Cinema and Media Studies Degree Requirements

36 credits in graduate cinema and media studies courses that must include the following core requirements*:

All remaining credits are to be fulfilled, following advisement, through electives offered in the graduate program in Cinema and Media Studies.

*Students who choose to complete a written or production thesis must apply to the departmental graduate studies committee for approval. Please see Options A and B below for thesis procedures and guidelines.

Note on production courses: A maximum of nine credits in film or media production may be counted toward the degree, with the approval of the candidate's graduate adviser. Graduate independent study in film production is only granted with permission of the instructor and program coordinator.

Note: Students who elect Option A or B below should maintain a 3.7 GPA or higher. Satisfactory completion of one of the following three options:

Option A: Written Thesis

Topics suitable for the master's thesis span the entire range of cinema and media theory, history, and practice. Possible topics include studies of media producers, history of media production and its institutions, media and spectatorship, ideology and production of film and media works, and media in relationship to issues of race, gender, class, and nation. The thesis length should run approximately 70-80 pages. Whenever possible, the topic of the thesis should extend or at least reflect the candidate's graduate coursework. Candidates should be aware of the following steps to be taken in completing the thesis option:

Written Thesis Procedures and Guidelines

1. Each candidate is strongly advised to take CMC 705 (Film and Media Research) before undertaking the MA thesis. The course prepares students for the process of researching and writing the master's thesis. The student may also prepare the thesis proposal with faculty supervision through CMC 894 (Independent Study) or independently.
2. Each candidate must submit a comprehensive proposal to the graduate studies committee before beginning the actual thesis. The committee must approve this proposal and may request revisions and/or a meeting with the candidate to discuss it. If the committee does not approve the thesis proposal, the candidate is required to take the MA comprehensive examination. A student seeking to appeal the committee's decision regarding the thesis may appeal in writing to the graduate studies coordinator.
3. Once approved, each candidate must choose a thesis committee comprised of three members of the full-time faculty of the Department of Media Culture. The chair of the thesis committee will direct the researching of the thesis and preparation of the manuscript through CMC 799 (Thesis Research), which may be repeated once for credit (maximum 8 credits). The other two members of the thesis committee will evaluate the thesis proposal, the completed thesis, and suggest revisions. The thesis committee may request a meeting with the candidate at any time during the process.
4. A copy of the completed thesis is submitted to each member of the theses committee. Successful completion of the MA thesis requires the approval of all theses committee members, who will sign the signature page if the thesis is satisfactory. The candidate will then submit two copies of the approved thesis (with signature pages) to the CSI Library for binding and cataloging. MA thesis are available for consultation in the CSI Library and through interlibrary loan.

Option B: Original Film or Media Production Thesis

For this option, students may submit an original film or media work. Students who elect this option must also fulfill the requirements of Option C, item (1), Film and Media History. The examination will be a take-home exam and must be completed in five days. Students choosing the production thesis option may, under the advisement of the graduate faculty, need to complete an undergraduate production course(s).

Production Thesis Guidelines:

1. A film or video production thesis, whether undertaken in the fictional, nonfictional, or experimental genres, should run 20 to 45 minutes in length when complete. Ideally, the thesis project should emerge from the candidate's prior coursework in production. Production thesis candidates should expect to be proficient technically, having fully developed the appropriate range of production and post-production skills before undertaking the thesis itself. The process, as described below, should be closely followed.
2. The candidate must submit a comprehensive thesis proposal to the graduate studies committee before beginning the actual thesis. This proposal should be in the form of an extended written treatment, which should include, at minimum, a description of the project, a specific timeline for the stages of production and post-production, and an account of the research undertaken for the project's development, where appropriate. The student should plan to prepare the thesis proposal with faculty supervision through CMC 894 (Independent Study).
3. If approved, each candidate must choose a thesis committee composed of three members of the full-time faculty of the Department of Media Culture. The chair of the committee will direct and monitor the stages of thesis production through CMC 799 (Thesis Research), which may be repeated once for credit (maximum 8 credits). Before completion of the production thesis, two informal reviews take place. First, the candidate must submit to the thesis committee an emended proposal, which fully details the style and mode of production and provides as much as possible a shooting script. Second, a rough cut of the film or video must be made available to the committee at an early stage of post-production. In both instances the committee will have an opportunity to suggest revisions and improvements before the thesis can be completed.

A copy of the competed thesis in the form of a DVD or VHS dub is to be submitted to each member of the thesis committee. Successful completion of the MA production thesis requires the approval of all thesis committee members.

Option C: Examinations

This option consists of a comprehensive take-home written examination. This examination will be divided into two parts:

1. Film and Media History: this section includes the following subject areas: periods, genres, authorship, international cinema, and media practices.
2. Film and Media Theory: this section includes critical and theoretical writings on cinema and media, including such theoretical models as formalism, semiotics, psychoanalysis, gender and feminism, and cultural studies approaches.
3. Each section will comprise two questions. Students must answer one question in essay form from each section.
4. The examination will be taken only upon completion of coursework. It will be given once a year, in May. Applications to take the examination must be made no later than March 15 of the year the examination is to be taken.
5. The questions on the examination will take into account the specific areas of knowledge covered in the required core seminars and selected elective courses. Selected bibliography as well as a list of media works will be made available to the students once the department receives notice of application for the exam. Answers to the questions should each be ten double-spaced, typed pages minimum. Completed examinations will be due ten days after issuance.

The complete examination will be read by members of the graduate Cinema and Media Studies faculty who may request a meeting with the candidate to discuss it. When the faculty approves the examination, it will be retained in the Department files, although the candidate may retain a copy.

Maintenance of Candidacy

To maintain candidacy for the MA degree, full-time students must maintain a B (3.0) average in each 12-credit semester. Part-time students must maintain a B average in each successive 12-credit sequence of courses taken.

Note: All candidates should be aware that they must pay the maintenance of matriculation fee during any semester in which they are not enrolled, unless they are not using College facilities (including the Library and screening facilities) during this period. In this case, they may pay the reinstatement fee and the maintenance fee for the semester in which they are graduating. If the candidate has not paid for each semester, the reinstatement and maintenance fee for one semester may be paid, provided that the candidate has not used the College facilities and that the request is supported by a written statement from the committee chair.