Overview

The Department of Film and Media Arts offers both the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Film and Media Arts (FMA). The FMA program focuses on the development of creative expression and technical skills in film, video, audio, digital media, and new technologies, and the theoretical understanding of media and culture. The program recognizes and explores the creative tension between individual expression and the social, political and economic forces that shape culture at large through the creation and study of film, video and new media.

Students are trained in developing meaningful content as well as craft, theory and practice. In learning independent and mainstream approaches to production and theory, graduates will be prepared to develop their own independent productions and to assume a creative role in the motion picture, television and media industries.

Initially students declare either the Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Arts or the Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Arts with an optional Concentration in Screen Studies. In the spring of their sophomore year (60 credits), students may apply to enter one of three upper-level optional BFA concentrations in Directing, Media Arts or Screenwriting or one of three upper-level optional BA concentrations in Cinematography, Producing or Post Production.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Media Arts with an optional Concentration in Directing is an intensive, professional degree that prepares students to enter graduate Film programs or pursue professional careers in screen directing. It focuses on both fictional and non-fictional directing. Studies will culminate in the direction of an advanced creative production in the BFA Directing Project Classes. Narrative and documentary students will take the same curriculum except as follows. Narrative students will choose two from a list of three courses: Screen Directing, Screen Performance, and Scene Analysis. Documentary students will choose two from a list of four courses: Making Documentaries, Experimental Media Workshop, Anthropological Film/Media or Researching and Developing Documentaries.

Students interested in applying for the Directing concentration must complete the following courses by the end of their sophomore year:

Campus Location: Main

Program Code: CA-FMA-BFA

To Apply for a BFA in Film and Media Arts with Concentrations in Directing, Media Arts or Screenwriting

To be considered, students need to complete 60 credits by the end of their sophomore year, earn an average of 3.0 in six foundational and intermediate courses (see each program page for details), submit a BFA application to the department, and provide a portfolio. The BFA application must be submitted to the department no later than the deadline announced on the Film and Media Studies Undergraduate Listserv in the spring semester in which the student reaches sixty credits. Students with less than an average of 3.0 in the six courses or who have only completed five of the six courses may petition the department for admission to one of the BFA concentrations. (See concentration faculty advisor.) Students who were not admitted to one of the BFA concentrations can continue in the BA in Film and Media Arts or the BA in Film and Media Arts with a Concentration in Screen Studies or apply for one of the three upper-level BA concentrations.

Transfer Students Applying to the BFA in Film and Media Arts with Concentrations in Directing, Media Arts or Screenwriting, or the BA in Film and Media Arts with Concentrations in Cinematography, Producing or Post Production

All internal and external transfer students who have transferred no equivalent FMA courses may apply to the BFA or the BA with an upper-level concentration in their second year as a Film and Media Arts student, provided they have completed all application requirements and a creative portfolio. Transfer students who have courses equivalent to the FMA core will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may be able to apply for the BFA or the BA with an upper-level concentration in their first year as a Film and Media Arts student. Please see advisor for a long-term academic plan. All transfer students should be aware that completing either the BFA or the BA with an upper-level concentration may extend their time at Temple.

Exceptional cases for direct admission to the BFA or BA with upper-level concentrations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Concentration Faculty Advisor.

Los Angeles Study-Away Program

The Department of Film and Media Arts offers a department-run study-away academic and internship program in Los Angeles every semester. Students may apply to attend in fall, spring and summer of their junior and senior years. They should complete FMA 2071 Creative Industry Head Start before attending the Los Angeles Program. Students interested in this option should contact the director of the Los Angeles Program, Alison Crouse, at alison.crouse@temple.edu.

Special Considerations for Directing and Screenwriting BFA Students:

Because it is a more structured curriculum than that of the other Film and Media Arts sequences, students in the BFA in FMA's concentrations in Directing and Screenwriting who wish to participate in the Los Angeles Program typically attend the Los Angeles Program during the summer semester after their junior or senior years. They should meet with the BFA Director and advisors well before the semester they plan to attend the Los Angeles Program.

Other Internships and Special Programs

FMA has an extensive internship program throughout the year in Philadelphia. Additionally, many organizations in New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Washington, D.C. provide regular opportunities for student professional internships. Temple University offers Temple-run special programs for study and research in Rome and Tokyo.

Contact Information

Elisabeth Subrin, Professor
Annenberg Hall, Room 130
subrin@temple.edu

Learn more about the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Media Arts.

These requirements are for students who matriculated in academic year 2024-2025. Students who matriculated prior to fall 2024 should refer to the Archives to view the requirements for their Bulletin year.

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Media Arts with Concentration in Directing

Summary of Requirements for the Degree

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree may be conferred upon a student majoring in Film and Media Arts with a concentration in Directing by recommendation of the faculty and upon satisfactory completion of a minimum of 122 credit hours. Students must complete University Requirements, including General Education (GenEd) curriculum and two writing-intensive courses within the major.

1. No more than 21 FMA credits can be transferred to the major.
2. Students are required to complete all requirements for the BFA with a Concentration in Directing except the FMA 3000+ Advanced Writing Intensive Elective (WI) and FMA 3773 Contemporary Screen Studies before enrolling in FMA 4241 BFA Directing Projects I. Students must have successfully completed FMA 4241 BFA Directing Projects I before enrolling in FMA 4242 BFA Directing Projects II.
3. A student must earn a grade of "C-" or better in all Film and Media Arts courses that count towards the degree.
4. Students may take up to 8 internship credits in Film and Media Arts.
5. Students may count a maximum of 84 FMA credit hours toward the 122 credit hours required for the degree.

FMA Foundation Courses

Film and Media Arts students will complete the following courses by the end of the sophomore year:

Concentration Requirements

Courses required after completion of FMA Foundation Courses:

Suggested Academic Plan

Please note that this is a suggested academic plan. Depending on your situation, your academic plan may look different.

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Media Arts with Concentration in Directing

Suggested Plan for New Students Starting in the 2024-2025 Academic Year