BA, Cinema Studies

Cinema. Television. Life. Develop critical thinking, creative expression, and technical skills for today’s media-saturated world.

Concentrations

Undergraduate News

Apply

Realize Your Vision

Cinema Studies is a unique interdisciplinary degree in which students take courses with internationally-recognized scholars and filmmakers in the School of Art and across the College of Arts & Sciences. Our faculty members have been Pulitzer Prize and Oscar nominees, prizewinners at major film festivals—including Sundance—and awardees of numerous university teaching awards. In both the major and minor, students study the history and aesthetics of movies while also undertaking their own productions. In addition to coursework, many Cinema Studies students pursue internships at one of the many production companies based in Knoxville, while also participating in student filmmaking or cinema appreciation clubs.

Click on the links to read more about the UT Cinema Studies program:

Facilities

Internships

Undergraduate Coursework

Program Features

Film Production Facilities

Cinema Studies has access to a range of professional-grade facilities in Walters Academic Building. The space, opened in 2025 especially for Cinema Studies students, includes animation labs, editing suites, a Green Screen Room, a Sound Editing Room, a Color Editing Room, and other resources to support student production.

Internships

Time-based Art and Cinema Studies Students have interned at a range of companies across Tennessee and beyond, from Hollywood talent agencies to feature films to advertising and production companies. Such positions have helped lead students to careers in the film and television industry. Eligible students can also secure positions at UT media outlets, such as the Daily Beacon and Tennessee Athletics.

Undergraduate Studies

The Cinema Studies major includes both Cinema History/Theory/Aesthetics courses and Production courses in film/video. Students may choose a greater emphasis in cinema history and aesthetics or in moving image production, although all majors will take courses in both areas. Our graduates go on to work in the film and television industry; study at top-ranked MFA and PhD programs at leading film schools; or pursue broader goals (law school, the Peace Corps, etc.) thanks to the interdisciplinary approach that our program takes. Contact the School of Art office to declare a cinema studies major: (865) 974-3407 or fill out the declaration form. The links below will connect you with the current Academic Catalog and requirements for each concentration.