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Master of Fine Arts in Communication Media Arts
The terminal degree for those seeking to blend creativity, knowledge, and professional practice.
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MFA in Communication Media Arts

Thinking Outside of the Box

Step into a unique, three-year MFA program in partnership with the Schools of Emerging Communication Technologies, Media Arts & Studies, and Visual Communication. Designed for seasoned media professionals, our program integrates advanced production skills and contextual knowledge with state-of-the-art facilities, preparing you to navigate and lead in the evolving media landscape.

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MFA Areas of Production

Each graduate student adds to their pre-existing media skills by selecting two new production areas of study. These production areas become the core of your first two years, with the third year focused on thesis production. A faculty committee of faculty members advises in formulating your individual course plans.  Production areas include, but are not limited to: 

Animation

Explore animation for educational, entertainment and game design purposes. Emphasis on 2D and 3D computer animation as well as experimental animation. Ancillary courses/experiences also provide an understanding of project management, visual storytelling, and sound for moving image.

Documentary

Explore community, corporate and/or educational production intended for social change and community awareness. Emphasizing both local and international projects, additional faculty and resources come from the WOUB Center for Public Media and the Barbara Geralds Institute for Storytelling and Social Impact.

Data Visualization & Infographics

Gain a comprehensive understanding of information design at the highest level. Learn how to use diagrams, maps and charts to explain and inform, through a multi-platform approach with an emphasis on bridging the gap from big data to compelling and accessible visualizations.

Generative AI and Intelligent Experience (IX)

Explore the transformative potential of Generative AI and Intelligent Experience design through tools and techniques such as natural language processing, text-to-image and video generation, AI-driven storytelling, adaptive user interfaces, emotion recognition systems, and predictive analytics. Develop innovative, user-centric applications that merge creativity and functionality, reshaping how people interact with digital ecosystems.

Interactive Web Design

Study design for web and mobile with a focus on user experience and information architecture. Using code and responsive design, students learn to communicate through interactive sites with a focus on the audience and user first, as well as design fundamentals such as typography, project workflow and front-end design.

Photojournalism

Learn to tell stories through still images and video, focusing on in-depth, intimate moments through documentary photography. By creating single images, documentaries, photo stories and essays, students learn to use photography and video as a communication tool to show others situations, places, events and people. 

Publication Design

Tell stories through design and typography with the goal of creating dynamic and engaging publications that are online, in tablet form or in print. Whether their focus is newspaper design or magazine editorials, students learn to communicate with an audience through strong design fundamentals.

Sound Design

Develop the conceptual, technical, and compositional skills of a sound designer by studying sound principles and audio production techniques including field recording, ADR and Foley, and surround sound. Students learn to design sound environments for animation, games, film and video.

Studio Photography

Students learn the business aspects of operating a photographic studio while focusing on photographing a wide variety of content including: advertising, product and still-life, fashion and portraiture, architectural and interior design; as they develop a forward-facing approach to working with clients.

Video Game Design

Emphasizing both the theory and skills needed to create dynamic, immersive environments for narrative, non-fiction and educational use. Students collaborate to explore and produce effective interactive work. This holistic approach includes curriculum focused on game design, programming, sound design and entrepreneurship.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

Harness the possibilities of Virtual Reality and cinematic VR utilizing a variety of tools including immersive and interactive audio, 360-degree video, motion capture and avatar creation, digital game technologies, and both animated and haptic interfaces.

 

Transformative MFA Experiences

"I loved the Scripps MFA program! I feel like those three years helped to give me the time, expertise, experience, and confidence to do the work I always wanted to do, and I am lucky to do now. I love teaching as well, and the chance to learn how to do it at a college level, and gain so much experience doing that was a huge part of my own time in the MFA program."

 

— Brian Koscho, MFA '22

Headshot of Brian Koscho

Explore your Contextual Area

Complement your production skills with a Contextual Area of your choice — a diverse field ranging from marketing to healthcare, art history to media studies to foreign language and more. This interdisciplinary approach enriches your production areas by informing your own personal career path. 

Contextual Areas

Two students in a podcasting studio with microphones and recording equipment around them

Immerse in Experiential Learning

Hands-on, experiential projects are a required part of this program. Students must engage in collaborative projects such as grant-funded faculty initiatives, projects through the Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab, Barbara Geralds Institute for Storytelling and Social Impact, WOUB Public Media, the Soul of Athens, or practicum projects through the Scripps College of Communication or the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts. International experiences and professional externships are also encouraged in this area. Successful completion of at least eight credit hours of Experiential Learning Courses will serve as confirmation that students are prepared for their thesis projects. 

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Enhance Your Teaching Skills 

Our program emphasizes teaching as a key component of fostering deeper understanding of creativity and intent. Scripps College strives to improve undergraduate education by providing teaching experiences for mid-career media professionals from the MFA program. Each year, the college provides up to eighteen competitive stipends for MFA student selected to teach.   

Non-teaching stipends area can also be obtained across the university via departments in need of media and communication expertise.

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Advance Your Career - Apply Now! 

The MFA in Communication Media Arts is a revolutionary degree designed in response to the rapidly evolving communication field. 

Take the next step in your career. Submit your application for our innovative MFA program by January 1. 

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