Film Undergraduate Major

BA in Film and Media Studies

The Film Program offers a curriculum that serves the undergraduate Film and Media Studies majors at Columbia College, the School of General Studies, and Barnard College. Undergraduate students must apply and be accepted at one of these undergraduate schools, and declare the Film Studies major in their sophomore year order to access this curriculum. More information about undergraduate admissions can be found here.

The undergraduate major in Film Studies is scholarly, international in scope, and writing-intensive. Students choose to major in Film Studies if they want to learn more about the art form, from technology to cultural significance, want to work in the film industry, or are interested in a major that combines arts and humanities. Students usually declare the major toward the end of the second year by meeting with their advisor; together, they create a program of 12 required courses within the major. Students have the opportunity to gain additional experience by taking advantage of internship opportunities with film companies, working on graduate student films, and participating in the Columbia Undergraduate Film Productions (CUFP), an active, student-run organization that provides filmmaking experience to Columbia undergraduate producers and directors.

Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger, 99 Homes), Anna Boden (Captain Marvel, Half Nelson), Tze Chun (Children of Invention, TV series writer and story editor), Daniel Harris (Imaginary Heroes, writer of X-Men: Apocalypse), Henry Alex Rubin (Murderball), Jessica Kingdon (Ascension), and Anna Winger (creator of the Netflix series Unorthodox) are all graduates of Columbia's undergraduate Film Studies major. In addition to careers in screenwriting, directing, and producing, graduating seniors have gone on to work in film distribution, publicity, archives, and festivals, and to attend graduate school to become teachers and scholars. More information here.