Curb College's film program the only Tennessee school on the 2026 list
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 2, 2026) – Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business is included on TheWrap’s 11th annual list of the nation’s Top 50 Film Schools. This is Belmont’s second year on the list, and the University is the only Tennessee institution in the 2026 ranking.
Developed with research firm Screen Engine/ASI, the data-driven ranking scores programs on selectivity, retention and graduation rates, faculty qualifications, equipment, hands-on experience and alumni success. Belmont joins a list that includes NYU, USC, UCLA, AFI Conservatory and Columbia University. TheWrap highlighted Belmont’s connections to Nashville’s production market and music industry, as well as its pioneering work in Dolby Atmos. Those connections help keep students engaged, with 90% returning after their first year and 75% completing their degrees.
The ranking builds on a strong track record with the entertainment industry’s leading publications. For eight consecutive years, Variety has named the Curb College among North America’s top film schools, and Belmont is the only southern institution recognized on both Billboard’s top music business programs and Variety’s education impact lists.
Tennessee’s film industry is growing alongside the program, generating an estimated $6.4 billion in entertainment-sector GDP, according to the Tennessee Entertainment Commission. The state ranks fifth in the nation for film and video production employment.
“This recognition reflects real momentum, both in Curb College and across Tennessee’s film industry,” said David Schreiber, interim dean of Curb College. “Tennessee is becoming a place where stories are not only written and recorded but also filmed. Our students are learning in the middle of that growth, guided by faculty who have built careers in this industry, and they are graduating equipped to help lead it.”
Now in its 14th year, Belmont’s Department of Film, Television and Media Production enrolls about 340 undergraduates and has 14 full-time faculty members, all with industry backgrounds. With production courses averaging 15 students and all taught directly by faculty, students get hands-on time from the start. They pick up cameras in their first semester and choose a concentration in screenwriting, film studies or production. The program culminates in the Senior Film Project, a 15-minute short crewed by students specializing in directing and producing, cinematography, editing and sound.
“Our faculty bring 15 to 30 years of professional experience to the classroom and teach the work they have done at the highest levels of the industry,” said Dave Warburton, chair of Film, Television and Media Production. “Our students don’t have to imagine what a career in this field looks like. They learn directly from professionals who have done the jobs they are preparing to enter, and they graduate ready to work.”
Much of that training happens in Belmont’s Johnson Center, which Warburton describes as a mini studio lot. Facilities include the first Dolby Atmos cinematic mix theater on a university campus, a 2,500-square-foot sound stage, ARRI Alexa cinema cameras, a Foley and ADR stage and 87 remote editing systems accessible around the clock.
Belmont alumni include Alexa Campbell, a CMT Award-winning music video director; Madison Bishop, an assistant production coordinator on “Succession” and “And Just Like That”; Grayson Propst, a production supervisor on “Curb Your Enthusiasm;” and Cole Marvin, personal assistant to filmmaker Shawn Levy. Recent guest speakers include Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins, “Stranger Things” producer Rand Geiger, screenwriter and director Randall Wallace and Emmy-winning actress Patricia Heaton.
Film students also benefit from being part of one of the most connected entertainment ecosystems in higher education. Within the Curb College, they collaborate with peers in music business, audio engineering and entertainment industry studies. Across Nashville, they work on music video shoots, concerts and festivals, including Belmont’s student-produced Showcase Series arena concerts.
About Belmont University
Located near the heart of thriving Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont University consists of nearly 9,000 students who come from every state and 33 countries. The University is nationally recognized for its innovative approach as well as its commitment to undergraduate teaching (U.S. News & World Report). As a Christ-centered, student-focused community, Belmont’s mission is to develop diverse leaders of purpose, character and wisdom who possess a transformational mindset and are eager and equipped to make the world a better place. With more than 115 areas of undergraduate study, 41 master’s programs and eight doctoral degrees, Belmont University aims to be the leading Christ-centered university in the world, producing leaders who will radically champion the pursuit of life abundant for all people.
Belmont University Media Contact
Julia Copeland, director of PR
julia.copeland@belmont.edu | 615.460.6178
Learn more about Belmont's film program