Certificate in Film Studies

Certificate in Film Studies

Why a Certificate? A UMass certificate is more specialized and career-focused than a minor. It complements a major with a broader concentration in a subject area. Certificates can be more flexible, sometimes offered as standalone options, and are often seen as a way to add marketable skills to a résumé, while a minor is directly tied to a student's undergraduate degree program.

Since the Film Studies Program began in 1991, our graduates have used the Certificate to compete successfully for admission to prestigious film schools and graduate programs; for positions in film and video production; for employment in film and video distribution and exhibition, digital and new media, and as editors, producers, actors and independent filmmakers. Film Studies now offers an comprehensive online version of our traditional certificate.

Available both in person, at UMass, as a complement to any major, and online, asynchronously, as a standalone certificate,  the UMass Certificate in Film Studies offers undergraduates a comprehensive course of study in the history, criticism, theory, aesthetics, and production of the moving image in the unique context of an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary program. Film Studies faculty and courses come from departments and colleges across the University, including Afro-American Studies, Anthropology, Art and Art History, Asian Languages and Literatures, Communication, Comparative Literature, French & Italian, Germanic Languages and Literatures, Music, Political Science, Spanish & Portuguese, Theater, the Commonwealth College, and the School of Management.

The Certificate in Film Studies can complement a UMass major in any other discipline. 
Taken online, it can also be a standalone certification. 


Enroll in the Certificate

Complete the Certificate in Film Studies Form. 

UMass undergraduates make an initial enrollment appointment with an advisor and are expected to update their files in the office every semester thereafter. Make an advising appointment Student Success

Non UMass students who would like to obtain the Certificate online, should enroll through this FORM instead:
https://www.umass.edu/registrar/non-degree-enrollment

 

Program Cost

If you are choosing the ONLINE option, you can find up-to-date information about tuition and fees for this certificate on UMass Amherst’s Online Program Tuition and Fees page

Requirements

Students who wishe to obtain the UMass Certificate in Film Studies must fulfill the following requirements: 
-complete a minimum of 6 approved courses (3 credits or more per course) drawn from five categories:
1) one introductory course; 
2) one course in theory or history of film; 
3) one course in genre or national cinema; 
4) one upper‑level seminar (400 or higher); 
5) two electives (one of the two preferably in production)

In order to be awarded the Certificate, students must fulfill all criteria:
-Certificate students must maintain a Grade Point Average of 2.5 or higher within the Certificate Program; 
-No courses with a grade lower than C will count toward the Certificate; 
-No pass/fail courses may be counted towards the minimum requirements.


COURSES PER CATEGORY

The following list by category constitutes the core from which these courses will be selected. Please note that in any semester, additional courses are offered in all categories, but only a few courses are offered every semester. Please see the Undergraduate Advisor if you have any questions.
Please note that unless indicated these courses are offered in person:

Film Studies

S448 Integrative Learning Center
University of Massachusetts Amherst
650 North Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01003