Courses of Study and Degree Requirements

The MFA in Experimental & Documentary Arts is a two-year degree program requiring 15 courses over 4 semesters: 10 required (Core) courses in prescribed sequence, and 5 electives. 

  • 5 Core Studio courses: Documentary Fieldwork, Experiments in the Moving Image, Genealogies of the Experimental, Thesis Writing Workshop, and Thesis Project Workshop.
  • 5 Core Seminar courses: Continuity and Change in Experimental and Documentary Arts, Critique I - IV.
  • 5 Electives complete the degree requirement minimum, with one elective required as supporting one's thesis project ("Methods" in the third semester). Other electives may be taken in inter-disclipinary subjects if desired for research or project support, i.e.there is no requirement that electives be in the Arts.

Each student’s culminating project will be presented in a second year Spring MFA Exhibition. A written thesis on the project is also required.

YEAR 1 – FALL

  • Documentary Fieldwork (3 units) Exploration of the range of mediums and approaches to community-based documentary work that expresses both cultural/political realities through a personal point of view. Final project required.
  • Genealogies of the Experimental (3 units) History of experimental expression in 20th and 21st century art. Final project required.
  • Elective: (3 units)
  • Critique I (1 unit)

YEAR 1 – SPRING

  • Experiments in the Moving Image (3 units) Methodologies of experimental film and video. Final project required. 
  • Continuity and Change in Experimental and Documentary Arts (3 units) Conceptual survey of documentary studies with attention to experimental and artistic practices. Final project required.
  • Elective: (3 units)
  • Critique II (1 unit)

SUMMER

  • Individual Thesis Research

YEAR 2 – FALL

  • Thesis Writing Workshop (3 units)
  • Elective: (3 units)
  • Methods Elective: (3 units) An elective that support thesis research or production.
  • Critique III (1 unit)

YEAR 2 – SPRING

  • Thesis Project Workshop (3 units) Production and completion of thesis project.
  • Elective: (3 units)
  • Critique IV (3 units)