BA Film and Media Studies at University of California, Santa Barbara

Programme overview

The Department of Film and Media Studies at UC Santa Barbara is the academic home to roughly 600 undergraduate majors and 30 graduate students. As an undergraduate in the program, you’ll receive a liberal arts education on the history and theory of film and media practices around the world; fiction and nonfiction filmmaking; video games, interactive, and web-based digital media production; screenwriting; archival and curatorial practice; and more.

Faculty: College of Letters and Science | Department: Department of Film and Media Studies | Study mode: full-time | Location: Santa Barbara, CA, United States

What you will study

Major requirements are organised as Pre-Major Requirements: FAMST 46, FAMST 70, FAMST 96; Preparation For The Major; Upper-Division Major: FAMST 101A, FAMST 101B, FAMST 101C, FAMST 101D, FAMST 101E, FAMST 101F, FAMST 104, FAMST 106B, FAMST 107, FAMST 108, FAMST 109EM, FAMST 115, FAMST 116, FAMST 118GS. Students will be admitted to full Film and Media Studies major status only after they complete Film and Media Studies 46, 70, and 96 with no grade below C.

Career pathways

Graduate and professional pathways include Entertainment industry; Education; Technology sector; Film and Media Studies; MFA Programs in Producing, Directing, or Animation; Law. Top employers include Talent Agencies, Media Production--Screenwriting, Producing, Filmmaking, Advertising.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission to UCSB is to the university and a college (College of Letters and Science, College of Engineering, College of Creative Studies), not to the individual major; applicants must meet the University of California subject requirements for first-year or transfer applicants and apply through the UC Application. Selective-major and second-choice-major rules are described by UCSB Undergraduate Admissions.

Entry term: fall. First-year and transfer applicants apply for fall 2027 through the UC Application.

First-year and transfer applications for fall 2027: UC Application filing period October 1 - November 30, 2026 (opens August 1). Application fee: $80 per campus for U.S. residents, $95 per campus for international students. Transfer applicants also submit the UCSB TAG Application September 1-30. First-year decisions mid-March; transfer decisions mid-April; Statement of Intent to Register May 1 (first-year) and June 1 (transfer).

SAT and ACT scores are not used in admission selection or scholarships; submission is optional and may be used for course placement. Students applying to College of Creative Studies majors submit a supplemental application; Dance and Music B.M. applicants complete an audition.

Graduate applicants apply through the UCSB online graduate application; the deadline is set by each department. Application fee: $135 for US citizens and permanent residents, $155 for all others, payable by credit card, check or money order. GRE required only by some programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://admissions.sa.ucsb.edu/

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