Cinema and Media Arts MFA

Program Description 

The MFA in Cinema and Media Arts instructs students in the craft of motion picture production, the art of presenting compelling and important stories, and the study of shaping and understanding messages meant for mass consumption. Drawing from a background in communication theory, studio art, art history, creative writing, and media production, students should be able to develop meaningful pieces of cinema with critical awareness of their artistic and cultural context.

Admission Requirements

In addition to Lindenwood’s general admission requirements, students applying to the School of Communications must meet the following requirements:

  • Submission of a 300-word statement of purpose.
  • A sample of film or video work with credits clearly identified.
  • 7-10 page creative writing sample.

Candidates for admission are expected to demonstrate an undergraduate GPA of 3.0. They should also have either completed undergraduate video or film production coursework or demonstrate equivalent basic proficiency. Students who do not meet these requirements but still hope to considered should contact the School of Communications before applying.

A student pursuing the MFA in Cinema and Media Arts may enroll in no more than 9 credit hours in any given term. Although most of the courses in the degree are offered in the semester format, some courses are available on a quarter-based schedule. A student wishing to overlap a single quarter-based course with a full-time semester-based schedule may do so with permission from an academic advisor. However students who receive financial aid should consult the section of the catalog entitled Combining Terms of Enrollment.

Students may not receive graduate credit for any course designated as a dually-enrolled course, if that student previously received credit for the undergraduate version of that course.

Requirements

60 credit hours

Core Courses

To earn a Master of Fine Arts in Cinema and Media Arts, a total of 60 graduate credit hours must be completed, a minimum of 30 of which must be graduate-only courses, including the following required core courses:

COM 50300Research and Scholastic Writing

3

COM 50310Contemporary Digital Rights

3

COM 50320Critical Analysis of Media

3

COM 50330Media and Politics

3

COM 50340Audience Analysis in an Interactive Age

3

COM 60101Communications Project

3

COM 60201Cinema Thesis I

3

COM 60202Cinema Thesis II

3

Plus 12 credit hours selected from the following options

COM 50700Writing for the Electronic Media

3

COM 52500Photojournalism

3

COM 54200Interactive Web Development

3

COM 54400Advanced Interactive Scripting

3

COM 555003-D Graphics

3

COM 55700Non-linear Video Editing

3

COM 56600Web Design

3

COM 57400Advanced Video

3

COM 57900Production for Television

3

COM 57300-57399 Practicum in Producing

3

COM 57600-57699Practicum in Production

3

COM 57700-57799Practicum in Post-Production

3

COM 57800-57899Practicum in Scriptwriting

3

Plus nine credit hours selected from the following options

ART 50500Painting

3

ART 51500Studies in Graphic Design

3

ART 52000Sculpture

3

ART 52200Motion Graphics

3

ART 53000Drawing

3

ART 54600Digital Imaging

3

ART 54800Digital Illustration

3

ART 55100Typography

3

ART 58100Photography

3

ARTH 55400Nineteenth-Century Art

3

ARTH 55600Baroque Art

3

ARTH 55700Ancient Art

3

ARTH 55800Medieval Art

3

ARTH 56100Twentieth-Century Art/ Modern

3

ARTH 56200Twentieth-Century Art/ Contemporary

3

ARTH 56300Early Modern Gender Studies

3

ARTH 56400Non-Western Art

3

ARTH 56900History of Graphic Design

3

ARTH 58900Art Theory and Criticism

3

Plus six credit hours selected from the following options

IMF 51600-51699Fiction Genres

3

IMF 52200-52299Focused Fiction Workshop

3

IMF 52300-52399Focused Nonfiction Workshop

3

IMF 53500Fiction Writing Workshop

3

IMF 53600Fundamentals of Contemporary Fiction

3

IMF 53700-53799Selected Emphases in Fiction

3

IMF 54500Creative Nonfiction Workshop

3

Note: The course descriptions for IMF courses may be found in the catalog of the School of Accelerated Degree Programs.

Plus nine additional credit hours from the above-listed course in Studio Art and Art History, Creative Writing, Media Production, or from the following options:

COM 57000History of Film

3

COM 57500-57599Topics in Media Studies

3

COM 58400Media/Communication Internship

3

COM 59000-59999Special Topics

3

IMF 51900Advanced Fiction Genres

3

IMF 53200Advanced Focused Fiction Workshop

3

IMF 53300Advanced Focused Nonfiction Workshop

3

IMF 53800Advanced Fiction Workshop

3

IMF 53900Advanced Studies Contemporary Fiction

3

TA 51000Graduate Script Analysis

3

TA 53000Seminar in Theatre History

3

TA 53500Modern Drama

3

TA 53600Survey of Dramatic Literature

3

TA 53700Seminar in American Drama

3

Note: The course descriptions for IMF courses may be found in the catalog of the School of Accelerated Degree Programs.