Media Study

All those hours you've spent staring at screens is about to pay off. As someone who grew up surrounded by media, you already know how to understand and create the content you see and hear on your smartphone, laptop or TV. Now, it's time to take the next step. UB's media study program is designed for thoughtful, creative people who want to shape our culture, make media (including films) and analyze the ever-increasing amount of media in our daily lives.

Departments

Academic Programs

Majors

Combined Degrees

Minors

Certificates

What will I learn?

How do you make a documentary or computer game? How does popular culture affect web design? Does the impact of something change if we binge watch it or experience it in virtual reality? These are the types of questions you can explore in the classrooms, screening rooms and production spaces at UB, in one of the first media study departments in the U.S. You’ll start with intro courses about media, then quickly move into advanced classes in production, theory, history and other topics based on your specific interests. 

Film Studies vs. Media Study
  • Film studies is for students who want to think about and study film, perhaps as a writer, researcher or teacher.
  • Media study teaches you how to create and analyze all types of media, including films.

What can I do with a media study degree?

Our alumni have directed content for Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny, been honored at major film festivals (including SXSW), worked for Industrial Light & Magic and won Academy Awards, to name just a few of their accomplishments.

Whether you want to create films, video games, animations, web content or nearly any type of media, you can get the skills and experience you need with a media study degree. UB media study grads have found careers as a(n):

  • Assistant producer.
  • Augmented reality engineer.
  • Digital marketer.
  • Editorial producer.
  • Film director.
  • Game developer.
  • Production coordinator.
  • Professor.
  • Videographer/video editor.
  • Web developer/webmaster.

While many of our grads work in traditional film, video and broadcasting, there are also plenty of opportunities in non-profit agencies, advertising agencies and other organizations that need to create, distribute and understand media.