Department of Radio, Television and Film

Main Departmental Office
Radio, TV, Film and Performing Arts Building, Room 262

Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #310589
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-2537
Fax: 940-369-7838

E-mail: RTVF@unt.edu
Web site: www.rtvf.unt.edu

Alan Albaran, Chair

Radio, television, film and web-based media play a significant role in society, providing both entertainment and information. In a rapdily-changing media landscape, the Department of Radio, Television and Film readies students for tomorrow’s careers in media production (including radio/audio production, studio/field television production and documentary/narrative film production), industry studies and post-graduate work. RTVF students are provided with a liberal arts education combined with hands-on experience utilizing the same tools used by industry professionals. Students are provided with many course options so that they may learn more about a specific area or several areas of interest.

The RTVF department offers two majors – a Bachelor of Arts with a major in radio, television and film and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in converged broadcast media.

The major in radio, television and film provides a comprehensive background in narrative and documentary motion picture research, production, and post production editing; history of the media; the structure and economic basis of the industry; writing media aesthetics; ethics and legalities; writing in the particular forms required in the media along with a focused critical study of digital media and film.

The major in converged broadcast media provides a comprehensive education in media convergence, broadcast television and its tandem internet and social media affiliates, internet based news and information operations, as well as live location sports, entertainment and political events coverage.

Students majoring in RTVF and CBCM learn from faculty who are top scholars and well-respected media practitioners. The department’s strong ties to the Dallas/Ft. Worth media market provide students with opportunities to meet and work with filmmakers and major market media professionals.

Programs of Study

The department offers undergraduate programs in the following areas:

The department offers certificates in television news producing , media management and Spanish language media .

Admission to the Major

Only RTVF and CBCM pre-majors (PRTF and PCBM respectively), RTVF majors and CBCM majors can take RTVF and CBCM courses. Entering students interested in majoring in RTVF will be classified as pre-majors and will be advised by the RTVF department. Admission to the university or to pre-major status does not guarantee admission to the RTVF major. Admission to the major is highly competitive and is limited by the number of applicants and available resources. This means that if space or technical resources availability is declining, applications for RTVF major status may be submitted to a departmental admissions committee for review. For further information on Admissions and Pre-Major requirements see Radio, Television and Film, BA and Converged Broadcast Media, BA .

Suggested Minors for BA with a Major in Radio/Television/Film

Students majoring in radio/television/film may choose a minor field of study. Suggested minors coordinated with student career goals are art/photography (for career in film), business (broadcast advertising, marketing, sales and management), drama (production/performance), education (instructional media), journalism (broadcast news and documentary) and social sciences (general).

KNTU-FM

Radio station KNTU-FM, broadcasting at 100,000 watts on 88.1 MHz, serves the McKinney–Denton–Dallas–Fort Worth area 24 hours a day with educational, information and entertainment programming. All students at UNT are eligible to work at KNTU, where they can learn skills in radio production, programming and station administration. More information is available at www.kntu.com.

North Texas Television

North Texas Television (NTTV) is a student operated cable television channel where students learn to produce video programs on a wide range of topics and formats including news, sports, public affairs and entertainment. All students at UNT are eligible to work at NTTV.

Organizations

The department participates actively as an institutional member of the Broadcast Education Association; the University Film and Video Association; the Texas Association of Broadcast Educators; Society for Cinema and Media Studies; and the Radio, Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) student chapter.

Scholarships

The Department of Radio, Television and Film scholarships are awarded each year in the spring semester. Information for applications is posted in January. Scholarship money is applied toward tuition in the fall term/semester.

Cindy Coyle Memorial Scholarship is an academic scholarship for a student in the Department of Radio, Television and Film who has expressed a career interest specifically in radio.

Edwin L. Glick Scholarship is an academic scholarship award to recognize demonstrated excellence and promise in the study of broadcasting and cable at the University of North Texas.

First Broadcasting RTVF Scholarship is an academic scholarship for a student in the Department of Radio, Television and Film who has demonstrated an interest in radio broadcasting as a career through participation with either KNTU or off-campus internships.

Kathleen Woodby Scholarship is a scholarship for undergraduate students in the Department of Radio, Television and Film.

Mark Rybczyk Scholarship is a fund to support undergraduate students in the Department of Radio, Television and Film who have demonstrated merit, motivation and talent with the means to complete their education at the University of North Texas.

Paramount Pictures Undergraduate Scholarship is an academic scholarship award to recognize demonstrated excellence and promise in the study and production of electronic media and film at the University of North Texas.

Staples Graduate Scholarship is an academic scholarship awarded to a graduate student in the Department of Radio, Television and Film.

Westcott Foundation Scholarship is a fund to support undergraduate students in the Department of Radio, Television and Film who have demonstrated merit, motivation and talent with the means to complete their education at the University of North Texas.

Walter P. Deed Scholarship is an academic scholarship awarded to a student in the Department of Radio, Television and Film who has expressed a career interest in television engineering.

Requirements

Meet minimum entrance and academic performance standards of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Radio, Television and Film.
Students must be enrolled for at least 12 hours of study in both the spring and fall terms/semesters.
Enroll as full-time undergraduate major in the Department of Radio, Television and Film.
Minimum of 60 hours of course work toward a degree completed at the time of application.
Minimum GPA of 3.0 for courses taken at UNT.

Application

Applications are accepted in the spring term/semester after the call for applications is posted. An application must include the student’s name, ID number, hours completed through fall of the previous year, UNT GPA, overall GPA and name of an RTVF faculty familiar with your work. The following questions need to be addressed in a typed letter of application:

What are your professional goals upon graduation from UNT?
How have you prepared to accomplish these goals through your education and outside activities?
How will this award help you accomplish your goals?

Graduate Degrees

The department offers graduate programs in the following areas:

Master of Arts,
Master of Science, and
Master of Fine Arts, all with a major in radio/television/film.

For additional information, consult the Graduate Catalog.