MFA in Film and Media Art
Emerson College
Key Information
Campus location
Boston, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
2 - 3 years
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
USD 1,402 / per credit *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
05 Sep 2024
* additional fees may apply. Scholarships are available
Introduction
Whether you want to explore fiction film, documentary, experimental media, installation art, or interactive media, our Film and Media Art (MFA) will give you the expertise you need.
Work with image and sound to entertain, inform, persuade, and challenge, using both traditional and emergent media forms. Develop an understanding of the disciplines of 16mm and digital film and audio, and interactive media production, bringing this understanding to bear on traditional and convergent media works.
Our program offers three distinct entry points depending on your prior experience and varies in length from 2-3 years, allowing students with a variety of life experiences and diverse academic backgrounds to inspire each other’s artistic development. Once you are admitted to the program, we work with you to create a custom curriculum based on your professional and educational goals.
Create, challenge, inspire, and inform through media art in our MFA in Film and Media Art program.
You will develop an understanding of film, video, audio, and interactive media production—and you will channel this understanding into the creation of multimedia works. Work with image and sound, and traditional and emergent media forms. To ensure that creative, talented students at all experience levels find a place in our program, we give you the opportunity to apply to the three-phase curriculum at whichever level best matches your experience.
Program highlights include:
- Explore a variety of media production genres and develop expertise in the use of media technologies, criticism and theory, and media business
- Learn from faculty members who are themselves working artists (and whose ranks include Guggenheim and Fulbright fellows) and build a network of creative partnerships that will inspire and support you in your artistic career
- Use our state-of-the-art facilities and immerse yourself in your specific area of interest, producing an ongoing body of work within a collaborative, creative environment
- No GRE requirements to apply
- 2-3 year-long program with advanced standing opportunities available for those with prior experience
- Classes offered day & night to fit your schedule
Faculty
As part of our Film and Media Art MFA program, you'll be surrounded by talented people who constantly challenge, inspire, and support your creative growth. You’ll learn extraordinary things from teachers who are themselves working artists.
Your Graduate Program Director, Michael Selig, will serve as your primary faculty advisor, guiding you on course selection to ensure that you will achieve your learning objectives and satisfy the program requirements. You will also receive program and department news from your program director along with any on- and off-campus opportunities that might be of interest to you.
Alumni
Our award-winning alumni have gone on to build careers as artists, teachers, and artists-in-residence who create different forms of film and media. Some of our recent alumni include:
- Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Director, Producer, and Cinematographer, and Jeff Soyk, Art Director and Web Designer, of Hollow, their award-winning, interactive thesis project. Hollow has been awarded a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, Peabody Award, the Tribecca New Media Fund, and was nominated for an Academy Award and an Emmy.
- Keely Kernan, Director of her interactive thesis documentary The Mississippi: The Story of America’s River. Her project was awarded the Princess Grace scholarship.
- Georden West, Director of their thesis project Patron Saint. Their project was awarded the Student Academy Award in the alternative/experimental category.
- Shaka Dendy, summer 2019 Artist in Residence for the Boston Center of the Arts.
Admissions
Curriculum
Curriculum Requirements
The Master of Fine Arts in Film and Media Art is a 64 credit hour program. This is a full-time program and students take 8 to 12 credits per semester.
Advanced Standing
We offer three distinct entry points into the MFA program. The majority of our students begin the program at Phase I; however, we recognize not all students require foundational courses. To ensure students of all levels find a place in our program you have the opportunity to apply for Advanced Standing during the application process. The faculty MFA Committee will review your application holistically and place you in the appropriate phase based on your previous professional and academic experience.
Advanced Standing allows you to begin the program in Phase II or Phase III, waiving 12 or 20 credits from the required 64 credits.
Phases
- Phase I – Foundational
- Phase II - Intermediate Practitioner
- Phase III - Advanced Practitioner
Curriculum
The Film and Media Art MFA requires completion of the following credits:
- 20 credits of Core Courses
- 8 credits of Theory Courses
- 4 credits of Production Courses
- 8 credits of Studies Electives
- 24 credits of Production Electives
Required Core Courses (20 credits)
Number | Course | Credits |
VM 600 | Producing Strategies for Modern Media | 4 |
VM 613 | Foundations of Image and Sound Production | 4 |
VM 641 | Introduction to Theory | 4 |
VM 698 | *MFA Thesis Project | 8 |
Required Theory Courses (8 credits) Choose two of the following
Number | Course | Credits |
VM 610 | Media Pedagogy | 4 |
VM 655 | Topics in Media Studies | 4 |
VM 664 | Studies in Documentary History and Theory | 4 |
Required Production Courses (4 credits) Choose one of the following
Number | Course | Credits |
VM 605 | Graduate Writing the Short Subject | 4 |
VM 606 | Writing for Interactive Media | 4 |
VM 640 | MFA Production Workshop* | 4 |
- | A Production Elective in Film and Media Art | 4 |
*VM 640 MFA Production Workshop (4 credits - Must take twice for 8 credits, may take for an additional 4 credits as an elective)
MFA Thesis Requirement
The 8-credit MFA thesis project is required for graduation and is generally taken over the course of two semesters.
You will present your thesis project proposal to be reviewed and approved by your thesis project committee, prior to work on your thesis project.
Upon final completion of the MFA thesis project, a public screening of MFA works for the year will be held with a question and answer session. The public screening will be the last requirement for the MFA thesis project and will serve as a celebration of your achievements.
Scholarships and Funding
Financial Aid
Emerson College is proud to offer students and families financial aid options and resources. For a full list of our financial aid offerings, visit our Financial Aid page.
Scholarships
Upon applying to an Emerson Graduate Program, the Graduate Admission team automatically reviews every accepted student’s scholarship eligibility. For more information about scholarships, please visit our Scholarships & Grants page.
Gallery
Career Opportunities
Career Outlook
Our students have graduated and gone on to successful careers as:
- Narrative film Directors and Producers
- Documentary filmmakers
- Film Festival Producers
- Product Designers
- Sound Designers
- Professors/Teachers
Student Testimonials
Program Tuition Fee
English Language Requirements
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