Prerequisites, Overrides, Show Credit, and Registration

It is rare but not unheard of to waive FILM 2120 as a prerequisite. Aside from FILM 4100 and FILM 4640 (and animation courses like FILM 5810), it is required for all upper-division FILM classes, so students will be best served taking FILM 2120 as soon as possible, as receiving multiple waivers from different instructors is unlikely.

Transfer students: if it's determined that you will have equivalent credit for FILM 2120 but you need to register for a class that requires it as a prerequisite, contact the departmental advisor who can override the prerequisite once she has verified the equivalent credit is in process.

Intro to Cinema has a smaller discussion breakout (one day as week, such as Friday) and a film screening (one day a week, such as Wednesday later in the afternoon) in addition to two days of lecture (Monday/Wednesday in this scenario). So instead of MWF all being one line, the discussion sections are listed at different times to allow flexibility for the smaller groups. Then there's the once-weekly film screening, so this class does take careful planning of one's schedule.

In some cases, a professor may be willing to allow a time conflict with a film screening time. This is not common, and usually time conflict overrides are not granted, but you can email the professor to ask. 

Please keep in mind: attendance at screenings (and lectures) is key to success in these classes! If you want to do well in Intro to Cinema, History of Cinema I-III, Film Theory, etc. then you should prioritize attendance in lectures/discussions/screenings.

FILM 4680 Intro DV production, FILM 5640 Directing for Cinema, FILM 5680 Editing for Cinema will very likely have a POD restriction so that film majors can be prioritized for limited seats. Film minors who have the prerequisites may request to be placed on the waitlist for minor PODs. 

FILM 4680, when a prerequisite, is hardly ever waived as a prerequisite for FILM 5640, 5680, or 5690 (special effects) and never for non-majors.

IMPORTANT: see note below about graduate level film courses. Many students see the titles and want to take them, but those are limited to MFA Film students or graduate students specifically and you will not be given permission to register for those. 

Transfer students: if it's determined that you will have equivalent credit for FILM 4680 but you need to register for a class that requires it as a prerequisite, contact the departmental advisor who can override the prerequisite once she has verified the equivalent credit is in process.

No, you should ignore the 6000-7000 level FILM courses. Overrides will not be permitted for undergrads to take most of these courses, as they are limited specifically to students in the MFA Film program. 

The history/studies/genre courses, however, may be taken by honors students at the graduate level with an override (contact the departmental advisor and include your 81# for this). Exceptions can be made for Double Dawgs students as well.

IMPORTANT: Graduate-level seats in cross-listed classes are not intended to be extra seats for undergraduates once the undergrad section is full. If a class is fill, you could contact the professor to see if it's possible to add extra seats, and if there are unclaimed graduate seats right before classes start you might have a chance at an undergraduate seat being added for you, but that would be up to the professor. If the system lets you register for a graduate seat when the undergraduate section is full, that's an error:

If the system errs and lets an undergraduate register for some of these graduate courses, the unlucky student will be required to drop the class (or be dropped by the registrar) right as classes are starting. Then the student will be scrambling to find another class at the last minute. It's best to avoid this by only looking at classes numbered 5999 and below. Taking courses at the graduate level can have unintended consequences for your financial aid as well, so be careful.

THEA 3500 is the foundational acting course for theatre majors. Theatre majors should fill out this form to get permission to register for the course.

It is limited to majors-only except in very rare cases (extra last-minute seats available? This is highly unlikely, but if so: fill out this form if you are a theatre minor who has had both THEA 2010 and 3290. See the registration error note at the end of this section -- non majors who register for this course through an error will not be allowed to remain in the course.

Most (but not all) other acting courses are also limited to theatre majors. If THEA 3500 or 5010 is a prerequisite, that is an acting class for theatre majors. Courses like THEA 2010, 3512, and 3600 are examples of acting courses open to anyone. A few others, like THEA 3511 and 5514, may be open to non-majors who have taken THEA 2010.

Note for theatre majors: Due to high demand for acting classes, PODs for major-restricted acting classes beyond THEA 3500 now have priority levels. Fill out this form for major POD requests.

POD priority will be granted in the following order and based on a student's clear progression* towards theatre degree completion:

1. Theatre majors with the acting area of emphasis, 60+ completed hours
2. Theatre majors, 60+ completed hours
3. Theatre majors with the acting area of emphasis, under 60 completed hours
4. Theatre majors, under 60 completed hours
5. Incoming new majors with the required prerequisites
6. During drop/add week, if additional seats remain, theatre majors who are not clearly progressing with their required theatre courses but have taken THEA 2500 and 3290, and theatre minors who have taken both THEA 2010 and 3290 will be considered for POD

* Clear progression towards theatre degree completion is determined based on Degreeworks audit and advising notes. We will be looking for the following:

• Has the student been taking theatre major requirements such as THEA 2500, 2040-2060, 3340, 3300, or is the student primarily taking acting classes without actively pursuing degree completion?
• Is the student near graduation in their other major, with no clear path to graduating with the theatre major due to lack of progress with major requirements?
• Has the student been seeing the upper-division theatre advisor for regular appointments? Does this advisor see indications that the student is progressing in the major and intending to complete all requirements?

IMPORTANT: sometimes the system accidentally lets a non-major register for major-restricted acting courses (especially 3500), and the unlucky student will be required to drop the class (or be dropped by the registrar) -- often right as classes are starting. The student could be scrambling to find another class at the last minute, as they will not be allowed to remain in the course.  

THEA 2040, 2050, 2060 (1 credit hour) – applied drama assignments (crew for shows, working in the shops, ASM, but not acting) requires a POD and are available to non-majors as well. THEA 2040 counts for experiential learning regardless of major. Theatre majors are required to take all three applied dramas and very rarely do more than one per semester, so they should start working on this requirement during their first year (do not try to wait and do three in your final semester; even doing two in one semester is hard enough). Students need to secure their assignment before being placed on a POD access list. See the link for more information. 

Note: as these assignments are sometimes made after drop/add, these can be late-added before the withdrawal/late add deadline or students may receive the credit in the semester immediately following their work on the show.

Stage managing? Students who are stage managing use THEA 5080 for three hours of class credit unless they wish to use this for applied drama credit first. Students who ASM will usually earn applied drama credit.

Acting/assistant director/assistant designer? These students are eligible for THEA 5080 credit, not applied drama.

See below for information on THEA 5080.

Yes, if you are doing crew or working in a shop, see above for Applied Drama/THEA 2040-2060.

If you're in the cast, assistant directing, stage managing, or designing/assistant designing, it's THEA 5080.

THEA 5080 (1-3 hours) – if any student is cast in a UGA Theatre show (mainstage season, not student-produced shows), they are eligible for class credit (that also counts for experiential learning) if they wish. Students who are assistant directing, stage managing, or assistant designing are as well. Actors can fill out this form to get a POD for this (note: they should remember to then add the class before the end of drop/add), and the others should have their instructor of record initiate the POD process (and will need your 81#). You do not have to be a theatre major to receive this class credit.

IMPORTANT: THEA 5080 is a variable hour course, and you will want three credit hours for it to count for a theatre elective (some students who don't need it for a theatre major elective may only wish for 1 or 2 credit hours; this is fine as well). You choose the number of credit hours when you register. If you don't, the system will default to 1 credit hour and it will not count as a theatre major elective.

Late Add Note: as these assignments are sometimes made after drop/add, these can be late-added before the withdrawal/late add deadline or students may receive the credit in the semester immediately following their work on the show.

Arrange this with the instructor for the course. Your advisor/major professor cannot do this for you (unless you are a graduate student and your major professor will be the one responsible for your grade for the course). Once you have talked to the instructor, they should email Steven and include your 81# in order for the course to be created for you.

Internships: you have to find the internship first, then discuss with professor of record and how to get class credit. See our internship page for more information on internships.

Maybe. Talk to your advisor (or major professor if you are a graduate student)

Grad Students: Graduate Students Enrollment requirements

Undergrad students: If advisor agrees, they may grant permission by emailing the registrar (include the student’s ID# and how many total hours): regsupp@uga.edu

PLEASE NOTE THE CRITERIA FOR UNDERGRADUATE OVERLOAD: 

This is required for undergraduate students to request to overload over 20 hours, but is also used by the departmental advisor to approve overloads up to 20 hours. If the student has earned a minimum of 15 hours credit at UGA and qualifies under one or more of the following FCAS requirements below, the student's advisor may email the request to take up to 20 hours to the registrar.

Has at least 15 hours of credit at UGA (not including AP/IB, placement test, transfer, or dual enrollment credit) AND earned a 3.3 or higher for the preceding term, while enrolled in 12 or more hours of A-F graded courses.

OR

Has at least 30 hours of credit at UGA (not including AP/IB, placement test, transfer, or dual enrollment credit) with a cumulative average of 3.0 or higher AND had no “W” or “I” grades in the preceding term.

OR

Has been certified by the Dean’s Office as a graduating senior who may then graduate in the term for which the overload approval is sought.

Note: Overloads of more than 20 hours require approval from the Franklin College Coordinator of Student Academic Services.

There could be one or more of the following reasons:

It requires permission of department or a prerequisite. See the list above for the appropriate class or subject.

There's a time conflict, which means that you can't take two classes that overlap in time. There's a little more information above if you think there might be a reason a professor could possibly give permission for the overlap.

It's full. In general, just keep an eye out during drop/add (the department does not manage any waitlists), but if it’s a required course for the major, let Dina know. Sometimes we can add seats to a lecture class or add another section, though this cannot be guaranteed. She may be able to recommend another course for you. Please don't try to add the graduate level of a course if you are an undergraduate, however.

It's not an active class. If it tells you it is closed and doesn't show a time, instructor, or that it ever had any seats, it's not an active course in the system for this semester. Not every course is available every semester. It could also be a course that was cancelled.

It's a course that must be created for you individually. See above for more information. If you see the right number for such a course but not the right professor's name, it may still need to be okayed by your professor of record, who must request the course be created for you with them as instructor. 

Athena limits the maximum number of hours a student can take. See above for overload information.

It's only available to graduate students or specific programs. Except in rare cases (such as honors or double dawgs, in which case they should contact Dina for this exception for certain courses), undergraduates should not generally attempt to register for courses at the graduate level, which are 6000-9000 level (see above for more information about undergrads and graduate level courses). If you are a graduate student and this seems to come up in error, email Steven (include your ID# and the CRN with a screenshot)

Major restriction: we do limit a few courses specifically to our majors, and exceptions are rare. Usually we add a POD restriction for those. See notes above regarding acting classes and film production classes. Graduate level film production classes are usually limited strictly to MFA Film students.

Incorrect POD: if you’ve already obtained a POD or a course doesn’t usually require a POD, for example, and you still can’t register, send a screenshot of the error and your ID# to Dina so she can investigate. Sometimes the system tosses in POD restrictions that aren't supposed to be there, but we can fix that.

Note: GRAD TAs may have to wait until later to add THEA 7005/9005 due to  assistantship assignments. Please register for all other courses and check back on 7005/9005 at a later date. But yes, you MUST register for that course if you are a TA.

There's additional information here.