<p>I am a high school senior applying to schools this fall and I am very interested in many schools, especially Northwestern, Harvard, Texas, Columbia, UPenn and NYU.</p>
<p>I am very interested in film/television production, but I'm not very sure about the financial stability of such a degree. I also like business/economics stuff as well though.</p>
<p>What is your opinion of the economics program at Northwestern; is it one of the better schools and can I get into a top MBA program with that degree?</p>
<p>What about the radio/television/film degree Northwestern offers; is it one of the elite programs?</p>
<p>So do you think that Northwestern's TV/Film program will give me one of the best opportunities to get into the industry even though its not located in one of the entertainment industry hubs: LA or New York?</p>
<p>You should know that NU's film program is heavily theory based- it is not a hollywood training mill like you'd find at the coasts. That's not to say it can't prepare you excellently for a career, but if you're more interested in making films, NU shouldn't be your first choice (maybe 3rd or 4th).</p>
<p>^that said, I believe NU film dept has some production courses.</p>
<p>From the Hollywood Reporter, 10/2/2007: "12 institutions that represent good investments for aspiring industry players of all types":</p>
<p>American Film Institute (masters program only)
American University
Boston University
California Institute of the Arts
Columbia University
Loyola Marymount University
New York University Northwestern University
Rhode Island School of Design
UCLA
USC
UT Austin</p>
<p>"So do you think that Northwestern's TV/Film program will give me one of the best opportunities to get into the industry even though its not located in one of the entertainment industry hubs: LA or New York?"</p>
<p>Google "Northwestern Mafia."<br>
Seriously, a little game that dh and I play is that with every TV show we watch, we figure out "which actor is the NU grad". It works with tons of sitcoms! All the way back to M<em>A</em>S*H (McLean Stevenson), Seinfeld (L-Dreyfus), Friends (Schwimmer), Scrubs (Braff), Will & Grace (Mullaly). NU's RTVF program will position you very well, though arbiter is right in that it's more theory-based.</p>
<p>As for economics, it's definitely a top ranked program, and as for MBA schools, they typically want to see your work experience for a few years anyway. </p>
<p>Do you think though that a double major of economics/RTF at Northwestern would be a better option than a business honors/RTF degree at Texas?
I know both schools have excellent programs in each area.</p>
<p>Or if I got into Harvard would an economics degree there combined with a staff position at the Harvard Lampoon offer me a better chance to make it in the entertainment industry?</p>
<p>Ultimately, actually being funny will get you further in the comedy business (which it sounds like you mean) than any academic training.</p>
<p>That said, NU is the place to go if you want to learn Improvisational Comedy, which is, in my humble opinion, the absolute best training for comedy.</p>