Vancouver Film School Diploma Program with Honours BA Film Studies
This page is intended for VFS students who are entering Laurier. If you are a Laurier student who is entering VFS (normally in Year 3), visit https://academic-calendar.wlu.ca/program.php?cal=1&d=2029&p=4377&s=931&y=79
Laurier has a partnership agreement through which students can complete, in 20.0 credits, the Honours BA Film Studies at Laurier and one of VFS’s Diploma programs in Film Production; Writing for Film, Television, and Games; or Acting for Film and Television.
VFS students coming to Laurier attend Year 1 at VFS and then Years 2, 3, and 4 at Laurier. The transfer credits for VFS students are slightly different than for Laurier students: the one-year intensive VFS program is regarded as equivalent of 100-level credits, except in the case where Laurier offers a similar course (in those instances a specific course credit is assigned). Laurier’s Honours Film Studies program consists of 20.0 credits, of which 15.0 are completed at Laurier and 5.0 credits can be completed at VFS.
VFS Credits (5.0 credits)
The student’s year at VFS counts as 5.0 credits towards the 20.0 credits of the Honours Film Studies program (depending on which program the student takes at VFS) as follows:
A. VFS's Film Production program:
- 1.0 from FS 100-level (junior) credit
- 2.0 from non-major elective 100-level (junior) credits
- 0.5 equivalent to FS275 - The Business of Film
- 0.5 equivalent to FS370 - Intro to Video Editing
- 0.5 equivalent to FS371 - Advanced Video Editing
- 0.5 equivalent to FS374 - Screenwriting and Directing
B. VFS's Writing for Film, Television, and Games program:
- 1.0 from FS 100-level (junior) credit
- 3.0 from non-major elective 100-level (junior) credits
- 0.5 equivalent to FS275 - The Business of Film
- 0.5 equivalent to FS374 - Screenwriting and Directing
C. VFS's Acting for Film and Television program:
- 1.0 from FS 100-level (junior) credit
- 4.0 from non-major elective 100-level (junior) credits
Laurier Credits (15.0 credits)
Laurier’s Honours Film Studies program consists of 20.0 credits, of which at least 14.0 credits must be at the senior level, including a minimum of 10.0 but no more than 14.0 credits in FS courses, and no more than 1.0 may be at the 100 level. Students may also count up to 1.0 credit from senior (200- or 300-level) EN courses. At least 1.0 credit must be chosen from the annual fourth-year offerings; FS489 may be used for only 0.5 credit.
- 1.0 credit from Introductory FS courses: FS101, FS102, FS103
- 1.0 credit from Film History FS courses: FS240, FS241
- 1.0 credit from Film Theory FS courses: FS341, FS342
- 1.0 credit from National Cinemas FS courses: FS238, FS239, FS244, FS246, FS250, FS301, FS330, FS333, FS355, FS360, FS365
- 1.0 credit from Fourth-Year FS courses: FS443, FS444, FS489
- 5.0 additional senior credits from FS courses (including the FS credits earned at VFS).
Degree Program Electives: An additional 10.0 credits including non-major electives (including those
earned at VFS) toward the degree total of 20.0 credits (of which no more than 5.0 credits can be at the 100
level).
Note: VFS Writing for Film, Television, and Games students can only count 0.5 credits from editing courses
towards their degree (i.e., FS370). VFS Acting for Film and Television students can only count 0.5 credits
from production courses towards their degree (one of: FS275, FS370, FS371, or FS374).