Degree Title and Name:  Master of Fine Arts in Communication Media Arts

Program Name and Number:  Communication Media Arts – MF5377

Department/Unit:  Scripps College of Communication

Delivery Mode:  Athens Campus

Term(s) of Entry:  Fall

Program Overview:  The MFA in Communication Media Arts is specifically designed for mid-career professionals with an expertise in at least one media area who intend to gain expertise in at two additional areas: (e.g., Animation, Audio Production, Digital Games, Documentary Video, Graphic Design, Information Graphics, Interactive Media, Photojournalism, Studio Photography, Virtual Reality, or Web Design).  

We highly value the role of teaching in our program and expect our students to teach a variety of undergraduate courses while they are enrolled in the program.

This is a full-time program. Normative time to completion is three academic years (including at least one summer).

Program Learning Outcomes: 

Graduates of the M.F.A. in Communication Media Arts program will:

• Produce a depth of multidisciplinary work in two or more digital media areas (e.g., Animation, Audio Production, Digital Games, Documentary Video, Graphic Design, Information Graphics, Interactive Media, Photojournalism, Studio Photography, Virtual Reality, or Web Design).
• Demonstrate critical thinking and analysis within a specific societal context and their role in the communication field as it pertains to their chosen fields of media production.
• Produce original media based upon original research in one or more content areas of the student’s choosing (Communication, Social Sciences, Fine Arts and/or Humanities, e.g.).
• Demonstrate quality classroom leadership and organizational skills including delivery of content, leading classroom discussion, course planning, grading and feedback.

Opportunities for Graduates:  The program expects students to return to the media industry with a new creative skill set and a richer portfolio, or to enter academia as a professor of media arts and visual communication.

Link to Program:  http://ouscrippsmfa.com/

Graduation Requirements:

• Minimum of 90 semester hours, including:
  • Minimum: 6 hours of seminar
  • Minimum: 28 hours of media production
  • Minimum: 12 hours of contextual courses
  • Minimum: 8 hours of project-based experiential learning
  • Minimum: 12 hours of electives
  • 24 hours of studio thesis
• Students must be enrolled full time
• Expected time to degree: three years (two years of course work, one year of thesis work)
• Students receiving funding to serve as Teaching Assistants or Instructors of Record must enroll in MDIA 8100 Pedagogy in their first year as a condition of the appointment.

Culminating Experience: All students are expected to use their third year to complete a production-based thesis project that is previously approved by their faculty committee. The student must complete 25 credit hours of Thesis work in their third year. The thesis is verbally defended and must include some sort of public show/exhibition.

Admission Requirements:

Applicants whose qualifications satisfy all elements of the following criteria are reviewed for admission to the MFA in Communication Media Arts program:

1. Bachelor’s degree in an accredited program;
2. Minimum three years of experience as a working media professional after college;
3. Professional portfolio;
4. Interest in teaching media production courses at the undergraduate level;
5. Ability to attend the program as a full-time student.Part-time enrollment is not considered at this time.

Qualified applicants should demonstrate their qualifications by submitting the following:

• Letter of Intent specifically identifying:  A) the two areas of media production that the student intends to pursue; B) a list of at least two professors with whom the student would hope to work with (see website for details); C) an overview of their professional media experience (minimum three years); and D) an explanation of their interest in teaching (most funding is based upon the student’s ability to teach)
• Links to a portfolio of professional media work and descriptions of the work that the candidate performed (if the work was collaborative)
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Three letters of recommendation
• Transcripts
• University requirements including TOEFL/IELTS
• GRE is not required

International Students:  This program permits full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 may be issued based on admission to this program.