Wesleyan University Film Studies
A liberal arts college in Connecticut with an influential film studies department that blends critical scholarship with production, producing a disproportionate number of notable filmmakers.
Overview
Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, is a small liberal arts college that punches far above its weight in film. The College of Film and the Moving Image offers a BA program that combines critical film studies with hands-on production coursework, and its alumni list includes some of the most prominent directors and screenwriters working in American cinema today.
Wesleyan does not operate as a conservatory or trade school. The film program is embedded within a liberal arts curriculum, which means students study film alongside literature, history, philosophy, and the sciences. This approach produces filmmakers with broad intellectual foundations, and the program's graduates are known for the literary and thematic depth of their work.
The school houses the Wesleyan Cinema Archives and maintains strong ties to the film industry through its alumni network and the annual Wesleyan Film Series, which brings filmmakers to campus for screenings and discussions. The Jeanine Basinger Collection of film-related artifacts and documents is a significant scholarly resource.
Programs Offered
- BA in Film Studies -- the primary undergraduate program, combining film history, theory, and criticism with production courses in directing, screenwriting, cinematography, and editing
- College of Film and the Moving Image -- an interdepartmental program that draws faculty from English, theater, art history, and other departments
What Students Should Know
Wesleyan's film program is not a production school. Students who want intensive, equipment-heavy production training from day one should consider a dedicated film school. What Wesleyan offers instead is a deep education in cinema as an art form, combined with enough production coursework to develop fundamental skills. Many Wesleyan graduates go on to MFA programs at AFI, Columbia, or NYU after completing their BA.
The program's size is part of its appeal. Wesleyan enrolls roughly 3,000 undergraduates total, and the film studies major is one of the most popular on campus. Small class sizes mean close relationships with faculty, and the program's seminar-based approach encourages critical thinking about filmmaking as both art and industry.
Jeanine Basinger, who founded the program, built it into one of the most respected undergraduate film departments in the country through a combination of rigorous scholarship and industry connections. Basinger's mentorship of students like Michael Bay and Akiva Goldsman established a tradition of faculty-student relationships that continues today.
Tuition at Wesleyan is approximately $63,000 per year, consistent with peer liberal arts colleges. The university meets 100% of demonstrated financial need and has a need-blind admissions policy for domestic students.
Notable Alumni
Wesleyan's film alumni include Michael Bay (Transformers, Bad Boys), Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Akiva Goldsman (screenwriter of A Beautiful Mind), Matthew Weiner (creator of Mad Men), Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Miguel Arteta (Cedar Rapids), and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights).
See Also
For exploring how a liberal arts education connects to a filmmaking career, see Paths into Filmmaking. To explore filmmaking terminology that bridges academia and production, visit the Filmmaker Glossary.
