51³Ô¹ÏÍø

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Film and Media Arts Major

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Media Arts

Gain skills in directing, writing and experimental media, and find your individual creative voice with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Media Arts in 51³Ô¹Ï꿉۪s School of Theater, Film and Media Arts. Achieve a specialized perspective on film and media with concentrations in Directing, Media Arts or Screenwriting. The Film and Media Arts BFA is a 122-credit bachelor’sÌýdegree designed to fully prepare you for professional, independent work in the motion picture and media industries.

In yourÌýcoursework, you’ll focus on and develop original ideas, learn entrepreneurial and technical skills, and have full creative autonomy over your projects. Students are mentored by Film and Media Arts faculty, who have been honored with Oscar, Emmy, Guggenheim, Rockefeller, Fulbright, Sundance and international awards.

As a Film and Media Arts student, you’ll have access to the department’s , including an array of film cameras. Learn more about Film and Media Arts Department facilities.

51³Ô¹ÏÍø is located in central North Philadelphia, in close proximity to the city’s independent theaters and studios such as the Nu Millenium Studios, the Prince, the Ritz Landmark Theater, as well as the Philadelphia Film Society.Ìý

Choosing between a BFA and a BA in Film and Media Arts

Deciding whether a BFA or BA is right for you depends on your academic needs and professional goals. The Film and Media Arts BFA offers an intensive, arts-based degree program concentrating on Directing, Media ArtsÌýor Screenwriting. The BFA focuses on developing students’ creative voices and powers of personal expression. The BA in Film and Media Arts provides a more general approach to the field, giving students the option to focus their studies in one of four concentrations—Cinematography, Post-Production, Producing and Screen Studies.

A close up of a man filming.

Concentrations

This degree program can be completed with or without a concentration. Your concentration options include

  • Screenwriting

    Prepare to enter graduate film programs or pursue a professional career in film and serial writing. This program focuses on narrative feature-film and serial writing. Read more about the Screenwriting concentration in the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Media Arts program.

  • Directing

    Directing students focus on documentary or narrative films, and coursework for both investigates analytical and conceptual tools for film analysis, cultural influences on filmmaking, and fiction and non-fiction directing.

  • Animation and Media Arts

    The Animation and Media Arts concentration is an immersive, four-year program that provides students with the creative and technical foundation to pursue their passion in an artistic industry. It will also prepare you for graduate-level programs in animation and media arts. You will cultivate your unique voice while studying the principles of fine art, film and animation, including curricular options to create commercially viable and collaborative 2D, 3D and stop-motion animation artworks in narrative fiction, documentary, experimental or hybrid modes. Media arts students create expansive creative and technical fine art works through a curriculum that provides opportunities across various mediums for animation, interactive arts, video gaming and experimental media.

Classes & Curriculum

Students in this BFA degree program can personalize their curriculum by choosing one of three distinct concentrations. Each concentration requires between 70 and 73 credit hours, lending more intensive and strategic studies in filmmaking and media arts. Some of the core courses includeÌý

  • Filmmaking,
  • Media & Culture, and
  • Producing.

Learn more about Film and Media Arts BFA courses.

Related Graduate Degrees

Related Graduate Certificates

Tuition & Fees

In keeping with 51³Ô¹Ï꿉۪s commitment to access and affordability, the Bachelor of Fine Arts offers a competitive level of tuition with multiple opportunities for financial support.

are set annually by the university and are affected by multiple factors, including program degree level (undergraduate or graduate), course load (full- or part-time), in-state or out-of-state residency, and more. You can view the full .

These tuition costs apply to the 2025–2026 academic year.

Pennsylvania resident: $21,360.00 per year
Out-of-state: $37,032.00 per year

Our Academic Advisors

The School of Theater, Film and Media Arts academic advisors will help you chart your course through your academicÌýprogram. They guide you in choosing electives, as well as navigating policies and procedures regarding changes of major, leaves of absence and withdrawals, and registration.Ìý

Phone: 215-204-2227Ìý
Email: Ìý

Program Contact

Chet Pancake is the chair of the Film and Media Arts department.
Phone: 215-204-4373
Email:

Faculty Mentoring

Faculty are an invaluable resource for specific information about your major. They can also help you to prepare forÌýboth graduate school andÌýyour futureÌýcareer.Ìý

Students in the Theater Department select a faculty advisor within their first year, while thoseÌýin the Department of Film and Media Arts are assigned faculty mentors. Students can sign up for advising sessions with faculty mentors throughout the semester.

Student Clubs & Organizations

Student clubs and organizations give you the opportunity to gain stage performance or production experience, express yourself without classroom restrictions, and network with other film andÌýtheater professionals. In addition, you can make friends and enhance your social life. Consider joining one or more of the following clubs.

  • is a selective national organization whose mission is to foster lifelong character, collaborative and creative storytelling, ethical and productive business practices, philanthropic action, and fraternal bonds by and between students of the cinematic arts.
  • is an organization geared toward creating a welcoming space for students of color within 51³Ô¹Ï꿉۪s Film Department, affording the opportunity to come together to create, discuss, learn from and network with one another.
  • The connects Philadelphia-area students, recent graduates and rising content creators with industry leaders.
  • is a production organization aimed at encouraging women to work together to gain knowledge and hands-on experience in the art of filmmaking. They also run 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Women’s Fest, which is a showcase of the efforts of some of the most influential female filmmakers.
  • The ’s mission is to empower queer filmmakers and explore queer film both in theory and practice. Both queer and straight students are welcome to join.
  • is a group of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø student independent filmmakers who produce their own films and host an online film festival.
  • The meets once a week to screen a film from 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's Media Library. Sometimes, screenings are substituted with special events.
  • is a student film organization focused on helping students create short films throughout the semester.

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Study Away

51³Ô¹Ï꿉۪s study away programs offer you the opportunity to study and experience life beyond Main Campus. Spend an academic year, semester or summer earning academic credit while immersing yourself in the culture, history and people of your host city.Ìý

Spend a semester or a summer studying in Los Angeles. The provides students with direct learning insights and professional work experience in the media and entertainment industries. The lots and soundstages of historic in Hollywood, California, serve as the backdrop for academic coursework and a guest lecture series with notable alumni.Ìý

Spend four weeks in Venice for a unique opportunity to travel abroad and earn academic credit while exploring first-hand the , a major international art exposition. Courses, classroom discussion, and guest lectures are enhanced by tours designed to provide unique insights into the international art scene. .

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Accreditation

The Film and Media Arts program is associated with the , an international organization of university and industry professionals working in the field of media production.

Additional Program Information