FAQ » School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design
Skip to main content Skip to local navigation
School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design

AMPD Frequently Asked Questions

Six credits from the AMPD 1900 3.00 series of courses, outside the major, are required of all School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design degrees. These courses may be used toward satisfying the humanities general education requirement, the in/out requirements or an AMPD elective. For students admitted to the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design with a minimum of 54 transfer credits, the six credits from the 1900 3.00 series of courses outside the major are optional. Only courses with FA/_ _ _ _ 1900 in the course code fulfill this requirement. You can find them in the York University Courses website by searching School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, the Department and 1900 under 'Faculty, Subject and Number.' Some 1900 courses such as Dance have online lectures so when you add them to your schedule there won't be a scheduled time for class but there may still be a scheduled tutorial.

Undergraduate students can request enrolment into a course that requires departmental permission by completing the MachForm at ampd.yorku.ca/permission. This form may be used up until the last date to add a course without permission. To find the dates for the current academic term, refer to registrar.yorku.ca/enrol/dates under Add/Drop Deadlines.

After such time, students need permission of the instructor to add a course. AMPD Departments handle these permissions differently and it is best to ask the Department for advice or to get copies of the required paperwork (if by voicemail or email, always include your full name, student number, the course code and instructors name).

If you are currently enrolled and registered as an undergraduate student and wish to request a transfer to a different academic program/degree, please review the information at the Program Change page. Submit your program change request via this link.

A number of AMPD programs require an audition/interview/portfolio review before you can be admitted. When you submit your program change request, you should also contact the Department office.

In the Film BFA Screenwriting Program, the first two years include basic courses in production and screenwriting, and survey courses in cinema and media studies. In third and fourth year, screenwriting students take up to 36 (but at least 18) credits in screenwriting, including up to 12 credits in feature film screenwriting, 9 credits in writing for television, and courses in story editing, transmedia storytelling, scene writing, and the history of screenwriting. Screenwriting students may also choose to take some advanced cinema and media studies courses. You will also take courses outside of the Cinema and Media Arts Department, drawn from the rich offerings of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (visual arts, theatre, music, design, digital media, dance) and the University at large.

In the Film BA/Cinema and Media Studies Program, The first two years focus on survey courses, which introduce students to a broad knowledge of film history and theory. The upper level courses specialize in a range of topics. Students can take courses in such areas as the role of film in society, gender and sexuality studies, national cinemas (for example Asian studies) , digital film and new media, television studies, Canadian cinema, film history, experimental and alternative cinemas, documentary, contemporary theory and more. You will also take courses outside of the Cinema and Media Arts Department, drawn from the rich offerings of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (visual arts, theatre, music, design, digital media, dance) and the University at large.

Students own their own film works. They are required only to acknowledge the department’s participation in an on-screen credit.

The department provides equipment, facilities and support. Students crew on one another’s projects. In general, hard costs are borne by the students. Students who enroll in the BFA program can expect to spend $500 in their first year and $1000 in second year. In third and fourth year, costs depend entirely on what projects students choose to undertake. Costs are generally shared between key crew members who are gaining academic credit for a production (usually 4 or 5 key crew positions); the director has primary overall responsibility. The approved spending cap for third-year and fourth-year productions is $4000.

Students start off in first year working with 16mm film cameras as well as digital cinema cameras. Because many of our incoming students have no previous experience in film production, this allows them to encounter the particular challenges of both film and digital media. For the next three years, students follow digital workflows from camera to the screen – moving from Black Magic Pocket Cinema Cameras to Canon C300 MkII and Sony F7 4K cameras.