Communication - BA
In the Bachelor of Arts in Communication program, you create advertising, public relations, and social media campaigns for real clients, all while learning how to effectively communicate with different target audiences.
Overview
Cinema students work in our production studio and editing labs that feature industry standard technology. There are opportunities to present work at film festivals, collaborate with our award-winning faculty on professional sets, study abroad with department faculty and students, and get additional experience through an internship at a production company or network in Connecticut, New York, or Boston. Cinema students can also choose an accelerated 3+1 Cinema BA and MBA option that allows them to graduate in four years with both a BA and MBA.
You can watch UHart student films at vimeo.com/hartfordcinema
About the Major
As a cinema major, you’ll study the art of film and develop the technical skills you’ll need to produce and direct your own work. Cinema majors select courses that match their interest in narrative filmmaking, documentary, animation, experimental film, and/or film studies. Our majors graduate having made several of their own films that they submit to film festivals and screening venues. You will learn both the technical skills and the critical thinking skills you’ll need to be well prepared to work in film production, television, advertising, marketing, and corporate media production fields. Cinema students have 24-hour access to Mac and PC workstation editing suites running Adobe Creative Cloud and Davinci Resolve and use industry standard professional cinema cameras, cinema lenses, and all of the necessary accessories to make professional films: like light kits, dollies, cranes, and audio production accessories.
Here you can also take advantage of opportunities to study film abroad with department faculty or get additional experience through an internship at a production company in Connecticut, New York, or Boston. Our students graduate having directed several of their own films and they have the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace.
Our alumni in film/video production have gone on to work at television networks, in commercial advertising production, and film production companies as directors, producers, and editors. Our alumni in cinema studies have gone on to become critics for major news organizations and directors of international film festivals.
Degree Requirements
A total of 37-39 credits are required for the Bachelor of Arts in Cinema program.
The cinema major has two possible tracks: Cinema Studies and Film/Video Production.
All cinema majors take six courses (19 credits) in both film/video production and cinema studies that are divided into three groups: Introduction, Grounding, and Experiential Learning. The rest of the courses are taken in the track the student selects, either cinema studies or film/video production.
Core Classes for Both Cinema Tracks
You start off with both an Introduction to Film course and an Introduction to Filmmaking course, which provide an overview of film studies concepts and film/video production skills. You then take courses from two categories to build upon your knowledge and understanding of film. The experiential learning category gives you the chance to work on a senior project film or video project over the course of the semester.
Select three courses from the Grounding category such as:
Storytelling for the Screen
Film History
Film Analysis
Select one course from the Experiential Learning category:
Producing and Directing
Advanced Production Workshop
For more information, and to see a complete list of degree requirements, visit the Course Catalog.
Select Your Track: Film/Video Production or Cinema Studies
You decide how best to complete the major.
You can select courses in the Film/Video Production Track or Cinema Studies. You take six additional credits (18 -19 credits) in the track of your choice, examples include:
Film/Video Production:
- Cinematography
- Animation
- Narrative Filmmaking
- Film/Video Lighting
- Documentary Filmmaking
Cinema Studies:
- Film Genres
- Film Directors
- Studies in Film
- World Cinema
For more information, and to see a complete list of additional degree requirements, visit the Course Catalog.
Minor Requirements
A total of 15 credits is required for the minor in cinema including the core course, Introduction to Film.
In addition, two of the following courses are required from the Grounding category.
- Storytelling for the Screen
- World Cinema
- Film History
- Film Analysis
You also select two courses from the Study in Depth category:
- Advanced Screenwriting
- Film Directors
- National Cinemas
- Film Genres
- Studies in Film
For more information, and to see a complete list of minor requirements, visit the Course Catalog.
Learning Outcomes
Bachelor of Arts in Cinema students will:
- Understand the idea of film as an art form and the essentials of film style and be able to communicate effectively, accurately, and meaningfully about cinema and media. Students should be able to present their ideas verbally through in class pitches and workshops as well as reflect on their work in critiques. They should have the vocabulary and knowledge base of a variety of creators, genres, and cinemas to effectively present complex theses and claims. They should be able to communicate written analysis in film studies courses and present peer reviewed evidence for their conclusions.
- Gain an understanding of fundamental aesthetic and conceptual approaches to digital video production and non-linear editing, and become able to script, edit and film short video production works based on these principles. Complete a creative work that synthesizes technical skills and aesthetic concepts learned during the class. The completed creative work should be self-directed over a period of time and give students work-ready skills and work samples for when they go on the job market. There should be some public demonstration of this work where the student is able to demonstrate the mastery they attained.
- Have an understanding of the history of film from 1895 to the present, including: major developments in technology, economics, and society that influenced the production of film; and prominent styles of film from various historical periods. Students should have an understanding not just of Hollywood cinema, but of a diversity of filmmakers and marginalized communities.
- Understand the basics of a number of methods of analyzing films and media, be able to apply these methods to a variety of types of cinema and media, and know why film studies favors certain methods. Have an understanding of specific kinds of films based on: extended close study of one or more of the major individual figures in cinema; a thorough survey of one or more of the major national cinemas; one or more historically important genres in cinema; or intensive study of a motif, topic, or period in media and film studies, such as City in Film, Video Game Analysis, and The Auteur in Hollywood.
- Demonstrate proficiency in teamwork/collaboration by creating a substantial collaborative project (ie. completing a film through the stages of pre-production, production, and post-production). Students must demonstrate the ability to work together with people from different backgrounds, with different perspectives and collaborate on a common goal. They must demonstrate the ability to provide and receive feedback. They must show they can assign and undertake tasks and roles, working on their own projects and also while assisting others with their projects.
3+1 BA in Cinema/MBA Program
A 3+1 BA in Cinema and MBA program is also offered. You take your undergraduate cinema courses in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Master of Business Administration requirements in UHart’s Barney School of Business. By the end of your third year, you will have completed the BA in Cinema and minor in Business, and by the end of your fourth year, you will have completed the MBA. This accelerated program allows you to finish both degrees in the same amount of time it would normally take to finish one, and at a reduced cost.
3+1 Program Information
- You must maintain a 3.2 GPA to enroll in the Barney grad program the summer after your third year.
- Courses taken in the winter and summer term as part of the undergraduate degree are offered at no extra tuition cost.
- As a UHart student, you are eligible for the Hawk Alumni Scholarship during the graduate studies portion of the program, which reduces your tuition by 25 percent.
- You are not “locked in” to the schedule and can opt out of the 3+1 accelerated program and change to a 4+1 model.
If you have questions about the program and course schedule, contact Cinema Program Director and Associate Professor Lauren Cook at lcook@hartford.edu.
Cinema Equipment and Facilities
Cinema majors have 24-hour access to several editing labs with PC and Mac studio workstations running Adobe Creative Suite and Davinci Resolve. There are specialized workstations for stop motion animation, rotoscoping, and color correction. Students also have access to our TV/Film Studio with professional lighting grid for their projects. They can record in our audio production booth and podcast studio that is equipped for live podcast feeds with video and audio.
Cinema students use industry standard cinema cameras (Blackmagic URSA, Pocket 6k Pro, Sony DSLRs, etc.) and production equipment to shoot their class projects. They also have access to professional-grade lighting kits, dollies, cranes, and audio equipment. Cinema studies classes and film club screenings take place in our theater screening classroom with stadium seating, Dolby surround sound, and 4k projection.
Study Abroad with Faculty and Students
Our students can opt to study film and media abroad for a semester in locations like South Korea, Prague, or London. They can also take a class with department faculty over Spring Break where they study the films of that country or region and make documentary films. In 2024, cinema students travelled to Argentina with Assistant Professor Dakota Nanton to study films of South America and work on film projects. In 2025, cinema students can opt to travel with Nanton to South Africa, where they will learn about the films and culture of the region and work on projects abroad.
Leo Caserta
Cinema, '23
Leo Caserta ’23 is well on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming an independent filmmaker, having already completed a portfolio that earned him a Creativity Award from UHart’s School of Communication. Leo has worked as a crew member on a couple of Lifetime films, as well as an interview with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) martial artist Alex Pereria at ESPN and a Gatorade commercial with UCONN women's basketball player Paige Bueckers.
Leo says UHart Cinema Instructor Zachary Haines provided him with tremendous support during his time at UHart. “He always had an open ear for any questions, not only regarding filmmaking, but career path and life questions as well. Overall, he’s just a very good soul looking out for his students that he undoubtedly cares very much about.” Read more.
UHart has a good film program with a good base in both theory and basic production skills, however, nothing beats real experience. I wouldn’t be where I am right now without the jobs I’ve worked over the past two years.
Kyle Conti
MA in Communication, BA in Cinema, and Digital Media and Journalism, '20, M'22
Kyle has accepted a position with NFL Films to work on HBO’s Hard Knocks, a reality sports documentary series that focuses on a new NFL team each year. Kyle had also been offered a job editing game footage for Major League Baseball, but decided on the NFL Films position because it lined up with what he wants to focus on, which is documentary filmmaking.
His latest documentary, Gay Spirit Radio: Not Afraid to be Different—The Keith Brown Story, will be shown as the centerpiece of Connecticut’s LGBTQ Film Festival in June. The documentary details the history of the Gay Spirit Radio program on UHart’s WWUH radio, which has been hosted Keith Brown for more than 40 years.
My professors made me feel comfortable taking risks since I'm in a unique field of editing and production. The small class sizes made me feel like I had a connection with every professor. The projects and papers were meaningful, and I feel well prepared to enter the workforce.”
Gavin Mealey '20, CinemaThe skills you'll learn in the program will be valuable when it comes time to go out into the workforce. What is equally valuable though, are the connections you'll make while you're here.
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