Program Requirements
General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 54, with 14-15 required credits and 39-40 concentration-specific credits
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5242 | Videography | 4 |
| ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5670 | M.F.A. Colloquium (2 terms) | 2 |
| ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5671 | Film Theory Seminar 1 | 3 |
| Select one critical studies course from the following: | 3-4 | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5672 | History of Documentary Film | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5673 | Time-Image Arts/Cinema Praxis | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5676 | Anthropological Film/Media | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5680 | Topics in Film Study | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8462 | Documentary Arts and Visual Research | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8670 | Topics in Media Studies | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8673 | Historical Film Research | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8674 | Critical Studies Seminar | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8675 | Seminar: International Film | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8680 | Advanced Topics in Media Arts Studies | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8870 | U Penn Critical Studies | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý9346 | Methodologies and Praxis | |
| Culminating Course | ||
| ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý9995 | M.F.A. Project 2 | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours | 14-15 | |
- 1
With permission from the Graduate Program Director, Media Arts students may substitute a graduate-level arts- or media-theory course for ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5671.
- 2
Unless arranged otherwise with the Graduate Director, students will take two credits of ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý9995 M.F.A. Project over two terms. Additional terms of M.F.A. Project may count toward electives for the MFA.
Additional course requirements for each of the three concentrations are identified in the following course grids:
Cinematic Arts: Narrative and Documentary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5241 | Cinematography Workshop | 4 |
| ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5361 | Writing for Media I | 4 |
| ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý9245 | Thesis Development Workshop | 4 |
| ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý9246 | Thesis Production Workshop | 4 |
| Electives | 23-24 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 39-40 | |
Media Arts
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select one foundational media arts course: | 4 | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5453 | Interactive Design Workshop | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5674 | Media Arts Thry-Practice | |
| Select one content-design and writing course from the following: | 4 | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5361 | Writing for Media I | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5462 | Video Game Theory and Writing | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8245 | Documentary Workshop | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8461 | Interractive Narrative | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8462 | Documentary Arts and Visual Research | |
| Select three media arts courses from the following: | 12 | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5243 | Audio Production and Aesthetics | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5451 | Animation Workshop | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5462 | Video Game Theory and Writing | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8244 | Experimental Methods | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8451 | Digital Animation | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8452 | New Technology Laboratory | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8461 | Interractive Narrative | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8551 | Digital Post-Production | |
| Electives | 19-20 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 39-40 | |
Screenwriting
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5241 | Cinematography Workshop | 4 |
| ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5361 | Writing for Media I | 4 |
| ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8362 | Joint Writing Workshop 1 | 4 |
| ¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8363 | Joint Writing Workshop 2 | 4 |
| Select one from the following: | 4 | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý5362 | Serial Writing | |
¹ó²Ñ´¡Ìý8361 | Writing for Media II | |
| Electives | 19-20 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 39-40 | |
Culminating Events:
Faculty Reviews:
At the end of both the first and second years, students formally present their work to the FMA faculty, who review and evaluate students' work and progress in the program.
Comprehensive Examination:
The MFA program in Film and Media Arts requires a Comprehensive Examination in addition to an MFA thesis. The program is committed to synthesizing theory and practice, allowing students to develop aesthetically and conceptually as makers. The MFA candidate forms a committee of three FMA faculty members (or two FMA faculty and one outside approved member) and works with the committee to design customized areas of inquiry that embody their interests in film studies, media theory or any other field of knowledge relevant to them and their work. Typically, after completing 38 credits of coursework, students write and defend the examination questions, which include two essays and a research-based expanded artist statement.
Thesis Proposal and Defense:
A thesis is a completed stand-alone work that can be:
- a complete sound, film or video production;
- a feature film script; or
- a completed work in an alternative media form, such as computer-generated media, interactive media, installations or newly emerging technologies.
Students develop their thesis project proposal, treatment and/or script during their fourth semester and form a thesis committee at that time, selecting a thesis chair. The thesis committee may comprise FMA faculty entirely or two FMA faculty and one outside member. The student then proposes an MFA thesis. The MFA thesis committee evaluates project proposals individually for rigor, scope, length and other specific criteria prior to the start of production.Â
A thesis project must be completed by the date set annually by the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts and °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø. While it is common and expected for students to develop thesis projects into works for professional public audiences that might entail additional changes after graduation, such as professional color correction, the thesis work must be complete and presentable. Rough versions and drafts with placeholders are not considered complete thesis projects. Upon completion of the MFA thesis, the committee and student hold a public screening or reading of the work.