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I really enjoyed my time at the University of New Orleans. The campus had a relaxed vibe, and I loved having the gym and the on-campus bar right there when I needed a break. Being so close to the water made the whole place feel peaceful, especially on busy days. My classes were a good size, not too crowded, so it was easy to actually engage and get to know the professors. UNO is also incredibly diverse, which I appreciated. It draws in people from all over, especially those interested in the tourism... Read More industry, and it made the experience feel a lot more open-minded and welcoming.

University of New Orleans is a troubled school with byzantine funding and organizational issues. It is not uncommon they don't have financial aid processed before payments for classes are due, for example... throwing almost the entire school into chaos. To be clear, I had straight As (well, one B), was President of the film society, and was the graduate student chosen to sit on the faculty committee. I was a Graduate Asssistant and in fact managed a dept. In Film Production, there was just no graduate... Read More oversight. I was allowed to make an entire 96 minute film, greenlighted at every stage, and told I was doing excellent the night before my thesis defense. The next morning, the dept. head decided he didn't like the film, and I was suddenly required to make a whole new movie and register for years more classes with no warning. They admitted to not having watched any of the previous edits, and simply rubber-stamped me throughout. It took 3 years to complete my film, which they said was going great, then suddenly required me to fund a whole new project. It was against the manual, against every policy in the dept, was definitely misconduct for grading on false criteria but the university refused to follow its own policies in looking into it when I appealed the issue. I cannot un-recommend this school enough. The worst part of reporting it was that no one was surprised. The reaction was not "You're lying!", it was "Yeah, and so what? Don't you see there are bigger issues happening than one student losing their $40,000 investment in grad school?" Was kind of unbelievable, but the professors have so internalized the bad system they blame the students for every issue. There are exceptions, but I'm describing the culture. Sometimes other graduate instructors would grade on things like how long someone's paper was. And there was no system of overseeing any of it. I had classes where professors had forgot to make a syllabus when we walked in on the first day of class. Was a really poor showing in umpteen ways. The experience was good in some ways that I and other students made good, the university contributed much less than we put in.

The University of New Orleans is an excellent choice for students wishing to pursue a degree in Film Arts. The curriculum is inclusive of both film history, theory and writing, as well as practical instruction in film production and post-production. The student film community is very active, allowing students to learn from participating in the production process at various stages. Attending this program also allows students to assert their ambitions and be involved in the film community at a professional... Read More level, as New Orleans is an active production hub. Unfortunately, the student is generally solely responsible for seeking out professional career opportunities. The University did not provide me with any support in terms of networking opportunities or career advising. I was also disappointed that the film curriculum did not provide the opportunity for independent projects, namely to write, produce and direct a short film for one's portfolio. Overall, I am satisfied with my degree in Film Arts from the University of New Orleans and am grateful for the opportunities my education provided me.

If you like being taught by TAs, having a limited choices as to what classes you can take (many students can't finish because the courses they need aren't offered), and not being prepared to enter the industry (unless you want to be a PA), then UNO is for you. If you do attend, watch out for the int'l dept. If you try to study abroad in a program that they don't provide, they'll take your money and run! And don't bother with counseling. They'll ask you why you're trying to take classes and graduate.... Read More X'D

Professors who genuinely care about what they are teaching. They are also active in the Arts Admin field so they can give us real world lessons which is helpful. They all also make themselves very available to help in any way they can outside of the classroom with work they have assigned. They are excited about what they are teaching, which gets me excited and keeps me motivated. I wish there were more classes offered in the afternoon, I am usually pretty tired by the time my night classes roll around.... Read More

The academic aspects of the program as well as the area, lifestyle, and accessibility of the program are all fantastic. The main issue I have encountered so far is financial issues related to being a first-time, first generation graduate student. There are very few financial aid opportunities for incoming graduate students and many find that they have substantial tuition gaps to fill. One thing that I would change in that vein would be to make more scholarships, need-based awards, and tuition waivers... Read More available to students.