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Master of Fine Arts in Film & Animation
Master of Fine Arts in Animation
The MFA program enjoys state-of-the-art facilities in which students can create in imaging arts computer animation is unique in that it is the only such program housed in a School of Film and Animation with full production facilities, as well as the additional support of highly specialized faculty in photography, imaging science, computer science and information technology, and printing.
Program goals
The program’s goals provide students with the opportunity to use animation, filmmaking, and other imaging arts as a means to:
- pursue a career and earn a livelihood.
- enrich their personal lives and society as a whole.
- encourage a sense of community, creativity, scholarship, and purpose.
Degree requirements
The MFA degree in imaging arts – animation and live-action production requires a minimum of two years of full-time coursework as a resident graduate student and a third year for completion of a thesis film and written report.
A minimum of 90 quarter credit hours of graduate work is outlined below. The 90 hours do not include undergraduate work required by action of the MFA admission committee in accepting a particular applicant, nor do they include undergraduate prerequisites for graduate courses.
General information
Elective courses are available in animation, film, video, multimedia, screenwriting, printmaking, painting, sculpture, communication design, museum studies, crafts, bookmaking, typography, color photography, new media, studio photography, advertising photography, perception, sensitometry, computer graphics, art history, and archival preservation and conservation.
There are also opportunities for independent studies, internships, and concentrations.
The program is supported by a staff of 18 full-time faculty members and a variety of adjunct faculty members. The program may also borrow faculty and utilize courses from the schools of Photographic Arts and Sciences, Print Media, Art, Design, American Crafts, and the College of Liberal Arts.
Admission requirements
Students with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university are eligible for admission, provided they present a portfolio of work that demonstrates their skills, visual sophistication, and aesthetic awareness. Acceptance depends on the strength of portfolios as judged by the graduate faculty, past academic performance, letters of recommendation, and personal statements of purpose.
The Graduate Record Exam is not required for admission. Applicants who are capable of good academic work as well as artistic visual expression and who demonstrate an interest in the exploration of new artistic ideas and experiences will be favored. The graduate faculty will make recommendations based on the above interlocking criteria.
Students who are evaluated to have MFA potential but need additional study in preparation for graduate courses will be advised to take such courses either prior to entrance or during their first year of study. The graduate faculty will make recommendations.
To apply for admission, students must submit an official transcript of their undergraduate degree(s), an acceptable portfolio, a statement of purpose detailing why they want to attend graduate school and what they will bring to the program, and a minimum of two letters of reference. All correspondence concerning applications or catalogs should be addressed to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services. Students interested in the program should have their application process completed by February 1. Application received later than February 1 will be considered on a space-available basis.
This school offers programs in:
- English
Last updated April 25, 2018
