Film and Digital Media (B.A.)
At-a-Glance
Minimum hours required for major: 45
Special tracks: There are three areas of concentration available within the Film and Digital Media major: digital media, film, and media studies. A media studies sequence allows students to explore the impact of media technologies and content on consumers, society and culture. The film sequence provides training in screenwriting and film production. The digital media sequence provides future broadcasters, DVD authors/project managers, and digital video and film makers with the skills they need in an era of visual media convergence.
Evening Program: No
Advising: Contact the School of Communication office (216) 687-4630 or Professor Robert Abelman, division director, at (216) 687-4624.
Financial Aid: Scholarship assistance awarded to students in the School of Communication. Scholarships awarded annually. Call main office at (216) 687-4630 for information.
- W.O. and Naomi E. Walker Scholarship
- Max Axelrod Scholarship. (Students with journalism emphasis)
- Donald Marcus Scholarship. (Students with advertising emphasis)
- Jana Stone Scholarship. (Public relations emphasis)
- Raymond Dorsey Scholarship. (Physically disabled student with a preference for a journalism sequence)
Student organizations: Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society, Media Arts Technology Organization.
Career information: A major in Film and Digital Media should prepare students for careers in broadcasting, digital video production, film production, and applied media research. Graduates with expertise in film and digital media can be hired as producers, videographers, broadcast reporters, writers, and specialists producing DVD-based entertainment, education, and training materials. Those with a background in media studies will be marketable in the broadcast industry where knowledge of research is essential. Employment in the information sector is expected to increase by over 18%, adding over 600,000 jobs to the economy, by 2012.
The Bachelor of Arts in Film and Digital Media: The major in Film and Digital Media, offered by the Division of Media Arts and Technology, introduces students to the universal presence that film, digital communications, and broadcast media occupy in contemporary life. The major gives students an appreciation of the role communication technology plays in society, cultural foundations of media, entertainment and information, and the complex influences of media on human behavior. The Film and Digital Media major offers students a unique combination of academic excellence and career-related training. Our faculty are among the finest in the nation, recently ranked eighth in the country in communication research productivity. Our award-winning production faculty have a wide range of professional media experience.
Major-Field Requirements
Students must maintain a 2.25 GPA and complete a minimum of 45 credits to graduate with a major in Film and Digital Media. Majors must take the required core courses and electives in one of the following three sequences. Transfer students must obtain at least 20 credit hours from Communication courses at Cleveland State University.
Film and Digital Media Major Core Required Courses (16 credit hours):
- COM 101 Principles of Communication
- COM 131 Media and Technology Literacy
- COM 226 Mass Media & Society
- COM 303 Communication Inquiry
Digital Media Sequence
Students concentrating in this area are required to take 29 credits of the following courses in the digital media sequence.
Required Digital Media Sequence Courses (8 credit hours):
Digital Media Sequence Electives (12 credit hours):
(4 credit hours); choose one of the following:
- COM 321 Documentary Form in Film & Television
- COM 351 Audio Production for Radio
- COM 352 Multi-Source Video Production
(4 credit hours); choose one of the following:
(4 credit hours); choose one of the following:
- COM 401 Advanced Video/Audio Production
- COM 405 Electronic Journalism
- COM 470 DVD and Emerging Media: Authoring and Project Management
A minimum of 9 additional credits from above or the following electives:
- COM 100, 200, 300 Communication Lab (Digital Media topics only)
- COM 221 Introduction to Film
- COM 231 Evolution of Mass Media
- COM 301 Broadcast and New Media Writing
- COM 325 Screenwriting
- COM 353 Media Electronics
- COM 358 Media Law, Economics and Ethics
- COM 370 Communication Technology & Social Change
- COM 450 Media Programming and Research
- COM 490 Internship in Communication
- COM 494 Specialized Topics in Media Arts & Technology
Film Sequence
Students concentrating in this area are required to take 32 credits of the following courses in the film sequence.
Required Film Sequence Courses (28 credit hours):
- COM 204 Single Source Video/Audio Production and Editing
- COM 221 Introduction to Film
- COM 320 History of the Moving Image
- COM 325 Screenwriting
- COM 410 Film Production I
- COM 411 Film Production II
- COM 414 Film Practicum
Film Sequence Electives (4 credit hours) chosen from one of the following:
- COM 321 Documentary Form in Film & Television
- COM 329 Contemporary Film
- COM 428 Imaging Africa
- COM 494 Specialized Topics in Media Arts & Technology
Media Studies Sequence
Students concentrating in this area are required to take 29 credits of the following courses in the media studies sequence.
Required Media Studies Sequence Courses (12 credit hours):
Media Studies Sequence Electives (8 credit hours) choose two of the following:
- COM 301 Broadcast and New Media Writing
- COM 310 Psychological Processing of Media
- COM 358 Media Law, Economics and Ethics
- COM 370 Communication Technology & Social Change
- COM 400 Studio & Media Production Department Management
A minimum of 9 additional credits from above or the following:
- COM 100, 200, 300 Communication Lab (Media Studies topics only)
- COM 204 Single Source Video/Audio Production and Editing
- COM 221 Introduction to Film
- COM 320 History of the Moving Image
- COM 329 Contemporary Film
- COM 345 Film Theory
- COM 470 DVD and Emerging Media: Authoring and Project Management
- COM 494 Specialized Topics in Media Arts & Technology