Learn the creative, management, and production process of the entertainment industry with a Television degree from Hofstra University. Master the latest techniques in field and studio production, editing, scriptwriting, directing, and development just miles from New York City, the media capital of the world.

Curriculum

The Television program at Hofstra offers the biggest variety of degree options available at the School of Communication. Choose from five television degree options catered to your interests.

The BA in Television Production and Studies focuses on the creative side of the television industry, from scriptwriting and editing to directing and producing. Choose from courses in television aesthetics and criticism, shows and showrunners, sitcom production, sports reporting and production, digital editing, lighting, and single- and multi-camera production.

The BS in Video/Television gives you a more technical, specialized approach to television and video production. Courses include advanced television technologies, multi-camera production, a media production practicum, as well as a science and computer science requirement.

The BS in Video, Television, and Film adds a film component to the video/television degree program, with courses such as advanced theatrical production, screenwriting, and cinematography; this degree also requires a media production practicum and coursework in science and computer science.

The BS in Video, Television, and Business combines an in-depth overview of television production and industry standards with coursework in legal issues, contracts, marketing, and management. If you are interested in working on the business side of media and entertainment, this program will give you the specialized skills and acumen you need to make killer deals.

The BFA in Writing for the Screen provides instruction for dramatic writers across all platforms, offering deep study in professional writing practice in pre-professional settings, to prepare our graduates to excel in “writing rooms” for all manner of screen media, new and old. As various streaming services emerge and thrive, the demand for new material continues to escalate, and our BFA program is designed to prepare students for this exciting new media landscape. 

Learn from Experts

Students in Hofstra’s Television program learn from highly respected and experienced professionals in the industry, including Professor Geoffrey Tarson, an accomplished television writer who has worked for NBC and the Disney Channel and written more than 20 produced scripts. He was named to Variety magazine’s 2020 list of top educators around the world and teaches in the new BFA in Writing for the Screen program.

The Student Experience

Explore potential career paths with a degree in Television at Hofstra. Develop valuable workplace skills, and build a network of professional contacts through internships, study abroad opportunities, campus media outlets, and student organizations.

Student interning at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

Students have recently interned at:

  • HBO
  • ABC
  • CBS
  • NBC
  • Viacom Media Networks
  • The Walt Disney Company
student in tv studio

Gain hands-on experience:

More than a dozen campus media outlets, including Hofstra Entertainment Access Television (HEAT), a student-run network that produces dozens of original programs each year.  

Student taking a photo in Rome.

Go global:

Journey beyond the classroom and experience RomeCubaLos Angeles, and NYC through the Herbert School's study away programs. 

The Outlook

Television production and online entertainment is expanding and according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in media and communications occupations is expected to grow 14 percent from 2020 to 2030. Television graduates from Hofstra University are prepared for many career options such as director, producer, scriptwriter, on-screen personality, video editor, videographer, location manager, sound or light technician, set designer, camera operator, production manager, control operator, program researcher, or casting director. Among graduates of of the Television programs:

92%

Employed, in graduate school, or both

94%

Accepted a job within six months of graduation 

$57K

Mean salary within one year of graduation

Alumni Success

Recent Hofstra Television graduates work at prominent companies such as MSG Networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, Netflix, CNN, and Showtime networks.

Others continue their studies at top graduate schools including George Washington University, New York University, Rutgers University, and elsewhere.

State-of-the-Art Learning Spaces

Learn and create television at Hofstra with the latest in field/mobile gear and in industry quality spaces that include two production studios with 4K ultrahigh-definition cameras, several edit rooms, a post-production color correction suite, Foley/ADR audio studio, and a large screening room.

Seriously Entertaining

Channel your creativity at Hofstra University’s television program and learn the skills that will prepare you to work in any professional setting, coast to coast.

students working in the television studio

Questions about our program?

Contact Us

Rodney Hill, PhD

Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Radio, Television, Film

rodney.f.hill@hofstra.edu

Phone: 516-463-7038

 

Randal Hillebrand, MBA

Adjunct Associate Professor and Television Area Coordinator 

randal.k.hillebrand@hofstra.edu  

Phone: 516-463-5205