The BA/BS degree in Digital Cinema provides students with a highly experiential education in visual storytelling, creative problem-solving, and professional collaboration. While rooted in the film school tradition, the Digital Cinema major embraces entrepreneurship and innovation to prepare students for dynamic careers in an expanding video arts and entertainment landscape that includes conventional motion pictures, documentary media, streaming television, web series, virtual reality, social and mobile media, live and interactive media experiences, film festivals, and cinematic platforms and technologies that have yet to be invented.

Each course in the DCIN upper and lower division core is problem-based, merges theory with practice, and aids students in the development of essential skills like leadership, communication, adaptability, critical thinking, cultural agility, teamwork, and conflict management. Career pathways for the graduating Digital Cinema student include entry-level crew positions in film and video production or post-production services, creative development, or graduate study in film and video, as well as opportunities in video journalism, advertising and marketing, corporate and non-profit communications, event videography, and independent media production.

To earn a BA/BS degree in Digital Cinema, students must achieve a minimum major GPA of 2.75. All courses must be taken for a letter grade unless instructor permission is obtained.

The Digital Cinema major is offered by the Communication program in the Division of Business, Communication, and the Environment.

Digital Cinema Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a BA/BS degree in Digital Cinema will exhibit the following learning outcomes:

Essential Skills: Digital Cinema students will exhibit responsible leadership, effective communication, critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, cultural agility, persistence, adaptability, and conflict management skills in all facets of their work.

Technical Production Skills: Digital Cinema students will demonstrate their technical fluency in industry standard production tools, including camera and audio equipment and post-production software. Because rapid technology shifts are the norm in the media industries, Digital Cinema students will also demonstrate their capacity to teach themselves new production tools as they progress through their careers.

Audio/Visual Storytelling: Digital Cinema students will pitch meaningful and affecting stories, develop those stories into professionally formatted screenplays and/or storyboards, and translate story concepts into compelling sounds and images, moving beyond technical competency into style, narrative logic, and aesthetic coherence.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion: Digital Cinema students will demonstrate their commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in their storytelling, casting, the management of their sets and crews, and in their analysis of existing media texts.

Ethical & Sustainable Practice: Digital Cinema students will adopt and adhere to ethical and sustainable production practices that honor the dignity of individuals, respect public and personal property, and preserve and protect our natural world.

Crew Culture and Professional Preparation: Digital Cinema students will exhibit professional on-set behaviors, identify and define positions in the industry, and complete a production resumé and professional portfolio or reel.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Digital Cinema students will not only master conventions and standards but also develop and produce original ideas through iteration and experimentation with novel production strategies. Students will engage and grow their own unique audience, effectively promote their work, and incorporate feedback to revise and improve the value of their work over time.

Context and Inquiry: Digital Cinema students will exhibit their understanding of cinema production as an interdisciplinary science, artform, and business, integrating these branches of understanding in their work. Digital Cinema students will be able to discuss the history and theory of film and media production, support their curiosity and creativity with rigorous research, and apply critical thinking to the analysis of media texts.