Skip to main content
Undergraduate Bulletin College of Arts and Sciences
The Media School

Concentration in Cinema and Media Studies (Major in Media)

Students on Fall 2026, Spring 2027, or Summer 2027 requirements MDAC10

Cinema and Media Studies students will pursue a program of study that emphasizes the critical, cultural, historical, and aesthetic study of media, including, but not limited to, film.

Requirements

The major requires at least 36 credit hours (12 in the Media Core and 24 in the Concentration), including the requirements listed below.
  1. Media School Core.
    1. Introduction to Media. One (1) course:
      • MSCH-C 101 Media
    2. Managing Media. One (1) course:
      • MSCH-C 200 The Videogame Industry: Systems and Management when taken prior to Fall 2026
      • MSCH-C 204 Behind the Prize when taken prior to Fall 2026
      • MSCH-C 205 Media Law and Ethics when taken Fall 2026 or later
      • MSCH-C 206 Media Reporting in a Global World when taken prior to Fall 2026
      • MSCH-C 207 Introduction to Media Industry and Management
    3. Thinking Media. One (1) course:
      • MSCH-C 211 Screening Gender and Sexuality when taken prior to Fall 2026
      • MSCH-C 212 Screening Race and Ethnicity when taken prior to Fall 2026
      • MSCH-C 241 Watching Film
      • MSCH-C 247 Screen Cultures
    4. Making Media. One (1) course:
      • MSCH-C 223 Introduction to Filmmaking
  2. Concentration.
    1. Cinema and Media Studies.
      1. Critical Approaches to Media. Six (6) credit hours:
        • MSCH-B 321 Sports Media Imagery when taken Fall 2026 or later
        • MSCH-C 218 Sports, Media and Society when taken Fall 2026 or later
        • MSCH-D 331 Social Media Cultures
        • MSCH-D 337 Digital Media and Society when taken Fall 2026 or later
        • MSCH-D 413 Global Screen Cultures
        • MSCH-F 326 Authorship in the Media
        • MSCH-F 383 Sound and Cinema
        • MSCH-F 391 Media Audiences when taken prior to Fall 2026
        • MSCH-F 392 Media Genres
        • MSCH-F 395 Horror Cinema
        • MSCH-F 398 National and Transnational Cinemas
        • MSCH-F 415 Contemporary Filmmakers
        • MSCH-F 425 Media Theories when taken Fall 2026 or later
        • MSCH-F 445 Media, Culture, and Politics
      2. Media Representation. Six (6) credit hours:
        • MSCH-D 413 Global Screen Cultures
        • MSCH-F 370 Women Directors
        • MSCH-F 375 Race, Gender, and Representation
        • MSCH-F 377 Cinemas of the Black Diaspora
        • MSCH-F 398 National and Transnational Cinemas
        • MSCH-F 445 Media, Culture, and Politics
      3. Historical Approaches to Media. Six (6) credit hours:
        • MSCH-F 311 History of Media and Culture
        • MSCH-F 380 Cinema History 1: 1895 - 1945
        • MSCH-F 381 Cinema History 2: 1945 - Present
        • MSCH-F 382 American Independent Cinema
        • MSCH-F 420 Topics in Media History
      4. Cinema and Media Studies Electives. Six (6) credit hours:
        • Additional course(s) from the Critical Approaches to Media list.
        • Additional course(s) from the Historical Approaches to Media list.
        • Additional course(s) from the Media Representation list.
        • MSCH-C 350 Media Topics when taken Fall 2026 or later
        • MSCH-C 365 Live from LA: Pros Make Movies
        • MSCH-C 366 The Business of Producing Motion Pictures
        • MSCH-D 337 Digital Media and Society when taken prior to Fall 2026
        • MSCH-F 306 Writing Media Criticism
        • MSCH-F 373 Film Festivals
        • MSCH-F 374 Producing Film
        • MSCH-H 310 Honors Media Topics (approved topics only; see academic advisor)
        • MSCH-J 450 History of Journalism when taken prior to Fall 2026
        • MSCH-M 411 Media Industries and Cultural Production
        • MSCH-M 453 Media Industry Topics when taken prior to Fall 2026
        • MSCH-X 360 The Media School in Los Angeles
        • MSCH-X 374 WIUX Internship when taken Fall 2026 or later
        • MSCH-X 375 IUSTV Internship when taken Fall 2026 or later
        • MSCH-X 376 IDS Internship when taken Fall 2026 or later
        • MSCH-X 377 NSJC Internship when taken Fall 2026 or later
        • MSCH-X 478 Field Experience in Media when taken Fall 2026 or later
        • One of the following:
          • MSCH-X 373 Media Internship in Los Angeles
          • MSCH-X 472 Media Internship
          • MSCH-X 490 Projects in Media (approved topics only; see academic advisor)
    2. Additional Requirements.
      • At least nine (9) credit hours in the concentration must be at the 300–499 level.
      • Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the concentration.
      • A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the concentration—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
  3. Major Hours and Minimum Grade Requirements.
    1. Major Residency. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
    2. Major Upper Division Courses. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed at the 300-499 level.
    3. Minimum Grade. A grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the major.

Major Area Courses

  • Unless otherwise noted below, the following courses are considered in the academic program and will count toward academic program requirements as appropriate:

    • Any course at the 100–499 level with the MSCH prefix—as well as any other subject areas that are deemed functionally equivalent
    • Any course contained on the course lists for the academic program requirements—as well as any other courses that are deemed functionally equivalent—except for those listed only under Addenda Requirements
    • Any course directed to a non-Addenda requirement through an approved exception
    • Any course, consistent with the policies herein, that is part of a concentration, track, and/or specialization being pursued as part of this academic program
Exclusions

The following courses cannot be applied toward major requirements or the College Breadth requirement:

  • No more than 3 credit hours of the following may count toward the major:
    • MSCH-X 370 Community and Media
    • MSCH-X 472 Media Internship

This program of study cannot be combined with the following:

  • Area Certificate in New Media and Interactive Storytelling [NMISTACRT1]
  • Major in Cinematic Arts (Bachelor of Fine Arts) [CINEARTBFA]
  • Major in Game Design (Bachelor of Science) [GAMEDSGNBS]
  • Major in Global Media (Bachelor of Science) [GLBMEDIABS]
  • Major in Journalism (Bachelor of Arts in Journalism) [JOURBAJ]
  • Major in Media Advertising (Bachelor of Science) [MEDIAADVBS]
  • Major in Public Relations (Bachelor of Science) [PBLCRELNBS]
  • Major in Sports Media (Bachelor of Science) [SPTMEDIABS]
  • Minor in Black Cinema and Media Studies [BLKCNMDMIN]
  • Minor in Cinema and Media Studies [CNMDASTMIN]
  • Minor in Fashion Media [FAMEDIAMIN]
  • Minor in Film Production [FILMPRDMIN]
  • Minor in Game Design [GAMEDSNMIN]
  • Minor in Global Media [GLVMDIAMIN]
  • Minor in Media and Diversity [MDIADIVMIN]
  • Minor in Media Persuasion [MDIAPRSMIN]
  • Minor in Media, Sex and Gender [MDGNDRMIN]
  • Minor in Public Relations [PBLCRELMIN]
  • Minor in Sports Media [SPORTMDMIN]
  • [Name unavailable] [MDCRADMIN]
  • [Name unavailable] [MDLWETMIN]
  • [Name unavailable] [NMISTACRT]

Exceptions to and substitutions for major requirements may be made with the approval of the unit's Director of Undergraduate Studies, subject to final approval by the College of Arts and Sciences.