M.A. in Visual and Media Arts

The department recently received approval to launch an M.F.A. program in Fall of 2009.  We will be phasing out the current M.A. in Visual Media Arts in Fall of 2008.  View more information.

The Department of Visual and Media Arts provides an environment that fosters artistic and intellectual development. Strong technical training, based on a framework of theoretical and aesthetic study, prepares students to become makers of media art. The rapidly changing and converging fields of mediated art, entertainment, and information demand professionals who understand the aesthetics of their medium, as well as the social, political, and ethical implications of what they produce. Through a curriculum committed to the integration of theory and practice, students prepare for careers in the conception, production, postproduction, evaluation, and distribution of digital sound and image media.

Students may focus on one or more of the following production environments: documentary video, fictional narrative video, audio production, and new media (interactive multimedia applications and computer animation) production. Also, students may orient their work in these media to one or more additional areas, including: media industries, international communications, policy analysis, and planning, ethics, and research.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts degree requires the successful completion of 40 credit hours and may include a maximum of 4 credits for a master’s project or thesis. Students must complete one of the following three options in fulfilling their program requirements: 36 credits of coursework plus a 4- credit master’s thesis, 36 credits of coursework plus a 4 credit master’s project, or 40 credits of coursework plus comprehensive examinations. Students who enroll for three courses per term may expect to complete the program in a minimum of four semesters.

Required Courses:

MA 601 Media Theory and Criticism 4 credits
MA 603 Research Methods in Media Arts 4 credits

To register for MA 698, Master’s Project, two levels of production courses are required in the production medium of the project. These courses must be taken prior to thesis or project work unless the Graduate Program Director agrees to an exemption. For example, to create a video project, MA 613 and MA 621 or MA 622 are required. For an interactive project, MA 618 and MA 619 are required. For an audio project, MA 611 and MA 612 are required. Thesis students should work closely with the Graduate Program Director to ensure they have the proper preparation to begin a thesis.

Suggested Courses of Study

There are many possible areas of focus within the program. Some popular sequences are listed below. Full-time study is 8 to 12 credits per semester. Summer study is optional.

Documentary Video

Fiction Narrative Video

New Media Production

Audio Production

Television

Media Studies