The M.A. program provides students with an advanced course of study in the history, theory and criticism of motion pictures. Many lecture classes are offered in the evening for the convenience of working students.
Graduates from the M.A. in Cinema Studies program have gone on to successful careers as film curators, programmers, preservationists, as well as film critics, instructors, screenwriters, filmmakers and industry professionals. Cinema Studies M.A. students also have the opportunity to pursue internships for credit in order to further their professional development at film libraries and archives in the city or in the film and media industries. To apply to the M.A. program, please visit the Tisch Graduate Admissions page.
M.A. Course of Study
Students must complete 36 points: 32 points must be taken in the department; 4 graduate credits may be transferred from another department or institution, with permission of the Chair, if these points have not been counted toward a previously completed graduate degree. Requests for transfer of credit must be made during the student's first semester of study.
The required courses for M.A. Students are (1) Film Form and Film Sense (2) Film Theory and (3) Film History/Historiography or Television: History and Culture. Students with substantial academic training in any of these areas of study may request a waiver on a course by course basis to be determined by the Director of Graduate Studies.
Independent study credits shall not exceed 8 points.
All M.A. students must successfully complete 36 points, at least 24 with a grade of 'B' or better, and pass the Master's comprehensive examination in order to graduate.
The Master's degree must be completed within five years of matriculation.
To receive the M.A., the student must pass a comprehensive examination, to be administered thrice yearly in November, March, and July.
Master's Comprehensive Examination
The examination may be taken upon the completion of 24 points of course work but cannot be taken later than a semester after the completion of 36 points of course work. The comprehensive examination will be a take-home examination consisting of five questions of which the student must answer two in the form of ten-page essays. The questions will be drawn from the total course of study as well as material on the M.A. comprehensive filmography and bibliography, a list of important works provided by the department (available from the exam administrator). Exam questions and answers may also refer to major texts in the field since the filmography/bibliography were last revised. Students have one week to complete the exam. Students will be notified by mail of the exam results. Students who fail the exam may retake it once.
Exam Registration
Each semester an exam registration deadline is posted on the departmental calendar. Students must fill out the comprehensive registration form and turn it in to the exam administrator by the due date. Forms are readily available all year long in the Cinema Studies front offices.
Exam Administration
Exam takers should obtain the exam between 10am and 4pm on the first day of the exam cycle (once registered, the student assumes responsibility to obtain the exam on the designated date). Any student registered for the exam who does not pick it up/take it will receive a failing grade. Exams must be turned in between 10am and 4pm on the last day of the exam cycle, as stated in the exam guidelines. Any student who does not turn in their exam will obtain a failing grade. Late exams result in failure. There are no exceptions.
Exam Results
Exams are graded by a committee comprised of three faculty members. The exam taker's identity is held from the committee until the three grades have been tabulated. Exams are given grades of HIGH PASS, PASS or FAIL. Students will be notified only in writing by mail. Exams are not returned to exam takers. Students who fail the exam may retake it once. Failure to pass the exam after two (2) trials will prevent the student from obtaining the M.A. degree in Cinema Studies.
