FILM AND MEDIA ARTS

Paul Swann, Chair
2020 N. 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
215-204-1735
pswann@temple.edu

The Film and Media Arts Program focuses on the development of creative and technical skills in film, video, audio, digital media and new technologies, and the theoretical understanding of media and culture. The program recognizes and explores the creative tension between individual expression and the social, political, and economic forces that shape culture at large.

Students will be trained in developing content as well as craft, theory as well as practice. In learning independent and commercial approaches to production and theory, graduates will be prepared to develop their own independent productions and to assume a creative role in the motion picture and television industries.

The department brings in guest media makers and visiting professors from diverse backgrounds for special lectures and workshops. Students may also select elective courses from other departments in the School of Communications and Theater in such areas as telecommunications, journalism, and theater. A highly recognized graduate program offers undergraduates numerous opportunities to work on advanced productions and participate in advanced research in the field.

Faculty Mentoring
FMA faculty strongly believe in the importance of close mentoring. This is particularly important in a department that focuses on individual and collaborative expression . Upon entering the department, each student will be assigned a faculty mentor who will guide the student through his/her four years at Temple. The entire Film and Media Arts faculty will participate in the review of each student’s work in the Basic Core production/studies courses.

Special Programs and Internships

The Film and Media Arts Department offers special programs for study and research in London, Rome and Tokyo. Additionally, many organizations in the Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas cooperate in providing opportunities for student professional internships. The department also offers a summer internship program in Los Angeles.

Summary Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Arts
The Bachelor of Arts degree may be conferred upon a student majoring in Film and Media Arts by recommendation of the faculty and upon satisfactory completion of a minimum of 126 credit hours. Students must complete:

1. University Core requirements
2. School of Communications and Theater requirements
3. At least 42 credits and no more than 54 credits earned in one of the Film and Media Arts sequences.

The number of courses taken in the School of Communications and Theater is limited to 71 credits. A student must earn a grade of C or better in all Film and Media Arts courses which count towards the degree.

Maintaining Program Performance
Prerequisites to entrance and graduation from the Production and Media Culture Thesis sequences requires students to maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 calculated in all courses taken in the University. Students who have earned at least a 2.0 GPA may enter and graduate in the Non-Thesis sequence. Students with an average under 2.0 may not begin the program. Students may take up to four of the 42 FMA credits as an internship.

FMA Foundation Courses

Film and Media Arts students will complete the following courses by the end of the sophomore year:

At the completion of these courses, students will choose to enter the Production Thesis, the Media Culture Thesis or the Non-Thesis sequence.