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By Collin Elder

Four new Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) degrees will prepare students for careers in the entertainment industry, such as film and TV production. Beginning fall semester 2022, GGC will offer nexus degrees in professional editing in film/television, motion picture set lighting, production for film and television, and production design. GGC began offering a nexus in professional sound design for film and television in spring 2022.

Nexus degrees, introduced by the University System of Georgia (USG) in 2018, focus on developing immediate familiarity with a particular career path, after completing the required general education courses. Students pursuing these degrees will complete their core curriculum of 42 credit hours and then take courses onsite at GGC and/or the Georgia Film Academy’s Trilith and OFS studios for a total of 60 credits, including an apprenticeship, if approved for one of the GFA highly competitive internships.

Dr. Teresa Winterhalter, dean of GGC’s School of Liberal Arts, said the recently approved degrees will allow students to get immediate experience in the entertainment industry, which is undergoing a major boom. A recent presentation to the USG Board of Regents in March 2021 indicated the motion picture and sound recording fields expect to see a 47% increase in projected employment.

“We designed this curriculum to fall in line with industry standards,” she said. “With the coursework and apprenticeship required by these programs, students will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience in projects through partnerships with professional productions.”

Georgia marked a $4 billion year of production spending in July 2021. The Peach State’s entertainment industry is the largest in the country, developing more films and more television shows than Hollywood, which it overtook in 2016.

With such a large industry comes a strong need for new applicants. The entertainment industry highly values the skills and creativity these new nexus degrees will provide for GGC students. The new degrees are also consistent with the college’s mission to provide access to degrees that meet the economic development needs and opportunities of the region.

More information about GGC’s nexus programs can be found on its website at www.ggc.edu/NexusDegrees.