Cinema & Media Studies
College of Arts & Sciences
An undergraduate major in Cinema and Media Studies allows students to develop their understanding of how films function as a distinctive mode of transmitting and critiquing cultural values and practices. International in scope and interdisciplinary in orientation, it emphasizes intellectual breadth and maximizes students’ opportunities to design their own courses of study. This degree program is in the Department of Comparative Literature, Cinema and Media. Graduates of this degree pursue careers in a variety of fields such as film, marketing, media and communication, nonprofit, technology, public relations and the arts.
Major category: Minimum requirements
Curricular options: B.A. Cinema & Media Studies
Topic(s): Arts, Humanities and Design
websiteDegree requirements
Applicant type
Freshmen can apply to the UW to begin autumn quarter or winter quarter (U.S. applicants only)
Read more about applying to the UW as a freshman, including details for programs that provide high school students with college credit (like Running Start).
Quarters of general admission to UW: autumn / winter (U.S. applicants only) / spring / summer
Preparation for the major is a factor in transfer admission.
- Use the information below to help you prepare for this degree
- Visit MyPlan to run a degree audit.
- Use the UW Equivalency Guide to find out how courses taken at a Washington state community or technical college will transfer to the UW.
- UW college and school graduation requirements
Department admission information
Departmental application deadline: Must enroll at the UW before applying to the major
Please contact the department for details about the application process.
- Completion of prerequisites does not guarantee admission. Please visit the Cinema and Media Studies website for more information.
Read more about applying to the UW as a transfer student.
Courses required for the major:
- Completion of either the English Composition requirement or a W (writing) -course
- Completion of one of the following CMS courses or the equivalent:
- CMS 270 A&H – Perspectives on Film: Introduction
- CMS 271 A&H – Perspectives on Film: Great Directors
- CMS 272 A&H – Perspectives on Film: Genre
- CMS 273 A&H – Perspectives on Television: Analysis
- CMS 274 A&H – Perspectives on Media: Critical Concepts
- CMS 275 A&H – Perspectives on Visual Culture: Sex, Race, and Power
Entering transfer information:
Total undergraduates: 157
Total from Washington community colleges: 23