UB Programs At-A-Glance

Film Studies

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.cas.buffalo.edu/depts/filmstudies/

Bernadette Wegenstein
Program Director

Kate Anderson
Program Advisor

About the Department

The new Film Studies (FST) program is an interdisciplinary BA curriculum in the College of Arts and Sciences, and is administered by the Department of Media Study. FST offers film related courses from the Departments of Anthropology, African American Studies, Art, Communications, Comparative Literature, English, Media Study, Romance Languages and Literatures, Sociology, and Women’s Studies, as well as from the Center for the Americas, taught by thirty different CAS faculty members. Throughout the FST curriculum, students approach film critically (filmmaking will be only a minor, and elective, component): They acquire historical, theoretical, and intercultural tools to study films from around the world and become capable of reading the art of cinema as cultural critics. Screenings, film festivals, the Buffalo Film Seminars, and FST conferences will be offered to enrich students’ critical film expertise in Buffalo.

Degrees Offered

Undergraduate: B.A.
Graduate: M.A.

About Our Degrees

Acceptance Criteria - B.A.

Completion of three courses within the major with a minimum GPA of 2.5

Acceptance Information

Deadlines: Rolling
Admission to the major is granted at the end of the sophomore year, when students will have accumulated at least fifty overall credit hours with a minimum GPA of 2.0.
Students must meet with the Director of the FST program prior to application to the major (usually at the end of the sophomore year).
No course can count twice.

Degree Requirements

Please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

Transfer Policy

Film studies coursework taken at another institution will be evaluated for transferability to UB by the director of the FST program. Students should provide a transcript and syllabi for courses taken. For applications, please contact Professor Bernadette Wegenstein in the Department of Media Study.

Transfer students and continuing students who have accumulated 50 or more credit hours overall will be able to declare the major provisionally until they are able to complete the courses within the major. This will insure that students declaring the interdisciplinary major have both the brealih and the particular preparation to succeed in the FST major. To facilitate the articulation of transfer courses into the major, the program director will confer with each incoming transfer student.

About Our Courses

The typical class size for:

Freshman/introductory courses is: 40-50 (in film history courses)
Sophomore/intermediate courses is: 30-60
Upper level/advanced courses is: 20-30

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.

Special Academic Opportunities

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.

Extracurricular Activities

See the UB Student Association.

Complementary Programs and Courses

Minors that Complement Film Studies

  • American Studies
  • English
  • Theatre
  • Women’s Studies


Majors that Complement Film Studies

  • Anthropology
  • Art
  • Business Administration
  • Communications
  • Dance
  • English
  • Music
  • Theatre

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

The FST program educates students to become film writers, film teachers, or prepare for a film concentration in their future graduate studies.

  • Copywriters
  • Curators in galleries and museums
  • Employees in federal and state funding agencies
  • Film reviewers/critics
  • Grant writers
  • Media specialists/consultants
  • Program coordinators
  • Programmers
  • Reporters/Correspondents
  • Script/Continuity writers
  • Script/Screen writers
  • University/college professors


Work settings include:

  • Advertising agencies
  • Colleges/universities
  • Film studios
  • Film/video supply houses
  • Libraries
  • Media galleries
  • Media production firms
  • Motion picture companies
  • Museums/archives
  • Newspapers/publishing firms
  • Non-profit agencies
  • Public relations agencies
  • Schools

Links to Further Information About This Program