But the program is becoming more selective.
Dana Coen is the director of the minor and teaches courses in the program alongside just one other professor. He said they have the capacity to teach fewer than 20 students per graduating class.
“The program has grown, but it’s grown to the point that it can’t grow anymore,” he said. “We’re looking at possibly making it a major down the road.”
Nested within the Department of Communication Studies, the program was put together in 2003 by David Sontag with the help of the Department of Communication Studies, the Department of Dramatic Art and the Creative Writing program.
This spring, 25 students applied for the program, including three students who were deferred from last year’s pool of applicants — 17 were accepted.
Sophomore Schyler Martin, a journalism major and a member of The Daily Tar Heel Dive staff, was one of the recently accepted students. For her, the minor is a way to explore her interest in entertainment without completely devoting her future to the industry.
“I spend a lot of my free time writing a blog about movies and TV and entertainment in general,” Martin said. “I wanted a way to tap into that passion without having to major in communications or something that might make it more limited for me to get a job.”