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 Program

The film studies program (FST) program, administered by the Department of Media Study, is an interdisciplinary BA curriculum in the College of Arts and Sciences. 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 (http://csac.buffalo.edu/bfs.html), and FST conferences are offered to enrich students’ critical film expertise in Buffalo.

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.

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 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.

Practical Experience and 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


Majors that Complement Film Studies

Career Information and Further Study

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


Last Modified: Tuesday, 7-Nov-2006 10:26:09 EST