Film and Media Studies

The program in Film and Media Studies (FMS) provides students who are interested in the history, criticism, and theories of moving-image-based visual culture from the 19th through the 21st centuries an opportunity to extend their formal intellectual development and to explore film and electronic media as evolving global phenomena. The certificate and the master's degree in FMS advance a student's scholarly understanding of all forms of the moving image and their artistic, cultural, industrial, philosophical, political, and social implications.

The certificate is by application and is open to PhD students in other academic units. It consists of 15 course units in FMS; 6 units of the certificate may be counted in the student's PhD requirements. The master's degree emphasizes multiple approaches of academic study that may lead to curating, researching, teaching and other professional activities centered on film and other moving image media.

Students already enrolled at Washington University with a major in FMS may wish to consider the master's program as part of an accelerated AB/Master's option. Washington University students who are admitted in the combined AB/Master's program may have up to 9 units of FMS course credit at the 400 level considered for application to the Master of Arts (AM) degree requirements. Students who are currently enrolled as undergraduates at Washington University and who are seeking the combined AB/Master's degree should use the standard application form of the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, to apply.

Students applying to the FMS master's program from outside of the university should follow the standard application procedures of the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences (available on the Application Process webpage). Graduate Record Exam scores that indicate an aptitude for graduate study are required, and applicants will also need to supply strong letters of recommendation from three instructors who can speak to the applicant's academic skills relevant to graduate study in FMS. Applicants who have completed an undergraduate degree and who show outstanding promise in writing about film and media but who do not have a formal background in film/media studies may also be admitted. All applicants to the master's program in FMS should have a strong academic foundation in critical writing and thinking. At least one writing sample of no less than 3,000 words is required, and the applicant must also compose a letter of approximately 500 words describing their interest in FMS and how their intellectual background has prepared them for graduate study in FMS.

All applicants to the certificate, AB/Master's, and master's degree programs in FMS are welcome to consult with the director of graduate studies about the application process.

Contact Info

Contact:Pat Henry
Phone:314-935-4056
Email:fms@wustl.edu
Website:https://fms.wustl.edu/graduate