Program Overview

Introduction to the Integrated Media Arts MFA Program

The MFA Program in Integrated Media Arts (IMA) offers advanced studies in nonfiction media making. The IMA Program educates multi-disciplinary, socially engaged media makers in a diverse range of skills across the media landscape. Working with faculty from film, video, emerging media, and journalism backgrounds, students learn to conceptualize, create and distribute innovative, politically and socially engaged expression using contemporary media technologies.

Program Details

• The program focuses on nonfiction media making, covering a wide range of skills and media technologies.
• Students work with faculty from various backgrounds, including film, video, emerging media, and journalism.
• The program aims to educate students as multi-disciplinary, socially engaged media makers.

Curriculum and Structure

• The curriculum includes a diverse range of skills across the media landscape.
• Students learn to conceptualize, create, and distribute innovative media expressions.
• The program incorporates contemporary media technologies into its curriculum.

Research Areas and Projects

• The program involves research and projects in nonfiction media making.
• Students engage in socially and politically engaged media expressions.
• Projects may include film, video, emerging media, and journalism, among others.

Alumni Achievements

• IMA alumni have achieved recognition in their fields, including film premieres and awards.
• Examples of alumni achievements include:
  • IMA alum Laurie Sumiye’s film premiere of "A Paradise Lost".
  • IMA alum Haisi Hu receiving the 2025 Princess Grace Award for her thesis project, "Unplug".
  • IMA alum Emily Collins winning an Emmy for Outstanding Motion Design.
  • IMA alumni Kelly Schiesswohl and Wendy Cong Zhao winning the 2025 NBR Student Grant.

Events and Activities

• The program hosts various events, including film screenings, thesis shows, and project launches.
• Examples of events include:
  • Film screening of "Where Do Black Men Live?".
  • IMA MFA Spring Thesis Show 2025.
  • Radical Atmospheres Augmented Reality App Launch.
  • WORKS IN PROGRESS, a student-organized gathering for sharing work at any stage.

Community Engagement

• The program encourages community engagement through collaborations and public events.
• Students and faculty participate in projects that connect with the community, such as the Radical Atmospheres walking tour app.
• The program values co-creation and community-based initiatives, as evident in its collaboration with CENTRO (the Center for Puerto Rican studies).