The School of Film offers two graduate degree programs: the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) and the Master of Arts (M.A.). The M.F.A. program is a professional three-year program of study for talented individuals seeking advanced training in directing, screenwriting, producing, cinematography, editing, and motion picture sound with a solid background in film history, theory, and criticism. The M.F.A. is a terminal degree and is designed for students who wish to enter the film industry, to teach at the college or university level, or to make their way as an independent film artist.
The M.A. program has two tracks. Track One is a carefully structured two-year program in international film scholarship for students planning continued study at the doctoral level or planning to enter the international film industry. Track Two is designed to meet the specific needs of experienced returning students seeking additional training, study, and certification.
The M.F.A. program and both tracks of the M.A. program are designed to allow the entrance of talented students with no formal film training who have demonstrated extensive experience in another medium or academic discipline. While prior achievement in filmmaking, video, or film scholarship is not necessary, acceptance to graduate study in the school requires a major commitment to these areas of study.
Graduate study in the School of Film should not be perceived in terms of a vocational or trade school; technical knowledge and skills are offered only as tools to achieve creative conceptual goals. Further, because the film discipline requires full integration and knowledge of related disciplines, all graduate study in film requires a minor area of study outside the school.
The School of Film publishes Wide Angle, a quarterly journal of film; hosts the annual Ohio University Film Conference; and, with the Peterson Sound Studio, provides students with access to an on-site professional sound mixing facility. The School of Film cooperates with the Athens Center for Film and Video, which sponsors the annual Athens International Film Festival, the Video Festival, and the Athens Film Society. Students accepted for graduate study in the School of Film may take an active role in the center's activities.
The M.F.A. program involves intensive coursework in two areas: film production and film scholarship. The program requires 135 hours of graduate study, including a minor in a related discipline, a 15-credit hour second-year production project, and the completion of a creative thesis. You will determine the scope and nature of the thesis with your thesis advisor and the film faculty; a feature-length thesis can take the form of (a) a thesis film or films, (b) a thesis videotape or group of videotapes, or (c) a narrative screenplay.
You are required to maintain a 3.0 average in all coursework. Your overall creative and scholastic performance is formally evaluated in three steps: advancement to candidacy, portfolio review, and thesis defense. Failure twice at any stage of the evaluation process will result in denial of further enrollment in the M.F.A. program.
You are evaluated at the end of your third quarter of study. At that time, you are required to have completed 28 hours of film coursework and at least 8 credit hours of a minor, and must submit one completed 16mm answer print produced at Ohio University of graduate-level quality and a minimum of one research paper demonstrating graduate-level coursework, writing, and scholarship.
After advancement to candidacy and the completion of a second year of full-time study, you are required to submit a portfolio of creative work completed at Ohio University to the faculty for formal review.
After completion of the creative thesis, you must successfully defend your thesis before the thesis committee.
The M.A. in film consists of two distinct tracks. Track One, a two-year program, is designed to prepare students for further study at the doctoral level and consists of a carefully designed program in international film scholarship including film history, theory and criticism, and international studies. Track One requires 75 credit hours and a written thesis. Track Two, which allows returning students to design a program that specifically meets their career objectives, requires 45 credit hours plus a written thesis.
Required coursework for the international film track includes a three-quarter sequence in film theory and criticism or in international film history, a three-quarter sequence in international cinema, one quarter of film production, and additional courses in film aesthetics, ideology, structural analysis, and contemporary issues in international film. The program also requires completion of a graduate minor in international studies including either study of a second language or, for those who already have a second language, study of computer science. The program is selected in consultation with a faculty advisor.
Final degree requirements include a comprehensive written examination administered during the third quarter of enrollment, evaluated by members of the School of Film faculty. Two-thirds of this examination addresses your major area of study within the school. Failure twice at this stage of the evaluation process will result in denial of further enrollment as an M.A. candidate.
After you have completed comprehensive examinations, consulted with your advisor, submitted a thesis prospectus to the film faculty, and selected a thesis committee, you begin your written thesis. After completing the thesis, you must complete an oral defense before
the thesis committee.
Required coursework for the Track Two M.A. in film consists of at least 45 credit hours of graduate study plus a written thesis. Of the required coursework, 12 credit hours must be a graduate minor in a related discipline. You design your curriculum in consultation with a faculty advisor and subject to the formal approval of the School of Film faculty.
Candidates must complete a comprehensive written examination evaluated by the members of the school faculty. After successful completion of the comprehensive examination, you initiate a thesis prospectus to be approved by the School of Film faculty in consultation with your advisor. The Track Two thesis is expected to emphasize practical rather than scholarly concerns. After completing the thesis, you must complete an oral defense of it before the thesis committee.
Because certain core courses must be taken in sequence, admission to all graduate programs in the School of Film is restricted to fall enrollment.
To apply, you must demonstrate a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 for your undergraduate major and a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution. Your undergraduate degree may be in any discipline. Supporting documents required are (a) a transcript of all undergraduate work; (b) three letters of recommendation; (c) a formal application with fee; (d) a sample of your written work consisting of a paper or papers on any subject-such as a research paper, article, or critical analysis; (e) a 500-word personal essay on your goals in pursuing graduate study in film and the relationship of previous education and experience to these goals; and (f) for M.F.A. applicants only, examples of creative work such as a film, videotape, or portfolio of work from another medium. GRE scores are not required.
Send transcripts, formal application, and fees directly to the Office of Graduate Student Services. Your application cannot be processed until the application fee has been received. Send all other materials to the director, School of Film, Ohio University, Lindley Hall, Athens OH 45701-2979. The normal deadline for receipt of applications is February 15.
A limited number of scholarships and graduate associateships are available. While a majority of these awards are given to students who have already been approved for M.F.A. candidacy, highly qualified students may receive scholarships or graduate associateships during their first year on campus.
University Publications and Computer Services revised this file (http://www.ohiou.edu/~gcat/97-99/areas/film.htm) on June 18, 1998.
Please e-mail comments or suggestions to "gcat@www.ohiou.edu."