Hocking College
Locations: OH-Nelsonville
Degrees: Associate's, certificates
Programs: Digital Game Design, Music Management, Nursing, Culinary Arts, Archeology and others (approx. 50 total)
Tuition Range: $2,100 - 4,200 per Semester
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Located in the small town of Nelsonville in east-central Ohio, Hocking College is a community college offering associate’s degree programs in mainly career-focused courses of study. Among the nearly 50 programs offered are several media-art related programs, which include Interactive Multimedia, Digital Game Design and Music Management with Specialization in Production (i.e. audio engineering). The school also offers several hospitality-related programs, such as Baking, Culinary Arts and Hotel/Restaurant Management. Situated in the heart of national forest land, Hocking College also offers several Natural Resources majors relevant to its surroundings, such as Forest Management, Wildlife Resources Management and GeoEnvironmental Science.
Hocking College follows a typical semester-based academic structure, so expect to spend about 2 years earning an associate’s degree. Some degree programs are transferable toward a bachelor’s degree at other schools. Tuition is fairly reasonable, especially for Ohio residents; full-time tuition is $2095.50 per semester for residents, and double that amount for non-residents.
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One Student Review
Located in the small town of Nelsonville in east-central Ohio, Hocking College is a community college offering associate’s degree programs in mainly career-focused courses of study. Among the nearly 50 programs offered are several media-art related programs, which include Interactive Multimedia, Digital Game Design and Music Management with Specialization in Production (i.e. audio engineering). The [...]
Review by Jeff K.
August 11, 2012 4I have 4 years of Education in Video Production. I began in high school when i attended a two year program at Tolles Career and Technical Center called Digital Media Production. I also attended Hocking College for Broadcast Production and Engineering.
I graduated both programs, I am currently a member of the Advisory Committee for the Digital Media Program at Tolles. I earned an Associate of Applied Science degree at Hocking College.
I found the program at Tolles was very useful and I learned a lot about the Industry and the step by step process of making a video at a very early age.
The dilemma I faced at Hocking was that I had already learned a majority of my Curriculum in the two year program I took in high school; at times this caused me to question the value of the education I was paying for. The information taught at Hocking was good, and I had to understand that not everyone has had the same prior experience I had in high school. I chose to focus my time on refining my skills and being experimental since I had already learned the basic Information taught in some of my early classes. I also expanded my horizons by taking classes in Music Production, 3D Animation, Photography and Photoshop. Overall my time at Hocking College was beneficial to me.
Since graduating I have worked on 4 feature films. I also do freelance video and photography work, I work at a lot of events doing corporate videos, sports, and ceremonies. I have operated a camera on a live t.v. sports broadcast. I do all of my work under contract and I do not have a full time job. I have definitely had periods of time where i couldn’t find work.
I have to plan for slow times and be very proactive about seeking out gigs. I don’t turn down anything that is related to the media industry and this mindset has turned out to be my biggest asset. I have done everything from being a stunt double in a film, to an event D.J. at a national Mary Kay conference. I bring up the event D.J. gig because you might ask yourself, “why would a film maker want to do that?” being a D.J. ended up paying off for me because it helped me land a gig as the Audio Mixer on a feature film because i understood audio levels and equipment. This is just one example of how being open minded and hungry for new experiences has worked to my advantage.
I would recommend a high school media program to any student who thinks they might be interested in the industry. The programs are before college and you do not have to pay tuition. One of two things will happen to students in the program; they will either decide that video work isn’t for them, or they will fall in love with it, like I did. It teaches you about the industry, equipment, and process at an early age, and I feel it has made me wise beyond my years and prepared me for this type of work.
Hocking College did teach a lot of useful information and I feel I benefited a lot from it. That being said, I am one of only a handful of recent alumni who is working consistently on media projects. I do wonder if I would have been better off going to a film school somewhere like Los Angeles where there is a lot more work and networking opportunities, But I can not complain about my current situation, I have been very fortunate and have discovered a lot of opportunities. I would recommend Hocking College to someone who came from a similar background as me.
I have achieved a lot since I have graduated, I have been to New York City to produce and film a movie about Dominique Strauss-Kahn. I have traveled all over the midwest including every major city in Ohio, Chicago ILL, and Morgantown and Huntington WV. I enjoy the benefits of this work, and with what I have achieved so far I could be closer to my goals than I anticipated, I also try to remind myself that i still have time to go to California for school if I decide to.
It is a common belief that it is not necessary to go to school for work in the film industry. While it is true that networking is probably the most useful skill associated with finding work consistently, To get that kind of recognition where people want to work with you and are willing to go out on a limb for you, you must be good at what you do. School definitely prepares people to work in the industry, anybody who is experienced knows how easy it is to spot someone who isn’t when you’re on set. Film school will definitely open a lot of doors for you.
Found work after graduation? Yes