BA in Media Study

Career choices

Jobs that recent graduates have found

Minors that complement Media Study

Class size

Portfolio Information

The Department of Media Study offers you a compelling context to explore the moving image, networked and programmable media and critical theory in its social context.

Students may choose concentrations in Production (which includes tracks in digital arts, robotics, virtual reality, film, video, documentary), or Critical Studies.

Production courses engage students in the production of personal works in image/sound composition and the use of computers in generating or processing images and sounds. The curriculum also situates itself on the cutting edge of contemporary developments in creative and critical practice.

Critical Studies courses involve students in many traditional and new methods for analyzing the meaning of narrative, documentary, experimental, and iconic modes of image/sound composition. It is also particularly appropriate for students interested in careers as producers and writers in the media industry.

Media Study also provides an excellent opportunity for students who wish to pursue two fields of study. Art, English, Theater, Computer Science, Anthropology, Music and Communications are common combinations with Media Study in either joint or double majors. Media Study is also open to Special Majors in which students combine work from two or three fields to construct their own programs.

The Department of Media Study faculty is among the most distinguished in the university and are recognized internationally for their work in their respective fields. For details please consult the People section.

The department is housed in the new Center for the Arts on the Amherst (North) Campus along with the Art Department, the Theater and Dance studios, and the University Gallery. The Media Study quarters include a production studio and sound stage, two small screening rooms, and a large screening room that seats 200 along with editing rooms, computer labs, a robotics lab, and a Virtual Reality lab. For specific details of the department’s equipment architecture please consult the Facilities section.

The Department of Media Study has an excellent collaborative relationship with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo Media Resources Center (Squeaky Wheel), the Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Art (CEPA), Buffalo Media Access Center and the Carnegie Museum.

Career Choices

CD ROM and game designers

Web and interface designers

Multimedia programmers

Special effects/graphics designers

VR interfaces for scientific research, industrial design, and architecture

Curators in galleries and museums

Film/media reviewers/critics

Film/media writers, producers, directors, editors, technicians

Independent artists

Media specialists/consultants

University/ college professors

Library media specialists

Media center administrator/technician

Development officer for private foundation

Recent graduates have found employment in the following areas:

Assistant Producer, WGBH-Boston

Editor, MTV Productions

Assistant Editor, Solarium

Editor, NYTimes Television

Film and Video Producer at CineFamily, NYC

Production Coordinator, Believe Media, Inc., Los Angeles, CA

Multimedia developer, Ingram Micro, Inc.

Editor, Fox Sports

Film Programmer, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center

University at Buffalo Minors that complement Media Study

Anthropology

Architecture

Computer Science

Dance

Photography

English

Management Science and Systems

Music

Theatre

(For more information about Minors, please follow this link to our Requirements page.)

The Classroom

All Media Study production classes have a maximum of 22 students.

Critical Studies courses range from 25 to 80 depending on the course.