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You’re passionate about films. You engage with them on a deep level. You love learning about their history, their context, their meanings. If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place.

If you see yourself one day joining the next generation of film scholars, then we can help you get there. In the program, you’ll:

Engage with film history, theory and criticism
Develop the ability to express your ideas in writing and join the discourse
Gain a critical perspective on ambitious, contemporary films and analyze where society is taking cinema — and vice versa.

Graduates will have the skills to enter the industry as a critic, reviewer or archivist.

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In the B.A. Film & Media Studies program, you will learn about:

The language of film and how it has developed over time
Film history, developing your awareness and knowledge of filmmaking practices, industries and critical film movements of Hollywood and World Cinemas
Film genres, such as film noir, the melodrama, the musical, horror, and comedy
Diversity within cinema and how social and cultural contexts impact film production and reception (including Including Asian, Black, European, Australian, Latin American, French and Mexican Cinema)
Film analysis: classical and contemporary theories that examine sensory film experience

For your senior project, you will take part in the Film & Media Studies Advanced Senior Seminar, a seminar that emulates a small, graduate-level class where you will put all your critical analysis and research skills to use in a semester-long research project.

Where This Degree Will Take You

After finishing the program, you’ll be prepared to:

Write well-structured, thesis-driven papers that identify core theories of film and media, apply relevant scholarly sources and use clear writing to formulate and support a critical argument
Compare and differentiate between global filmmakers, film aesthetics, and film industries in international cinema
Evaluate and analyze historical and theoretical perspectives relevant to film and media, such as genre, form, spectatorship and narrative
Produce research papers that demonstrate sophisticated evaluation of film and media scholarship, using the specific disciplinary terminology of film and media aesthetics, criticism and history

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Through our Accelerated (4+1) Film and Media Studies graduate program, you can earn your undergraduate and master’s degree with just one additional year of coursework beyond the traditional four years.

Megan Gruchow

When Megan started her Film & Media Studies journey, she didn’t know where her degree would take her. Now she’s preserving film history one wrap at a time.

Megan's Story

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Earning a B.A. Film & Media Studies from Chapman will prepare you for career paths such as:

Film critic
Film reviewer
Entertainment writer/journalist
Theater manager
Film archivist
Film scholar

You’ll also be able to meet with Dodge College’s dedicated career advisor while you’re in the program and after you graduate. They’re here to help you every step of the way on your academic and professional journey.

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For a full list of Dodge College faculty, visit our faculty directory.

Julia Prescott

Alumna Julia Prescott's screenwriting career has been vast and varied. Now she's back at Chapman as a part-time lecturer sharing the ins and outs of the industry and the techniques that helped her along the way in her Writing for Animation course.

Julia's Story

Study Abroad

Films and the stories they tell are everywhere. That’s why we offer opportunities to take your studies around the world with study abroad programs.

Check out Dodge Study Abroad Opportunities to find out how you can expand your passion for film abroad, and visit our Center for Global Education for even more options to take your education worldwide.

Student Clubs and Organizations

Build your appreciation and understanding of film while having fun and making friends along the way in these clubs.

Chinese Cinema Club: Connect with Chinese cinema and culture through bimonthly film screenings.

Club Documentary: Join a group of filmmakers and enthusiasts in exploring every facet of the documentary genre.

Dodge Cinema Editors: Strive for post-production perfection and learn everything about the post-production process.

You can view all of Dodge College’s clubs here.

Admission & Tours

All applicants are required to submit the Common Application and a Creative Supplement. You can learn more about applying here.

While you consider Chapman, we hope you’ll come visit us in person! You can:

Take a tour of Dodge College: These 45-minute tours are given by current students. They cover all academic programs, an inside look at our facilities and provide opportunities to ask questions.
Take a tour of Chapman: You will get to see more of campus and the residence life area. These are offered directly after Dodge tours.