Program of Study
The M.F.A. program is a structured program requiring 60 total credit hours to graduate. Students complete two years of full time course work before they begin the thesis project in the third year, which consists of 6 hours per semester.
Students who began the program prior to Fall 2017 can find their curriculum here.
| Blocks | Fall Year 1 | Spring Year 1 | Fall Year 2 | Spring Year 2 |
| Skill-based Elective | Skill-based elective | Skill-based elective | Skill-based elective | Skill-based elective |
| Production Project | Production project | Production project | Production project | Production project |
| Storytelling | Storytelling 1: Introduction to Visual Narrative | Storytelling 2: Directing the Motion Picture | Storytelling 3: Short Film Writing | Storytelling 4: Screenwriting |
| Studies | Cinema History 1/Film Theory | Cinema History 2/ Cognitive and Ecological Theories of Film | Cinema History 1/Film Theory | Cinema History 2/ Cognitive and Ecological Theories of Film |
| 12 Hours Total | 12 Hours Total | 12 Hours Total | 12 Hours Total |
Third Year
Students take 6 hours of thesis in both fall and spring for a total of 12 hours.
Skill-Based Electives
Each semester of the the first two years, students choose one skill-based elective from the electives being offered that semester. The complete list of electives is as follows:
5305 Production Design
5311 Cinematography
5320 Film Editing
5354 Animation for Visual Effects
5355 Visual Effects Compositing
5363 Audio Production and Design for Film
5373 Documentary Production
5392 Topics in Film Production (may be repeated for credit)
5v90 Internship (may be repeated once for credit)
6390 Directed Study
Note: Students who take the 4000-level version of the course as undergraduates at UCA may not take the 5000-level version of the same course.
Production Project
Each semester of the first two years, students take FILM 6300 Production Project. The Production Project course allows students to work on practical, hands-on, team based productions, including crewing thesis projects, directing their own projects, and crewing other projects.
Storytelling
Each semester of the first two years, students take a course focusing on various aspects of storytelling.
Studies
Students take 6 hours of history and 6 hours of theory courses. Students who enroll in even-numbered years take history courses their first year and theory courses their second year. Students who enroll in odd-numbered years take theory courses their first year and history courses their second year.
Thesis
Students generally enroll in 6 hours of thesis each semester of their third year. The thesis project is a narrative short film written and directed by the student. Students normally shoot in the Fall and complete post-production in the spring.
See the Graduate Bulletin for specific Course Descriptions