Study the history, theory and production of moving images
Except for real life, few things pack the emotional punch of movies to convey ideas about the world around us. Eckerd’s Film Studies degree teaches you the history and techniques of film in the classroom; we combine this with our International Cinema Series and Environmental Film Festival, which bring first-run films and filmmakers from around the world to our campus theater, and Winter Term trips to the Sundance Film Festival so you can learn how film expresses culture and ideas.
Graduates of our program get jobs in the production, distribution, and exhibition of film and television, radio, online marketing and media and beyond.
Only@Eckerd
Put your ideas into production
Students take a range of classes in filmmaking with access to camera, sound, and editing equipment and software in the state-of-the-art Nielsen Center for Visual Arts. Students pay no extra fees for film production courses and can check out Canon, Panasonic, GoPro, and Blackmagic cameras for projects along with professional audio equipment, gimbals, underwater camera kits, and much more.
Study the natural world through film
For 25 years, we’ve held our own Environmental Film Festival right here on our Florida campus! Explore themes introduced in our popular Environmental Film Colloquium and continue your studies with critical studies and production classes that explore the representation of nature in film.
Broaden your studies
Set on a career in film production? Combine your Film Studies major with a minor in Creative Writing, Interdisciplinary Arts, Management, Theatre, or Visual Arts. More interested in writing about film and media? Choose a Journalism or Marketing minor.
In Their Own Words
“The Film Studies community’s small size created an intimate environment that allowed for closer work with my peers and professors, where we all got to know each other very well and fully flesh out our cinematic passions. There was a great sense of freedom and exploration, even within specifically designed curriculums, and the faculty were alongside us every step of the way, helping to guide our focus on assignments and discover more than we thought we knew about film”
—Conall Rubin-Thomas ’22
Digital Campaign Associate at Environment America
Beyond the Classroom
Spend a semester at the Prague Film School, Otago University in New Zealand or our Study Centres in London or Seville, Spain. Or join your classmates for three exciting weeks at the Sundance Film Festival, offered in January every other year. Or attend the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival with your professors and colleagues and immerse yourself in the world of nonfiction film.
Study Abroad Pics on FlickrFilm Studies students have refined their career goals by interning at Blue Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit, Sacramento Theatre Company, Sunscreen Film Festival, Pitch Her Productions and DiGa Productions.
They also design independent studies with professors. Our majors have explored everything from video games to comedy and film production.
Volunteer at the Friends of Strays Animal Shelter right here in Florida or the Education and Health Nepal Volunteer Service in Nepal. Our students have also made marketing videos for local nonprofits and produced a documentary of an Eckerd College spring break service trip to Cat Island, Bahamas.
Service Pics on FlickrFilm Studies students have access to exclusive and competitive scholarships available that support tuition, fees, and study abroad. All students enrolled in Film Studies courses are eligible to apply for generous Nielsen Film and Media Production grants to support film and media production projects, including submission to film festivals.
Popular classes
Introduction to Filmmaking
Learn the foundations of film and media production with an introduction to different types of moving image media – narrative, documentary, experimental – and production equipment and software.
The Horror Film
Learn about the mythological and literary roots of horror films by watching and discussing them. Analyze the historical and psychological angles of various sub-genres, from paranormal to zombie.
Outcomes
What can I do with a film studies degree?
- Cinematographer
- Casting director
- Editorial assistant
- Film archivist
- Key grip
- Location scout
- Movie critic
- Press agent
- Producer
- Screenwriter
Where our film studies alumni go to graduate school
- American University
- Boston University
- Florida Gulf Coast University
- Fordham University
- Kennesaw State University
- Loyola Marymount University
- Mercer County Community College
- Miami University
- Pace University
- Sacred Heart University
- University of Central Florida
- University of South Florida
- University of Rochester
- Wake Technical Community College
