Media Study
Department of Media Study
College of Arts and Sciences
231 Center for the Arts
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-6020
Phone: 716.645.6902
Fax: 716.645.6979
Web: www.mediastudy.buffalo.edu
Roy Roussel
Chair
About the Department
The Department of Media Study at the University at Buffalo is designed for students who are interested in digital arts, film, video, documentary, and critical studies as methods for investigating media technologies in image and sound and how they reflect concepts of representations of culture and self. Media Study is an innovative department in which students cultivate their talents as independent filmmakers, digital media producers, and critical thinkers. The curriculum is situated within contemporary developments in creative and critical practice, with a special interest in interdisciplinary approaches to media and media production.
Media Study employs the latest technology in its academic program. The Media Study Equipment Room has over 300 pieces of equipment including twenty-two video camcorders, five digital camcorders, fifteen super 8 cameras, twenty 16mm cameras, microphones and audio recorders, ten light kits, tripods, and film-to-video transfer equipment. Students have access to over 100 keys to postproduction facilities including eight videotape editing suites, four non-linear editing suites (Media 100), fourteen film editing suites, seven audio stations, and eight digital stations. The digital stations are packaged for non-linear editing, 3D animation, web design, and interactive design with Premiere, Photoshop, Director, Flash Animation, 3D Studio Max, and Maya 3D. Our PC lab features several linux machines. We now offer a Virtual Reality cave and a robotics lab.
Department Resources
Media Study is housed in the Center for the Arts on the Amherst (North) Campus along with the Department of Art, the Department of Theatre & Dance and its studios, and the University Gallery. The Center for the Arts is a lively building offering a constant stream of screenings, openings, performances, and concerts.
Facilities include a production studio and sound stage, two small screening rooms, and a large screening room that seats 200. Students may present work at nine locations in Media Study, including this large screening room. The Department of Media Study has an excellent collaborative relationship with:
- Albright-Knox Art Gallery
- Buffalo Media Access Center
- Buffalo Media Resources Center (Squeaky Wheel)
- Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Art (CEPA)
- Hallwalls
- Langston Hughes Center
Degrees Offered
Undergraduate: B.A., Minor
Concentrations: Production, Critical Studies
Graduate: M.A.H., M.F.A.
About Our Degrees
Students selecting Production take courses at the basic level and produce work in all three production areas: film, video, and digital arts. It is our philosophy that students should be exposed to multiple mediums to foster artistic talent and encourage ingenuity. Students in Media Study are thereby able to determine which production area best suits their interests as well as understand that no medium functions exclusively. A student interested in film, for example, will want exposure to digital arts (for special effects or to present their work online); similarly, a student in digital arts will want exposure to video (to incorporate video in web or virtual reality projects, for example). Students will continue to diversify at the intermediate level, and will focus on one area at the advanced level.
Students who select Critical Studies take courses in history, analysis and theory which aulress the complex interrelationship between artistic practice and theoretical discourses. Concepts in film theory, digital media design, the role of the machine, semiotics, political theory and cultural studies are aulressed through examination of works, critiques and theoretical texts. Students are required to take at least one basic production course to underscore the relationship between production and theory.
For information about our M.F.A. in Media Arts Production or about the M.A. in Humanities, please see http://mediastudy.buffalo.edu/s/grad_index.shtml.
Acceptance Criteria
Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Minimum GPA of 2.5 in three media study courses.
Completion of a minimum of 50 credit hours.
Acceptance Information
Deadlines: Rolling
Degree Requirements
See the Undergraduate Catalog.
Transfer Policy
Media coursework taken at another institution is evaluated by faculty for credit in the media study program. Students should provide a transcript and syllabi for courses taken; tapes or film may be required for evaluation of production courses. A meeting with the departmental undergraduate advisor is recommended prior to registering. Transfer students who transfer in 50 credit hours or more and have college-level coursework in media production - film, video or digital arts - are required to submit their work for acceptance into this concentration. Transfers who fall short of 50 credit hours or who do not have experience in their chosen concentration are not required to submit a portfolio until they have completed 50 credit hours or a course that allows them to prepare appropriate material for the review. For applications, please contact the Department of Media Study.
About Our Courses
The typical class size for:
Freshman/introductory courses is: 19 in introductory production courses, and 40-50 in film history courses
Sophomore/intermediate courses is: 15-20
Upper level/advanced courses is: 15-20
In the Department of Media Study, what do student teaching assistants (TA's) do?
TA’s teach some sections and are also responsible for classroom lectures and demonstrations, critical review of student work, and grading assignments.
For course descriptions, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.
About Our Faculty
Department of Media Study faculty specialize in video, film and digital arts. They continue to achieve international prominence, winning prizes at festivals, grants to continue creative work, and invitations to lecture.
Special Academic Opportunities
Independent Studies
There are a variety of possibilities for interested students to work with individual faculty members on topics of study.
Internships
For academic credit, the Department of Media Study encourages student participation in internship programs at production studios, local TV studios, and media access centers.
Study Abroad
Transfer credits for work done in media study at foreign universities can be arranged on an individual basis. We currently have programs in Bremen, and at Kent University in England.
Awards and Honors
Gregory Capasso Memorial Award
Presented for outstanding creative work in film, video, digital arts and media scholarship.
Pierre McAloon Memorial Award
Presented for excellence in creative work in film.
Levy-King-White Scholarships
Presented for academic achievement and demonstrated financial need.
Department Honors
These honors are given for outstanding achievement in film, video, digital arts and media scholarship, as well as outstanding service to the university and community. Certificates are presented at the annual meeting of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Performing and Creative Arts Scholarships
One or two scholarships of $2,500 a year for four years are available to entering freshmen majoring in media study. To qualify, students must be artistically accomplished as well as academically talented and fulfill the scholarship criteria set by the Honors Program.
Talent-based Scholarships
The Department of Media Study awards a small number of talent scholarships of $1,000 a year for four years to students who demonstrate talent in media. To qualify, students must submit their creative work in the form of film, video, scripts, and/or published movie reviews.
Extracurricular Activities
Undergraduate Media Study Club; for information, call 716-645-6902.
See the UB Student Association.
Complementary Programs and Courses
Minors that Complement Media Study
- Anthropology
- Computer Science
- Dance
- English
- Management Science and Systems
- Music
- Photography
- Theatre
Majors that Complement Media Study
- Anthropology
- Architecture
- Art
- Business Administration
- Communications
- Computer Science
- Dance
- English
- Environmental Design
- Music
- Theatre
Courses Outside the Major that Could Improve Employment Opportunities
- Architecture
- Art
- Communications
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- English
- Music
Advising Information
Students who meet the acceptance criteria may arrange an appointment with the academic advisor. The advising office is located in 231 Center for the Arts. Students should bring a DARS report to each appointment.
Career Information
Employment for those in Media Study generally focuses on creativity and production techniques utilizing film, video, electronic and computer-generated technology. This field integrates the examination of culture with the art and science of information/idea transfer through the use of images and sound.
It is important that students acquire a strong background in both the social sciences and liberal arts, develop refined verbal and written communication skills, and maintain a strong intellectual curiosity about the world around them. As media and technology is changing almost daily, it is also critical that the media study graduate not only understand how to use the diverse range of media that is available to them - they must also develop expertise in a particular field and develop their work through that channel.
Skills gained in this program include:
- Writing effective copy
- Presenting a point of view clearly and forcefully in a variety of media
- Using sight, sound, motion and words to create powerful and exciting images
- Synchronizing words with music, movement, sound and lighting to produce a finished work
- Effectively using design elements to hold an audience's attention
- Using research and investigative techniques to develop a piece of work
- Operating cameras, recorders, and computers
- Becoming resourceful in obtaining props, sets and other effects necessary to a production
- Using communication techniques to obtain and relay information
- Selecting, evaluating and editing media materials
Career Choices
- Broadcast team members/announcers
- CD ROM and game designers
- Copywriter
- Curators in galleries and museums
- Employees in federal and state funding agencies
- Film reviewers/critics
- Film/television writers, producers, directors, editors, technicians
- Grantwriters
- Independent artists
- Media specialists/consultants
- Motion picture photographers
- Program coordinators
- Programmers
- Reporters/correspondents
- Script/continuity writers
- Script/screen writers
- Set designers
- Special effects/graphics designers
- University/college professors
- VR interface designers for scientific research, industrial design, and architecture
- Web and interface designers
Recent graduates have found employment in the following areas:
- Assistant producer, WGBH-Boston
- Assistant editor at Solarium (edits commercials and shows for Lifetime and TLC channels)
- Film and video production at CineFamily, NYC
- Production coordinator at Believe Media, Inc., Los Angelos, CA
- Multimedia developer at Ingram Micro, Inc.
- Director of George Eastman House, Rochester, NY
- Editor for Fox Sports
- Film programmer at Hallwalls
Several graduates have won Emmys, Clios, and major film festivals, and have had their work shown on PBS and national television.
Work settings include:
- Advertising agencies
- Animation providers
- Colleges/universities
- Documentary producers
- Film studios
- Film/video supply houses
- Independent Producers
- Libraries
- Media galleries
- Media production firms
- Motion picture companies
- Museums/archives
- Newspapers/publishing firms
- Non-profit agencies
- Public relations agencies
- Record companies
- Recording studios
- Schools
- Television/radio stations
- Touring production companies
- Web design firms
What percentage of graduates is offered related employment?
80%
Post-undergraduate Opportunities
The Department of Media Study at UB offers these graduate degrees:
- M.F.A. in Media Arts Production
- M.A. in Humanities
What percentage of graduates goes on to graduate school?
20%