Program Overview

Master of Fine Arts in Cinematic Arts

The Peck School of the Arts offers a Master of Fine Arts in Cinematic Arts, an interdisciplinary degree program encompassing graduate studies in film and dance. The curricula in this program include intensive professional training in an individual performance area plus significant interdisciplinary experience in related performance and scholarly fields. All curricula are dedicated to maintaining the most rigorous professional and artistic standards in their disciplines.

Program Overview

The programs currently offered are: film and video production in the Department of Film, Video, Animation and New Genres; and choreography and performance in the Department of Dance. The curricula offered in the program are designed for serious and talented students who are preparing for careers as professionals in the performing arts or as artist-teachers in advanced training programs. Admission to the programs is highly selective, and all curricula include extensive practical performance experience.

Facilities

The Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts is the premier performance home for the Peck School of the Arts. It includes the 759-seat Helen Bader Concert Hall, a 3,200 square foot rehearsal room, numerous small ensemble practice rooms, and the Mary L. Nohl Art Galleries. The School's other facilities include the Fine Arts Center which houses two theaters, a recital hall, and related shop, studio, instructional and practice space, and nearby Mitchell Hall with studio, viewing, and processing facilities for the Department of Film, Video, Animation and New Genres as well as the chamber dance theatre and additional rehearsal, studio, and performance spaces for the departments of Theatre and Dance.

Admission Requirements

• Application deadlines vary by program.
• In addition to a series of graduate seminars, students can choose from an array of elective options that include graduate production studios, conceptual studies courses, complementary studies from outside the department, professional practice opportunities in the field and U/G or G electives.
• Students are expected to originate and produce finished projects on a regular basis, culminating in a thesis presentation.
• In order to be considered for admission to the program, an applicant must meet Graduate School requirements and submit original media-related work that demonstrates technical competence and creative promise.
• An applicant whose grade point average or quality of work does not meet Graduate School and Department of Film, Video, Animation and New Genres program standards may be considered for admission on probation.
• Each student is expected to satisfy deficiency requirements within three enrolled semesters.

Transfer of Credits

• With the approval of the Department of Film, Video, Animation and New Genres graduate program and the Graduate School, an applicant from another institution may be permitted to transfer up to 19 credits toward the total of 48 graduate credits required for the MFA degree.

Credits and Courses

• The minimum Film-MFA degree requirement is 48 graduate credits, (18 cr required, 30 cr elective).
• It is recommended that students earn 12 credits each semester through full-time attendance on campus.
• Course List:
  • Required:
    • FILM 710: Graduate Film Studio/Seminar I (3 credits)
    • FILM 712: Graduate Film Studio/Seminar II (3 credits)
    • FILM 714: Graduate Film Studio/Seminar III (3 credits)
    • FILM 730: Advanced Research in Film I (3 credits)
    • FILM 732: Advanced Research in Film II (6 credits)
  • Electives:
    • Select 30 credits with assistance and approval from the Director of Graduate Studies and their Graduate Advisor:
      • FILM 720: Graduate Media Arts Workshop I
      • FILM 722: Graduate Media Arts Workshop II
      • FILM 761: Landscape Cinema
      • FILM 763: Experimental Documentary
      • FILM 764: Observational Documentary
      • FILM 781: Advanced 16MM Film Production
      • FILM 782: Visual Effects
      • FILM 900: Graduate Studio (maximum of 12 credits)
      • Department of Film, Video, Animation and New Genres Electives (maximum of 30 credits)
      • Complementary Studies (maximum of 9 credits)
      • FILM 700: Professional Practice: Production (maximum of 9 credits)

Additional Requirements

• Major Professor as Advisor: Each student chooses a major professor from the Department of Film, Video, Animation and New Genres graduate faculty to advise and supervise studies.
• Thesis Presentation: Upon recommendation of the major professor and advisory faculty, the student presents a thesis exhibition program of work executed since admission to the program.
• Time Limit: The student must complete all degree requirements within seven years of the initial enrollment.
• International Students: On completion of graduate studies, international students are eligible to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT) for an additional year of practical work experience.