Film, B.A.

Students must complete the Oakland University General Education Requirements, General College of Arts and Sciences requirements , College of Arts and Sciences Exploratory requirement , Major Requirements, and an appropriate number of free elective classes to meet the overall credit requirement for the degree (in most cases a minimum of 124; some degrees may require a greater number).

As a general rule, no more than eight credits of coursework used to satisfy one major, minor or concentration may be applied toward another, but exceptions to this rule may be allowed with the written approval of the program coordinators.

Schedule of Classes

Specific offerings for each semester may be found in the Schedule of Classes.

General Education Requirements

In order to graduate on-schedule without taking additional courses, it is highly recommended that students meet with an Undergraduate Academic Adviser concerning the selection of all of their general education courses.

Each candidate for an Oakland University baccalaureate will need to satisfactorily complete approved courses in each of the following areas: Foundations, Explorations, and Integration. For details, refer to the General Education Requirements section of the catalog.

Requirements for the liberal arts major in film, B.A.

The B.A. in Film is a liberal arts-based program with a shared foundation in film production, history, and criticism. At the advanced level, students may choose to pursue more focused studies, including coursework in filmmaking and film studies. Degree work culminates in a capstone course in which students may choose to produce a thesis film, develop an independent research project, or conduct sustained research on the contemporary media industries.

The Film major requires a total of 52 credit hours. Only courses in which the student has earned a grade of C may be counted towards the major.

4. Additional upper-division electives (16 credits)

Any course in the FLM rubric taken at the 3000- or 4000-level

5. Capstone (1 course)

FLM 4900 - Advanced Topics in Film (4)
FLM 4901 - Advanced Topics in Film Theory (4)
FLM 4960 - Contemporary Media Industries (4)
FLM 4999 - Filmmaking Thesis (4)

Program Notes

1. Students intending to take FLM 4999: Filmmaking Thesis must complete the prerequisite of three upper-division filmmaking courses before enrolling. Students interested in pursuing this path are strongly encouraged to take FLM 3500: Digital Effects and Animation in preparation for FLM 4999.

2. All students interested in narrative filmmaking are strongly recommended to take CW 2400: Intro to Screen/TV Writing. Students planning to pursue professional careers in the narrative field should also consider taking CW 3400: Screenwriting and CW 4400: Advanced Screenwriting. Students may use these courses to satisfy all or part of their CAS exploratory requirement.

3. Students taking a variable credit elective must receive prior authorization from the program director or advisor.