#301–400University at Buffalo--SUNYDoctor of Philosophy in Theatre & Performance60 months
#401–500Florida State UniversityDoctor of Philosophy – Theatre Studies60 months
University of OregonDoctor of Philosophy in Theatre Arts72 months

Related Comparisons

Other degree

Other regions

Related subjects

Parent subject

More Program Intelligence

Programs Explorer brings full program records, comparison tools, and proprietary intelligence into one workspace. Compare these 20 Filmmaking-related PhD programs in the US and build your shortlist with evidence from 900,000+ real application shortlists.

  • Full Program RecordsRequirements, deadlines, costs, funding, curriculum, faculty, careers, and official links
  • Case IntelligenceDifficulty, outcomes, admitted and rejected profiles, and program statistics
  • Decision IntelligenceDecision timing, interviews, waitlists, funding, and community reports
  • Shortlist IntelligenceCo-applications, similar programs, and also-considered universities
Explore all 20 programs in Programs Explorer