UCO to Offer Film Degree Program in Spring 2027

​​The University of Central Oklahoma announced it will launch a new Film Major in its Mass Communications department beginning in spring 2027, making it the only public university in the state to offer a film degree program. 

UCO has hosted the Oklahoma Teen Film Festival for the past two years to give teen filmmakers a platform to express themselves through filmmaking. 

Megan Cox, Ph.D., and assistant chair of the Department of Mass Communication, has been an advocate for bringing film to UCO by hosting the festival. 

“The first year we did it, it was more to say, we want to celebrate film in the state, and UCO wants to be known as someone who celebrates film in the state,” said Cox.

“As we started running camps and as we started doing the Film Festival, we realized how many students reach out to us, ask what’s available in film, and we didn’t realize just how many students want a place to come and study film,” said Cox. 

“I think Film is going to grow a lot in Oklahoma, and I think it is really important right now to look at the industries that are somewhat AI resistant, and where we can make a difference for students,” said Cox. 

“I think there is some film education that’s available, but it’s very expensive, and UCO does a great job of offering good education for a reasonable price,” said Cox. 

“deadCenter is our partner, but OCCC (Oklahoma City Community College) and Rose State (College) are working with us so that we can have a great transfer,” Cox continued.

“They already have digital cinema programs, and the hope is to have them take their first two years at OCCC or Rose State and finish their Bachelor’s here,” said Cox.

UCO can’t apply for grants yet until we have the thumbs up from our curriculum, but we have looked at several different ones, including everything from the National Endowment for the Arts, said Cox. There are many art and technology grants, and some state ones we can apply for once we are there.

UCO already has professors who teach many film classes, Milos Ajdinovic, Assistant Professor, and Mark Scott, Associate Professor, said Cox. Jesse Miller, Professor, has a background in lighting, and Mark Zimmerman, Professor, is also very interested.

I am a filmmaker predominantly. I’ve made films and am currently working on one, said Ajdinovic.

“A lot of students who come here are really interested in film, but they are kind of having difficulty finding the proper course or maybe the proper pathway, or maybe something that’s kind of more structured education when it comes to film,” Ajdinovic continued.

There’s untapped potential in Oklahoma; there’s potential to bring in additional students who are in Oklahoma; there’s not a public university film program in the state, said Adjinovic. 

UCO already offers many classes that could be part of a Bachelor’s curriculum. including directing, screenwriting, editing, sound design, and cinematography, said Adjinovic. We have the foundation; we need to expand it.

A four-year program can offer the ability to direct, write, make your own films, and explore the independent filmmaking path, said Adjinovic.