137 Master Programs in Performing Arts in USA for 2024

Hone your filmmaking talents and forge career connections with the MA in Film and Media program at Johns Hopkins University. The program includes 11 courses that you can complete in 16 to 24 months. You'll engage in a highly collaborative experience led by award-winning writers, producers, sound professionals, and creators. Plus, select the concentration that matches your passion: Immersive Storytelling and Emerging Technologies, Sound Design, The Business of Film, or Writing. Learn more today.

You’re ready to take a deep dive academically and artistically in this two-year Master of Music program. Longy's innovative Catalyst Curriculum pairs musical excellence with a focus on the skills you’ll need to become a professional musician: the ability to design experiences, produce projects, and engage audiences with exceptional musical encounters. Dedicated career coaching will help guide your studies and prepare you for what comes after graduation.

Contemporary cinema has witnessed a profound transformation thanks to digital advances that have revolutionized the industry. In this era of film technology, a vast horizon of possibilities has opened up, enabling the creation of stunning images, cutting-edge visual effects and narratives that challenge the limits of creativity.

Students who join the M.F.A. program in Documentary take advantage of the combined focus on both cinematic arts and journalistic approaches. You benefit further from the School’s many strengths such as Interactive Media, Strategic Communication, and Communication for Global Social Change.

Boston University's MFA in Screenwriting offers the best of the east and west coasts -- 3 semesters in Boston to build the skills, experience, and community to launch a career in the television and film industry as a scriptwriter, and the 4th (and final) semester in Los Angeles with an industry internship and networking with our LA-based alumni. No GRE required. Scholarships available.

In Full Sail University’s Film Production master of fine arts program, your education centers on fundamentals such as storytelling, visual aesthetics, and technical roles, as well as the business strategies needed to bring your completed works to audiences.

The AU University School of Communication MA in Film and Media Production will give you a professional skill set in the film, video, and digital media for a successful career in the media industry. During your first year, you will receive a formal overview of media production so that you can focus your second year on refining your skill base.

The School of Music offers a Master of Music degree with concentration options in composition, conducting, music education, and performance. The program seeks to provide an opportunity for the highest level of musical development and professional training for each student, appropriate for careers in teaching, performance, and composition of music. Conducting majors will undertake a comprehensive study of the literature of their medium, develop advanced insights into the musical ideas and structure of the major works, and refine their conducting and rehearsal skills.

Emerson’s low-residency Writing for Film and Television MFA teaches you to write for film, television, and other emergent forms of media across multiple genres. Build a professional-caliber writing portfolio with original feature, pilot, and short screenplay samples. Our faculty consists of filmmakers, producers, screenwriters, and theorists who will mentor and guide you through your online courses. Each semester begins with a six-day residency on our Boston or Los Angeles campus, where you'll participate in workshops, screenings, lectures, and a Master Class with a guest lecturer. Previous lecturers have included Krista Vernoff, Showrunner for Grey’s Anatomy, David Magee, Writer of Life of Pi, Mara Brock Akil, Creator of Being Mary Jane, and more.

Awaken the music inside everyone. Your knowledge, experience, and passion can inspire the next generation of artists and performers.

If you’re looking for a graduate program that spans fiction and nonfiction storytelling and allows you to tailor your studies according to your career goals in the entertainment industry, the television, radio and film program at the Newhouse School is the place for you.

Bring your stories to life as you explore the depths of the film industry.

Visual and Performing Arts is an interdisciplinary program of study. The Master of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts degree program is designed to allow graduates to pursue a career in the arts or arts-related fields, or to continue into doctoral study.

The Master of Music program is designed for the student who has a bachelor’s degree in music or its demonstrated equivalent and provides further education in four different areas (see below).

Students in the MA in Music have the unique opportunity to study broadly across five exciting sub-disciplines--composition, conducting, ethnomusicology, musicology, and theory--while receiving a focused training in one of them.