Undergraduate Program

The Film & Media Studies Program offers a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies. Our program emphasizes the critical study of film and media as global practices that shape and respond to our most personal understanding of who we are and how we fit in the larger world. Our interdisciplinary faculty bring a diverse toolbox of methodologies and perspectives to the classroom with the common goal of understanding how media works.

In our classes you will learn to analyze the aesthetics of film and video, explore the history of media from stereopticons to digital gaming, and make theoretical connections between such pressing issues as race, gender and sexuality on the one hand, and media and social change on the other. You will also have opportunities to develop your creativity hands-on in workshop classes on screenwriting and video production at the introductory and advanced levels. FMST works closely with the Reeder Media Center to make sure FMST students have access to cameras, software and equipment they need to pursue their projects.

We support a wide range of internships, both on campus and off, where students can gain experience in all levels of media production. The annual W&M Global Film Festival offers several internships for academic credit, as well as opportunities to volunteer. It also organizes an extensive schedule of workshops open to students, offered by filmmakers, many of whom are alumni. FMST faculty regularly integrate the festival into our classes.

For those of you looking to apply to William & Mary, you might want to investigate the Film Studies Joint-Degree Program offered in partnership with St. Andrews University in Scotland. Students follow an intensive course of study in Film while taking courses for two years at each university. While at W&M students have access to all of our courses and activities. Graduates receive a diploma from both schools, and a unique, and empowering experience of cultural immersion by studying and living at two dynamic campuses.