Eastern Mennonite University

What you'll study

The programme balances practical production courses with critical study and liberal arts breadth. Core subjects include narrative and documentary production, cinematography, lighting for film, sound design, nonlinear editing, and screenwriting. Students take courses in film history and theory, media ethics, and visual storytelling to develop analytical and contextual understanding.

• Production workshops: hands-on courses in directing, camera operation, lighting, and on-set collaboration where students make short films in crew-based environments.
• Post-production: editing, colour correction, and sound mixing courses that teach industry-standard workflows and software.
• Writing and storytelling: screenwriting classes and story development seminars focused on structure, character and adaptation.
• Documentary practice: courses that cover documentary research, ethical considerations, interview technique and long-form storytelling.
• Film studies: film history, genre studies and media criticism courses that situate production practice within cultural and theoretical frameworks.
• Capstone project: a senior project or thesis film that demonstrates a synthesis of production skills, conceptual development and collaborative leadership.
• Experiential learning: practicum, internship and community media projects that provide professional experience and local industry connections.

Entry requirements

Applicants are expected to hold a secondary school diploma or equivalent and meet Eastern Mennonite University's general admission standards. Typical admission materials include academic transcripts, a personal statement, and one or more letters of recommendation. Prospective film students are usually asked to submit a creative portfolio or media sample (short films, scripts, editing reels or other relevant work) and may be invited to an interview or portfolio review.

Because the programme is grounded in a liberal arts context, applicants should demonstrate readiness for critical study alongside practical work; placement or transfer credit may be possible for prior college coursework or documented production experience.

Career prospects

Graduates enter a broad set of media and arts careers. Typical roles include director, cinematographer, editor, producer, screenwriter, sound designer, or camera operator. Alumni also find positions in post-production houses, television, web series and streaming content production, advertising, corporate and nonprofit communications, festival programming, and education.

Because of EMU’s emphasis on community engagement and ethical storytelling, graduates are particularly well positioned for roles that require collaborative practice, project management and audience-centred approaches—such as documentary production, social-issue media, community media labs and arts organisations. Internship experience and a strong senior project reel are important for launching a professional career in the field.

Why study at Eastern Mennonite University

Eastern Mennonite University offers a small-college environment where students receive close mentorship from faculty who combine practical industry experience with liberal-arts teaching. The programme emphasises hands-on production using campus media facilities, collaborative project work and experiential learning through internships and community partnerships in the Shenandoah Valley and beyond.

Students benefit from interdisciplinary opportunities across theatre, music, communications and the arts, plus a focus on ethical and community-engaged storytelling that aligns creative practice with social responsibility. Small class sizes, accessible faculty and opportunities to lead productions give students frequent chances to build a professional portfolio and gain practical leadership experience before graduation.