Film Studies majors must complete 30 credits in film studies, with a grade of C- or above in every course. At least 15 hours in the major must be in courses at the 3000 level or above. Students must also complete College of Arts and Sciences and University requirements, including University general education requirements. No more than 40 credits in Film Studies may be counted toward graduation.

The Film Studies Program offers a major that focuses on film analysis and covers the history of cinema, national and global cinemas, film theory and genres, documentary film, and contemporary visual culture. As a classic liberal arts discipline, film studies teaches the fundamental skills that make a college degree essential in career-oriented jobs: research, information management, critical analysis, cogent development of ideas, developing and testing of hypotheses, and writing and communication. It combines an emphasis on critical thinking, research, problem-solving, written expression, and cultural literacy with the discipline's unique attention to visual analysis. Students emerge with a greater degree of visual literacy at a time when our culture is becoming increasingly dependent upon visual communication.