Graduate students enrolled in master of arts (M.A.) and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) programs at Rutgers may pursue advanced work in film. The graduate certificate program in cinema studies is designed to prepare these students to engage in rigorous research
and teach within this field. Students
interested in pursuing the certificate should meet with the director of the cinema studies program to discuss the requirements, which include:
Successful completion of 9 graduate-level credits (three
courses, with a grade of B or above in each), fulfilled through:
- One core course, Film
Theory and World Cinema (16:195:522). With prior approval from the director
of the program, another graduate course in cinema that includes close textual
analysis and a significant consideration of film theory may be substituted.
- Two elective graduate courses in
cinema, approved in advance by the program director. Students are strongly
encouraged to enroll in scheduled seminars to fulfill this requirement.
However, in some cases one of the electives may be a directed research/independent
study course, supervised by a cinema studies member who is also a member of the graduate faculty, in consultation with a second member of the program and graduate faculty.
Successful completion of a significant research project in
cinema. At the M.A. level, this may be a
master's thesis, if required by the student's program, or an article-length seminar
paper. At the Ph.D. level, it is
expected that the student pass a field exam in cinema, if one is offered in the
home program, and/or that a substantial part of the dissertation will be
devoted to cinema studies issues. Alternatively,
a scholarly article focused on film may also fulfill this component of the certificate.
Students satisfying these requirements will be awarded the graduate certificate in cinema studies upon completion of their degree.
