Cinema Studies BA Handbook (CAS)

Advanced undergraduate cinema studies majors are permitted, with faculty approval, to take certain graduate courses listed in the graduate course descriptions section.

Any undergraduate cinema studies majors who are planning to pursue graduate work are encouraged to study two (2) years in a foreign language.

The Tisch Cinema Studies Advisor can only advise on Major requirements. All General Education requirement questions or academic procedures outside of the major (e.g. dropping/adding, leaves of absences, etc. ) must be discussed with a CAS Advisor.

A student wishing to conduct independent research for credit must obtain approval from a full-time faculty member in the Department of Cinema Studies who will supervise an independent study for up to 4 credits. This semester-long study is a project of special interest to the student who, with the supervising faculty member, agrees on a course of study and requirements. The proposed topic for an Independent Study project should not duplicate topics taught in departmental courses. This is an opportunity to develop or work on a thesis project.

To register, you must submit an Independent Study Form. Once the information from your form is verified by your faculty supervisor, you will receive a permission code.

Many students in the department receive up to 4 points (per internship) for working at various film libraries, archives, museums, journals, production companies, and film research labs.

Looking For Internships
Students looking for internships should seek information from the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development, Tisch Office of Career Development, or emails sent from the department with internship opportunities. New internship postings usually coincide with registration for each term.   Students are highly encouraged to initiate their own internships, as this may be the best method of matching specific student interests with particular companies or organizations. If there is an organization a student is interested in they should approach the organization and inquire about internship positions.

Registering For Internships
Once a student has found an internship that they are interested in, the faculty sponsor, typically the Director of Undergraduate Studies, must grant permission to the student and agree that the internship is relevant to the student’s coursework and/or academic interests. The student must also go through the necessary interview with the organization to obtain the internship. Students must establish the internship responsibilities with the organization and negotiate the number of hours to be worked each week.  Keep in mind that 16 – 20 hours per week is the standard amount for a 4 point internship. 2 point internships are also acceptable if students work 6 – 10 hours per week.

The student cannot register for the Internship until an Internship Learning contract has been filled out and signed by the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Internship Site supervisor.

Please be aware that all students planning to enroll in internships must negotiate any requirements with the Director of Undergraduate Studies before the registration procedure is complete.

Grading
All internships will be graded pass/fail.  Students will be graded on the quality of their performance as it is reflected in the Midterm and Final Report submitted by their internship supervisor. In addition, the student Midterm and Final reflections on their internship will be taken into account when assessing their final grade.  Grade to be submitted by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Grades are assigned the following "weights":

A   = 4.000
A-  = 3.667
B+ = 3.333
B   = 3.000
B-  = 2.667
C+ = 2.333
C   = 2.000
C-  = 1.667
D+ = 1.300
D   = 1.000
F    = 0.000

Undergraduate departmental students are required to obtain grades of C or better in all departmental courses.  Courses with grades of I, N, W, and F are not considered successfully completed. Except for “W” and “Pass,” all grades for courses taken for credit at any division of NYU are computed in your GPA, beginning with those earned during your first term of registration. Grades for courses taken at other colleges and universities are not computed in your cumulative GPA.

If a student repeats a non-repeatable course, the second grade will be computed in the grade point average.  However, the student will only receive credit toward the overall credits once.  

A notation will appear on the transcript indicating that the course was repeated. Transcripts cannot be changed for any reason after the student has graduated.

Grades below C will not count towards the Cinema Studies Major.  If you receive a grade below a C for a Cinema Studies CORE requirement, you must retake the course.

Students are expected to complete all coursework by the end of each semester. If, for compelling reasons, such as illness or a family emergency, a student is unable to complete coursework by the end of the semester, they may request a grade of Incomplete. The awarding of a grade of Incomplete is at the discretion of the instructor and is not guaranteed. If the incomplete work is not completed within the designated period, the grade will lapse to the final grade indicated by the instructor. Final grades cannot be changed except in cases of faculty or administrative error. Incomplete grades lapse to F after one semester if no change of grade has been processed.

If a student has good reason for not being able to complete the outstanding work in the specified period, he or she may apply for an extension by the instructor. To receive an extension, the student must fill out a form through the CAS Advising Center and it must be signed by the faculty member.

Please remember that it is the student’s responsibility to request the grade of Incomplete and that instructors are not obliged to grant an Incomplete. Note that outstanding grades of Incomplete do not count as earned credit hours and therefore may affect registration time and/or eligibility for financial aid. Students with more than one grade of Incomplete in a semester may be placed on academic probation.

The letter W represents official withdrawal from the course. A grade of "W" will be issued beginning the 1st calendar day of the start of the 3rd week of classes.  Any tuition refund will be in accordance with the refund schedule for that semester. Check with the Bursar’s website for tuition refund deadlines.

Withdrawal schedules differ for January and Summer sessions.

A change of grade is only granted to students who have either made up previous coursework or successfully appealed a permanent grade.  The student must make arrangements for the instructor to submit a Change of Grade online.

If the Change of Grade is approved by both the Chair of the department and the Dean of Student Affairs, it is then electronically sent to the University Registrar for final approval.  The grade is typically posted within 1-2 business days from departmental approval.

Registrar Services at StudentLink, 383 Lafayette Street, issues all official transcripts and records address or name changes.

Students should always notify both the Cinema Studies department and Registrar Services of any change in your mailing address and telephone number. A student should also update their address and telephone number on ALBERT; yet, in this case, still should contact the department with this change.

Official copies of the transcript can be requested on ALBERT.  While there is no charge for paper transcripts, there is a fee for eTranscripts.

Students can check on ALBERT for final grades at the conclusion of each semester. Due to University procedure, final grades are usually posted within 3 days from the conclusion of the semester.

Applicants must be presenting a paper or poster at a scholarly or professional conference.  Attendance only cannot be funded.

Applicants may apply while awaiting confirmation of acceptance from conference organizers; however, no grant payments will be processed without the submission of documentation showing acceptance.

Funding is limited for student travel. Therefore, deadlines will be strictly enforced.

Receipts are required in order to receive funds from the department.

BA students may only receive one travel grant during their academic career and must be in good academic standing. You must be enrolled in full-time coursework both at the time of application and during the dates of conference travel. (If you apply for a conference that takes place after you graduate, you will not be reimbursed for your expenses.)

Grants are awarded three times per year for conference periods running from December to March, April to July, and August to November.

A departmental travel grant application is available from the grant administrator and will be sent out to all BA students at the beginning of each application period.  Students should email the application document directly to the Department Administrator (Marisa Shepard) within the posted application period.

Students are encouraged to apply even if they have not yet received confirmation of acceptance from conference organizers. Deadlines are strictly enforced.

All applications must be received by the Department by the final day of the application period. Late applications, regardless of the date sent or reason for lateness, will not be accepted. It is the applicant's sole responsibility to submit the application by the deadline. Students who apply and are accepted to a conference after the application dates for a travel period have passed may submit an application for consideration in the immediately-following travel period, provided they are still fully matriculated.

Student Travel Grant funds may be used as the student sees fit to cover travel expenses related to the conference presentation. Grant recipients must make their own arrangements for travel and accommodations, including any passports, visas, and tickets.

Notification of award is sent via email.

Be sure to keep a copy of the completed application for yourself.

Departmental grants are processed as reimbursements. Therefore, all receipts must be retained and submitted to the Department of Cinema Studies within 2 weeks of the completion of travel. Full instructions for submitting your receipts to the Department will be included in your grant award letter.

Please be advised that any meals for which reimbursement is requested must be fully itemized.

For further information, please contact the Department Administrator (Marisa Shepard.)

Students are not automatically graduated upon completion of degree requirements.  At the beginning of the semester in which they plan to graduate, it is their responsibility to log onto ALBERT to apply for graduation.  Application periods are listed on the University Registrar’s website. If a student does not apply within the scheduled period, they can apply for the next semester’s graduation list.

In March of each academic year, information will be sent regarding NYU Commencement and University-wide graduation festivities to: A) students who have had their degrees conferred the previous September and January and B) students who have applied for May graduation.  These ceremonies take place at the conclusion of each Spring semester throughout the University.

PLEASE NOTE: All require the strict application of deadlines for tickets, academic attire and other graduation materials.  It is the student’s responsibility to meet these deadlines because extensions are rarely given.

All materials are sent to the student’s local address on file with the Registrar.  Students who have not received this information may not have: A) changed their address with Student Services; or B) applied for graduation within the application period. These students should contact CAS advising for more information as soon as possible.

Students who have applied for May graduation, yet cannot complete all degree requirements until the September date, may still have the opportunity to take part in May graduation exercises.  These students should contact CAS advising for more information.

If the Registrar finds that you have not met all criteria for graduation, you will be sent an email stating that you have been deleted from graduation and the reason for your deletion.  The email is sent after the actual day of graduation because of the strict schedule that the registrar must adhere to; grades are submitted only days before graduation, and the final evaluation of the completion of all degree requirements occurs at the same time as graduation.  All correspondence regarding your degree requirements are sent to your NYU email address. If you are deleted from graduation, you must reapply for the next graduation cycle. You must also contact the Registrar if you change your address at any point during the graduation process.

Students should contact Melanie Daly-Castilla regarding all questions/problems concerning graduation that relate to the Cinema Studies major.  All other graduation questions/problems should be directed to your CAS adviser.

Students are responsible for contacting the Registrar of any change of address during the graduation process.