Thank you for your interest in our department!

It is the student’s responsibility to review the cinema studies degree requirements to ensure an understanding of what the coursework for the major entails. You will also be expected to meet with an academic and career advisor from the Tykeson Hall advising team.

Adding or Dropping the Cinema Studies Major

If you are a current University of Oregon student, please log in with your Duck ID to change to, add as an additional major, or drop the cinema studies major. Note: It will take approximately three weeks to process your change of major request.

If you have been admitted to the UO and have yet to attend IntroDUCKtion (mid-year and summer orientation), you will need to send an email via your UO email address and include your UO ID # (95#) to the Office of Admissions if:

• You indicated cinema studies as your major on your admission application but no longer want to be a cinema studies major. In this case, do not attend the cinema studies major IntroDUCKtion session; instead, go to the correct session for your new intended major (or a session for you to explore your major options).
• You would like to change your major to cinema studies and/or add cinema studies as an additional major. If you were exploring your major options and/or in a different major altogether, you will now be a declared cinema studies major and will attend the cinema studies major IntroDUCKtion session.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the department called “Cinema Studies”?

Some of the biggest programs in the country, including NYU and USC call themselves “cinema schools,” but more importantly we believe that the term “cinema” signals a larger and more far-reaching set of interests than just “film.” Film is a medium, cinema is a language, arguably the language of the future, that can be seen and heard not just in a movie theater, but online, on the street, and on your phone. Major in the future.

What can be done with a cinema studies degree?

Cinema Studies students will leave the UO with the ability to go on and build remarkable lives for themselves in a wide range of professions related to the media industry—as directors, producers, writers, editors, curators, marketers, designers, events managers, K-12 teachers … even as professors.

Students in cinema studies at UO learn to work both as creators and as scholars. They read, think, and write but also direct, shoot, and edit movies. As a result, they find they have a wide range of employment options when they begin their careers.

In addition to acquiring many skills specifically related to moving images, our students develop important skills valuable to most businesses, primary among them creative research and problem-solving, good communication skills, and the ability to work in and make important contributions to a team.

Our emphasis on interdisciplinary connections and cinema as a global medium means that our students are exposed to diverse ideas and peoples, and consequently, as graduates they are able to establish unique paths for themselves wherever they may go.

There is a surprisingly wide range of opportunities for work in film and media. Many students who graduate pursue further education or additional professional training, while others find first-stage positions and apprenticeships, or even create their own production companies as a way of gaining experience and building connections with potential employers and collaborators.

Jobs in the media industry are often freelance or ad hoc rather than full-time or continuing, which means that graduates in cinema studies are frequently surprised to find so many practical applications for the creative, academic, and interpersonal skills they’ve acquired and gratified by their emerging abilities to design their own roles in life.

Is there a cinema studies minor?

At this time, there is no minor offered in cinema studies. However, we do offer a Film Studies Certificate, which functions similarly to a minor and can be completed by students in any undergraduate major. Like a minor, completion of the certificate will appear on your university transcript. The certificate requires 36 credits for courses taught by faculty across campus in cinema history, aesthetics, and theory.

Students working toward the film certificate do not, under normal circumstances, have access to cinema studies production courses.

Cinema studies majors are not eligible for the film certificate.

How do I request major credit for my transfer course work?

Please read the information on the Transfer Student page for details on submitting the Transfer Credit Request Form and syllabus. If you have questions or concerns, please send an email to cinema@uoregon.edu.

Where is the Cinema Studies Lab?

The Cinema Studies Lab is located in 267 Knight Library.

Can I check out a Cinema Studies department camera?

Equipment checkouts are limited to students currently enrolled in cinema studies production classes for use on their class assignments. There are no exceptions to this. Examples of cinema studies production classes may include CINE 270, J208, ARTD 256, CINE 408, and CINE 425. Your instructor will tell you if your course is eligible to check out equipment. For more information, please visit the Equipment Room page.

How can I find out about internship possibilities?

Information about internships, including department guidelines, is available on the Internships page.

Can I get credit toward my degree for my internship?

For more information, please visit the Internships page, and download a copy of the guidelines.

Whom do I contact about teaching for the Department of Cinema Studies?

If you are interested in teaching for the Department of Cinema Studies, please email the department head at cinema@uoregon.edu for more information.