The Documentary Studies Program, an interdisciplinary program within the College of Arts and Sciences at the University at Albany, offers students an opportunity to explore diverse approaches to documentary work in video/film, radio, hypermedia/multimedia, photography, and nonfiction writing and print journalism. The Program includes instruction in Communication, History, Art, Journalism, and Music, and offers courses in documentary writing and research, communication theory and practice, oral history, media history, video/filmmaking, photography, audio/radio documentary production, and multimedia authoring.

The Documentary Studies Program combines a solid grounding in the academic and theoretical literature of documentary work with intensive research and fieldwork -- local, national, and global. Building on a strong academic foundation provided by existing course offerings in several of the University’s departments, as well as instruction in specific technical areas, the program seeks to expand students’ creative potential as well as long-term employment prospects.

In addition to acquiring a general grounding in all forms of documentary production and theory, as well as the history of the documentary genre, students are expected to concentrate in at least two specific documentary areas (e.g., film, radio, photography, writing). The minor in documentary studies permits interested students to combine a course of study in a traditional major in the sciences, social sciences, or humanities, with a sub-concentration in documentary studies. The interdisciplinary nature of the program – and its emphasis on linking academic and theoretical study with archival research and fieldwork – will help Program participants meet the anticipated challenges of working in multiple arenas: academe, public radio and television, government, private enterprise and media.