In the two-year MA Film and Media Studies program, students take courses that establish the key academic methods in the fields of film and media studies, with the opportunity to personalize their degree with a choice of electives. In the second year, students work with faculty to write their Master’s thesis. At the end of the MA program, students present an oral defense of their thesis.
This program is unique because it is a research based Master’s degree where students develop an original thesis with strong support from faculty. Faculty have mentored student theses on such topics as film and television theory, politics and film, women in film, American cinema, Asian cinema, media historiography, film archiving and preservation, archival and primary research, transnational cinema and new media studies. Graduates of the program have continued on to pursue the following: teaching positions in community colleges and high schools, enrollment in Ph.D. programs, film criticism and journalism, film festival programming, film archiving and preservation.
Students have the opportunity to apply for conference funding and research support, which can be connected to the workshop of their MA thesis. In addition, students can apply for competitive research assistantships.