Print this page.About the Program
The Film and Media Studies Program at the University of South Carolina offers an undergraduate major, and a minor, devoted to the critical study of moving image culture – its history, theory, and criticism. The major provides crucial knowledge and analytical skills in our increasingly media-saturated culture, as well as the core strengths of a liberal arts education. Film studies courses may also apply to fine arts, humanities, cultural awareness, and cognate requirements. Students learn about the international history of moving images; theories of how we consume, enjoy, resist, and interact with them; and a range of critical methods for analyzing their meanings and implication in social, historical, political, aesthetic, and psychological contexts.
Career Opportunities
An undergraduate degree in Film and Media Studies provides an excellent foundation for a variety of careers. Many positions require some graduate study. Here are a few of the possibilities:
• film production
• media production
• teaching
• marketing and publicity journalism
The University Career Center is available to assist you in choosing a career direction and in increasing your marketability upon graduation. For additional information, call the center at 803-777-7280.
Admission/Progression Requirements
To be admitted into the College of Arts and Sciences, you must meet all University admissions requirements, including (for freshmen) a completed application, non-refundable application fee, high-school record complete up to the time of application (including record of at least 20 academic units of study earned as required by the University), and entrance examination scores (either SAT or ACT). Details for all applicant categories can be found in the Undergraduate Bulletin. To remain in your degree program, you must make satisfactory academic progress toward your degree. In order to be eligible for graduation, you must meet all course requirements for your degree program, be in good standing, meet any departmental or program requirements, and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00.
Program of Study (120 hours)
The College of Arts and Sciences requires 53-62 hours of general education requirements. Your general education requirements will include courses in areas such as English, foreign language, history, mathematics and analytical reasoning, natural sciences, philosophy, the fine arts, literature, and the humanities and social sciences. The Film and Media studies Program is genuinely interdisciplinary. Faculty reside in a variety of departments on campus, and courses in film and media studies are often listed and cross-listed in departments such as Anthropology, Art, English, History, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and Theater and Dance. A major in Film and Media Studies requires 30 hours of major coursework, including History of Cinema I, History of Cinema II, Film Theory, and Film as Performance. Students must also take a course on the study of film genres, a course devoted to national cinema outside the United States, and a course about film production or performance.
Of Special Interest
Many of our students have gone on to work in film and media production, both independent and industrial, in Los Angeles, New York, and the Southeast. Others have entered graduate programs (at Emory, NYU, University of Pittsburgh, for example) to pursue further academic research and college-level teaching in film and media studies and related fields. Students and professors take advantage of the remarkable film and television archival collection of USC's Newsfilm Library.