MFA in Media, Technology, and Entertainment: Degree Requirements
The Master of Fine Arts is an intensive, two-plus year program that requires 60 credits, of which 39 are requirements, 12 are electives and 9 are thesis. As part of the required coursework, students must complete an advanced portfolio or present a creative digital media project that they design and produce on their own or as part of a team.
An overall GPA of at least 3.0 must be maintained in all coursework toward the degree and a minimum grade of 3.0 must be earned in all required courses. There is project work required each semester, and the degree cannot be completed in less than two years of four full-time semesters.
Course Requirements
| First Year, First Semester | ||
| 3D Production for Interactivity | DIG 6547 | 4 |
| Graduate Media Technology Studio | DIG 6575L | 4 |
| Creating Interactive Culture | MMC 6707 | 4 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| First Year, Second Semester | ||
| Portfolio Workshop | DIG 6589 | 4 |
| Survey in Digital Media Techniques | DIG 6436 | 4 |
| Graduate Elective (Engineering or Computer Science recommended) |
3 | |
| Graduate Elective (Engineering, Computer Science or other specialization recommended) |
3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Second Year, First Semester | ||
| Preproduction, Prototyping and Previsualization | DIG 6546 | 4 |
| Studies in New Media | MMC 6715 | 3 |
| Experimental Cinema (could be replaced with alternate production course) |
FIL 6409 | 4 |
| Credits | 11 | |
| Second Year, Second Semester | ||
| Portfolio Workshop | DIG 6589 | 4 |
| Immersive XR Design | DIG 6605 | 4 |
| Graduate Electives (Engineering, Computer Science or other specialization recommended) |
6 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Master's Thesis | 9 | |
| Electives | ||
| Multimedia Systems | CAP 6010 | 3 |
| Multimedia Programming | CAP 6018 | 3 |
| Foundations of Vision | CAP 6411 | 3 |
| Mobile Multimedia | CNT 6515 | 3 |
| Topics in Computer Science (including Computer Animation, Cutting-Edge Web Technologies, iPhone Programming, Android Programming) |
COT 5930 | 3 |
| Topics in Computer Science (including Visual Information Retrieval) |
COT 6930 | 3 |
| Video Processing | DIG 6645 | 3 |
| Film Theory and Criticism | FIL 6807 | 3 |
| Video Communication | CNT 6885 | 3 |
| Exhibition Practices | ART 6684 | 4 |
| Film History and Historiography | FIL 6026 | 3 |
| Video Production Workshop | FIL 6365 | 4 |
| Studies in Film and Television | FIL 6935 | 3 |
| Special Topics (including Video Game Studies) |
MMC 6931 | 3 |
Plan of Study Requirements
A Plan of Study must be filed with and approved by the Graduate College. Students may file their Plan of Study for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Media, Technology & Entertainment after having satisfied the following requirements:
The student must complete the specified number of credit hours of graduate work in the degree program with an average of 3.0 or better.
The student must form a Graduate Advisory Committee. Chairs for all graduate advisory committees must be members of the Graduate Faculty. Committee members must include a minimum of two (2) faculty from the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies, with three (3) faculty members overall.
The student must submit the Plan of Study form to his/her supervisory committee for approval. The Plan of Study (POS) must be approved by the Graduate College before a student is eligible to register for thesis hours.
A copy of the Plan of Study must be submitted to the Associate Director of the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies.
The approved Plan of Study must be filed with the Graduate College at least one semester before the semester in which the student plans to graduate.
Additional Degree Requirements
The student's committee must approve a thesis prospectus or proposal at the beginning of the thesis process.
The student must pass the oral defense of the thesis.
The student must submit the approved thesis to the Graduate College in accordance with Graduate College guidelines and deadlines.
The student must file the Application to Graduate form at the beginning of the semester in which he/she plans to graduate.