Bachelor of Fine Arts in Integrated Lens-Based Media
The School of Film and Photography (SFP) prepares students to meet the challenges of a rapidly expanding media environment as professionally trained creative artists and informed critical thinkers. Our students develop their own voices as tomorrow's leaders through intensive hands-on exploration of film, photography and related media.
The School of Film and Photography offers two undergraduate degrees, a Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) in Film and Photography and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA) in Integrated Lens-Based Media. The BA offers separate concentrations (options) in Film or Photography. Each of these two options offer ample opportunity to explore both areas if desired, while providing a strong focus for students to pursue professional career opportunities in the area of their choosing. Students who wish to explore the relationship between Film and Photography even further as integrated artistic media may apply for the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Program in Integrated Lens Media.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Integrated Lens-Based Media in the School of Film & Photography at MSU-Bozeman provides students with an intensive, interdisciplinary course of study in cinematic and photographic media that culminates in the creation of a comprehensive capstone project. As a professional degree, the BFA in Integrated Lens-Based Media prepares students to pursue graduate study and for careers as professional artists.
Students apply for admission to the BFA in the spring of their sophomore year, after having completed a prescribed sequence of foundational courses in the production, analysis, and history of film and photography. Admission into the program is limited to students who have already been admitted into both the Film and Photo option at the conclusion of their freshman year. Students admitted into the program are assigned two advisors–one photographer and one filmmaker–with whom they design a customized curriculum for the final two years of the degree.
A minimum of 120 credits are required for the BFA degree. 42 of the 120 must be Upper Division (UD) credits (300 or 400).
| Freshman Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Spring | |
| FILM 112 - Aesthetics of Film Production I | 3 | |
| PHOT 113RA - The Magic of the Darkroom I | 3 | |
| Take one of the following either semester: | 3 | |
ARTZ 105IA - Visual Language - Drawing (or Spring) | ||
ARTZ 109IA - Visual Language: Comprehensive Foundation (or Spring) | ||
ARTZ 110RA - Visual Language: Ideation and Creativity | ||
| University Core and Electives1 | 6 | |
| FILM 101IH - Understanding Film and Media (or Fall) | 3 | |
| PHOT 213 - The Magic of the Darkroom II (or Fall) | 3 | |
| University Core and Electives1 | 9 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 15 |
| Sophomore Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| FILM 212 - Aesthetics Film Production II | 4 | |
| PHOT 258 - View Camera | 4 | |
| University Core and Electives1 | 7 | |
| Film Electives - Take one of the following either semester: | 3 | |
FILM 201D - Film History I: Origins to the 1960s | ||
FILM 202D - Film History II: 1960s to the Present | ||
| PHOT 255 - Intro to Color Photography | 4 | |
| University Core and Electives1 | 8 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 15 |
| Junior and Senior Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| PHOT 401 - Contemporary Issues in Photography | 3 | |
| Studies Electives - Take two of the following either semester:4 | 6 | |
FILM 381 - Studies in Film (Fall or Spring) | ||
FILM 481 - Advanced Studies in Film (Fall or Spring) | ||
| Production Electives - Take two FILM and two PHOT either semester: | 12 | |
FILM 251 - Scriptwriting (S) | ||
FILM 253 - Television Production (S) | ||
FILM 254 - Acting for Film (F) | ||
THTR 304 - Theatre Production (S) | ||
FILM 333 - Production Management (F)* | ||
PHOT 350 - Landscape and the Book (S) | ||
FILM 351 - Advanced Script Writing (F)* | ||
FILM 352 - Editing (S) | ||
PHOT 352 - Advanced Lighting Practices (F) | ||
FILM 354 - Lighting (S Alternating Years) | ||
FILM 355 - Cinematography (F) | ||
FILM 356 - Production Design (S Alternating Years) | ||
FILM 357 - Directing (S)* | ||
FILM 359 - Sound Design (F) | ||
PHOT 359 - Alternative Photographic Techniques (S) | ||
FILM 370 - Color Grading for Film & TV (S) | ||
FILM 371 - Non-Fiction Film Production (S)3 | ||
PHOT 371 - Portraiture (S) | ||
FILM 372 - Fiction Film Production (F)3 | ||
FILM 373 - Experimental Film Production (F)3 | ||
PHOT 373 - Image & Text (S) | ||
PHOT 374 - Experimental Photography (F) | ||
| University Core and Electives1 | 9 | |
| PHOT 301 - Photography: Global Histories and Perspectives | 3 | |
| Additional Relevant Courses2 | 15 | |
| Senior Capstone (Fall, Spring)3 | 10 | |
FILM 490R - Undergraduate Research | ||
PHOT 490R - Undergrad Research | ||
FILM 499 - Senior Production | ||
PHOT 499 - Senior Production Photography | ||
| University Core and Electives1 | 2 | |
| Year Total: | 30 | 30 |
| Total Program Credits: | 120 | |
| 1 | Courses within the major that fulfill CORE requirements are: University Seminar (US), WRIT 101W (W), FILM 201D Film History I/FILM 202D Film History II (D), PHOT 113RA The Magic of the Darkroom I (R and RA), and FILM 101IH Understanding Film and Media (IH). CORE classes not fulfilled within the major are QUANTITATIVE REASONING (Q), CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN SCIENCE (CS), NATURAL SCIENCES (IN), and S. **WRIT 101W and US Core must be taken freshman year.** |
| 2 | Discuss with your advisor which courses throughout the university will be relevant to your proposed course of study to fulfill 15 remaining credits. Courses can be SFP courses over and above the requirements for the degree or non-SFP courses. |
| 3 | Entry into FILM Senior Production requires senior standing and two of FILM 371, FILM 372, FILM 373 or THTR 304. If pursuing a role as Producer, Cinematographer, Editor, Sound Designer, Production Designer or Lighting Designer, the student should have taken the corresponding 300-level production elective. Entry into PHOT Senior Production requires senior standing. |
| 4 | Other recommended film studies electives include: ARTH 391 Visual Analysis of Film and Video (3), GRMN 422IH German Text & Cinema (3), JPNS 361IH Japanese Text and Cinema (3), LS 451 Film, Photos, and Culture: A Global Perspective (3), NASX 360 Native Americans and Cinema (3), PHL 328 Philosophy and Film (3), SPNS 352IH US Latino Text and Cinema (3), and PSYX 263CS The Psychology of Film (3). |
The ILBM degree is 79/120 credits total. Students must meet university requirements of 42 upper division credits (300–400 level courses) within the 120 total. The ILBM degree provides a minimum of 28 upper division credits within the required courses for the major.