ATLANTA – The new College of the Arts at Georgia State University completes its formation as a fully-operating college by establishing the new School of Film, Media, & Theatre. Formerly under the College of the Arts & Sciences, the school is the third arts school to join College of the Arts, now comprised of the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design, the School of Music, as well as the Center for Collaborative and International Arts (CENCIA), and the Center for Educational Partnerships in Music.
Founding Director Dr. Greg Smith will lead the mission of educating the next generation of critically aware media makers, scholars, theatre practitioners and citizens, and carry out the school’s commitment to supporting mainstream and alternative voices in film, television, new media and live theatre.
“The creation of the new School formally recognizes both how vital the $9.5* billion film, television and media industry is to Atlanta, and how crucially positioned our faculty are to serve the Georgia community and beyond,” said Smith.
The School of Film, Media, & Theatre offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and dual-degree programs:
- Bachelor of Arts in Film & Media
- Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies
- Theatre
- Arts Administration: Speech & Theatre
- Dual Degree in Film & Media with emphasis on Film & Media Production (Bachelor of Arts in Film & Media and Master of Arts in Communication Studies)
- Master of Arts in Communication Film, Video & Digital Imaging
- Moving Image Production
- Moving Image Studies
- Doctor of Philosophy in Communication Studies
- Moving Image Studies
In addition to creativity and theory, the school places emphasis on the practical and entrepreneurial facets that students need to succeed in their professions. The school provides more than 800 students the opportunity to work with an industry-connected faculty of more than 20 practicing professionals and scholars, making it the largest film and media program in Atlanta.
Name recognition as Georgia State’s School of Film, Media, & Theatre will raise awareness within the university and throughout Atlanta, as well as attract more prospective students and faculty from across the country. Alumni of note include: Tom Luse (B.A. ’74, M.S. ’81), executive producer of AMC’s wildly popular hit, “The Walking Dead”; actress Carra Patterson (B.A. ’06) who recently starred in the Tony Award-winning play “Jitney”; Chris Escobar (B.A. ’08, M.A. ‘13), Atlanta Film Festival Executive Director; and stuntman Philip Dido (B.A. ’02), the subject of the featured cover story in the summer issue of Georgia State University Magazine.
Key initiatives and partnerships include the Georgia State University Players, the oldest student-run theatre company in the Southeast; liquid blackness, a research group that explores issues of blackness and aesthetics; the Atlanta Film Festival, which is one of the largest and longest-running festivals in the country; and Rendering the Visible, a doctoral conference by the Moving Image Studies department.
The main office for the School of Film, Media, & Theatre is located at the 10th floor of 25 Park Place, between Auburn and Edgewood Avenues.
School of Film, Media, & Theatre
Georgia State University
25 Park Place, Suite 1016
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone 404-413-5605
For information about the School of Film, Media, & Theatre, please visit www.fmt.gsu.edu
*Georgia Department of Economic Development, Film Industry Generates $9.5 Billion for Georgia’s Economy (7/10/2017) announcement.