We offer a variety of ways to study film at the undergraduate level: by simply taking courses, becoming a Film Major, a Film Minor, or an English Major with a concentration in film. All of these curricular options are outlined below.

Although we are not a production-focused program, our students are regularly asked to create media projects, like video essays, for their classes.  They can take classes on Screenwriting in the English Department and Digital Video Production in the Communications Department, in addition to other production-oriented offerings across the University.

NCSU’s Library system is one of the best in the country, and our state-of-the-art Hunt and D.H. Hill Libraries have everything students need— from equipment to how-to workshops to green screen, music recording, and editing facilities—to become skilled at producing work in digital humanities, web-based, or video production contexts.

Students interested in building community, watching films, and getting additional production experience may want to join our undergraduate Student Film Society, which meets regularly to screen and discuss films, as well as to work on making collaborative films. In addition to the excellent film programs at area museums, including the Gregg Museum of Art (which is adjacent to the English Department), NC State regularly hosts screenings and filmmakers throughout the year, including the ongoing Global Film Series hosted by the Libraries. We regularly post regional events on our weekly email newsletter, which you are encouraged to sign up for.

The Triangle boasts a rich film culture. Every spring we send a cohort of upper-level undergraduate students to the Full Frame Documentary Festival in Durham, where they get to experience the festival and attend small filmmaker seminars with other students from around the country. There’s the North Carolina Museum of History’s annual film festival; NC State Alumnus Skip Elsheimer, the A/V Geek, one of the nation’s largest collectors of 16mm educational film, who does screening programs on campus and off and regularly has student interns; and Raleigh’s commercial movie theaters, many of which include film society/arthouse type programming.

The Career Development Center has ample resources about finding work and developing your resume.

Our alumni have gone on to graduate programs in film and media studies and production, journalism, and library science; gotten jobs in different areas of film production and related fields of media making and marketing; as well as to teaching careers. See our alumni page for more information about what our graduates go on to do.

Information about applying to NCSU can be found at Undergraduate Admissions.  The Film Studies Major is listed under Arts Studies (Film Studies).

Arts Studies-Film Major
(curriculum code: 16ARTSTBA 16ARTSTFLM)

To Become an Arts Studies-Film Major

To declare a film major, apply on line in the MyPack Portal--Film Studies (16ARTSTBA 16ARTSTFLM) is a major within Arts Studies, which is within CHASS. Students should review the minimum and preferred requirements for applying at CODA. Once you have reviewed the application requirements, you can press a button on the left side of the web site that says "Proceed to Application." You may apply for a new major during a one-month period, three times per year: Aug 15-Sept 15, Jan 15-Feb 15, and May 15-June 15. The effective date of the new major will be the next term.

If you have any questions, contact the Film Program Director, Dr. Marsha Gordon:
marsha_gordon@ncsu.edu
Office: Tompkins 257

Film Major Requirements (33 hours)

I. History, Analysis, and Criticism (15 hours)
ENG 282 – Introduction to Film
ENG 292 – Writing about Film
ENG/COM 364 – History of Film to 1940
ENG/COM 374 – History of Film Since 1940
AFS/ENG 375 – African American Cinema
ENG 378 – Women and Film
ENG 382 – Film and Literature
ENG 384 – Introduction to Film Theory
ENG 492 – Styles and Genres
IDS 496 – Topics in Film and Interdisciplinary Studies

II. Production and Studio Courses (6 hours)
ENG 330 – Screenwriting
COM 444 – Film Production or COM 334—Video Production

III. Linking Courses (6 hours)
ENG 382 – Film and Literature
ENG 492 or IDS 496 – Styles and Genres (depending upon topic)

IV. Capstone Course: 3 credit hours of ARS 494 "Special Topics in Arts Studies." The topic changes each semester/year. Examples are: The Narrative Arts; Arts of Multicultural Traditions; Images of the Self and Self-Images in the Arts; Arts and the Everyday. In addition to required courses in Film History and Film & Literature, students may take such special topics courses as The Case of Netflix, The Horror Film, Science Fiction Film, The Musical, Queer Cinema, Alfred Hitchcock and Nicholas Ray, and Media F/X: Digital Cinema, Animation & Special Effects.

V. Advised Elective: 3 hours, chosen in consultation with student's advisor. Our majors often take English 430 (Advanced Screenwriting), Com 334 (Video Production), or Com 434 (Advanced Video Production) as their advised elective. ENG 350 – Professional Internships – can be taken in conjunction with an internship (which the student must find on their own) to fulfill the Advised Elective requirement if the internship is related to film or video. Please contact your advisor to confirm suitability.

Film Minor

Minoring in Film

Students can declare their own Film Studies Minor [16FSM] online by logging into CODA.

Students can contact the Film Program Director, Dr. Marsha Gordon, with any questions, and can also monitor their progress toward completing the academic minor by viewing their Minor Degree Audit online, anytime, in MyPack Portal. Successful completion of course requirements on the Minor Degree Audit is indicated by a green checkmark, while outstanding requirements are indicated by a red X.

Students should check their minor degree audit to ensure that all checks appear in the minor degree requirements prior to submitting their online graduation application (which will also trigger the awarding of the minor, if all requirements are met). Please contact the minor coordinator if there are any issues in fulfilling your minor requirements before you apply for graduation.

Film Minor Requirements (15 hours)

I. Required Courses (6 hours):
ENG 282 – Introduction to Film
ENG/ COM 364 – History of Film to 1940 *or*
ENG /COM 374 – History of Film Since 1940

II. Electives (9 hours)
ENG 292 – Writing About Film
ENG 330 – Screenwriting
ENG/COM 364 or 374 (whichever is not taken to fulfill requirement I)
AFS/ENG 375 – African American Cinema
ENG 378 – Women and Film
ENG 382 – Film and Literature
ENG 384 – Film Theory
ENG 430 – Advanced Screenwriting
ENG 492 – Film Styles and Genres
IDS 496 – Film and Interdisciplinary Studies
COM 444 – Film Production or COM 334 Digital Video Production
FLF 318 – French Cinema
FLS 318 – Hispanic Cinema
FLG 318 – New German Cinema
FLG 318 – Egyptian Culture through Film
FLG 318 – Russian Cinema and Society
(*only one FL course may count toward the film studies minor)

English Major with a Film Concentration
(curriculum code: 16ENGLBA 16ENGLFLM)

This curriculum combines the study of literature with film studies. In addition to required courses in Film History and Film & Literature, students may take such special topics courses as The Horror Film, The Musical, Howard Hawks and the Coen Bros., Robert Altman and Stanley Kubrick, Holocaust Films, and Science Fiction Film.

English Major Core Requirements (18 hours)

1. American Literature
2. British Literature
3. World Literature
4. Film
5. Linguistics
6. Rhetoric

Concentration Requirements (21 hours)

1. Introduction to Film (ENG 282)
2. Film and Literature (ENG 382)
3. Film History (ENG/COM 364 or ENG/COM 374)
4. Film Elective – any film course
5. English Elective – any English course at or above the 200 level, including film courses
6. English Elective – any English course at or above the 200 level, including film courses
7. English Elective – any English course at or above the 200 level, including film courses

RESTRICTIONS  (entering Fall 2010 and later)

• all courses, except ENG 350, must be taken for a letter grade to satisfy department requirements
• although some courses are listed in more than one category, no course may satisfy more than one requirement
• students must earn a C- or better for a course to count toward major requirements
• the maximum number of 200 level courses within the English major (after 2010) is 5
• the minimum GPA to graduate is 2.0
• 30 of the last 45 hours of coursework must be taken at NC State
• The Associate Head will approve the following courses to satisfy a major requirement only when the content is appropriate to the requirement:  ENG 394, ENG 420, ENG 460, ENG 491, ENG 539, FL 495.
• CONSIDERATIONS (entering Fall 2010 and later)
• FLM students may take a film course to satisfy CHASS Arts and Letters requirement
• the film internship course is ENG 350.
• for general information about this concentration, contact Dr. Marsha Gordon, Director of Film Studies; Dr. Gene Melton, Academic Advisor in FLM; or Dr. Jason Swarts, Associate Head of the English Department

**As part of the departmental graduation checklist process, all English majors seeking to graduate in the fall or spring term must submit a paper/project composed in an advanced-level course within their concentration area.  Additional information regarding this requirement is provided to seniors at the beginning of the semester in which they plan to graduate.**