OVERVIEW
The BA in Film provides undergraduates a strong foundation in both film production and film studies. This combination allows students to gain the practical skills to succeed on a film set in both “below the line” and “above the line” roles, to experience the mechanics of film production in industry and independent settings, and to develop facility in critical and analytical thinking through the study of global film culture, history and aesthetics.
BA vs. BFA
The BA in Film is a flexible liberal arts program giving students a breadth of knowledge through film electives and minor/double major options. This option would be good for a student who has a general interest in film, wants the option of double majoring, or intends to continue on to graduate school. The BFA in Film Production is offered alongside WKU’s BA in Film. The BFA in Film Production is an intensive pre-professional program which gives students numerous opportunities to make films without taking non-film courses concurrently. This option would be good for a student pursuing a career in the film/television industry.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
PStudents wishing to enter the major in Film initially are admitted as majors Seeking Admission (reference 667P). Prospective majors may take no more than 12 hours in the major before admission. Students must meet the following requirements before they can be admitted:
- Completion of a minimum of 24 hours of coursework applicable to a baccalaureate degree;
- A minimum overall grade point average of 2.5;
- Completion of ENG 100 with a grade of “C” or higher and 9 additional hours in general education;
- Completion of the following courses with a grade of “C” or higher: FILM 100, FILM 201, FILM 250, and FILM 256.
Students not meeting the above admission requirements will not be admitted to the Film major and cannot register for any additional courses in the major.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.
Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.
The major in Film requires 36 semester hours. No course with a grade of “D” or below may be counted toward this major or fulfill prerequisite requirements for any major in the School of Media & Communication. One-half of the hours in the film major must be at the 300 or 400 level. In addition to meeting institutional requirements for graduation, the Film major must have a second major, certificate, or minor.
CORE COURSES: 21 hours (pre-requisites in parentheses)
FILM 100: Film Industry and Aesthetics
FILM 155: Film Attendance [0 credit hours] [must complete 2x]
FILM 201: Introduction to the Cinema
FILM 202: Basic Film Production (FILM 100 and 201)
FILM 250: Screenwriting I (FILM 201 or BCOM 325)
FILM 256: Film Editing I (FILM 100)
FILM 282: Film Production Workshop I (FILM 202) or FILM 382 Film Production Workshop II (FILM 282)
FILM 369: Introduction to World Cinema (FILM 201)
ELECTIVES: 15 hours (courses may have prerequisites)
FILM 367: Introduction to Film Genres
FILM 399: Special Topics in Film
FILM 469: Topics in World Cinema
ENG 309: Documentary Film
ENG 365: Film Adaptation
ENG/FILM 366: History of Narrative Film
ENG/FILM 465: Film Genres
ENG/FILM 466: Film Theory
BCOM 481: Problems in Mass Communication
PS 303: Politics and Film
ANTH 448: Visual Anthropology
ENG 295: Popular Culture and Gender: Signs & Narratives
FILM 382: Film Production Workshop II
FILM 394: Film Animation
FILM 450: Feature Screenwriting
FILM 482: Film Production Workshop III
FILM 486: Film Capstone
BCOM 266: Basic Television Production
BCOM 367: Field Production
BCOM 463: Field Production II
BCOM 466: Television Directing
BCOM 480: Editing III
VJP 131: Fundamentals of Photography
VJP 330: Short Form Documentary
VJP 430: Advanced Short Form Documentary
PERF 101: Acting
THEA/BCOM 303: Acting for the Camera
ENG 359: Topics in Scriptwriting
ANTH 449: Ethnographic Video Production
FILM 355: Film Sound
FILM 499: Directed Study in Film
FILM 489: Thesis Development
