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Master of Arts Film and Media Production

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Be a Compelling Visual Storyteller

The AU University School of Communication MA in Film and Media Production will give you a professional skill set in film, video, and digital media for a successful career in the media industry. During your first year, you will receive a formal overview in media production so that you can focus your second year on refining your skill base.

The flexibility of the program allows you to explore a broad range of aspects of video and filmmaking or to develop an area of expertise. Experiential learning opportunities such as the L.A. Intensive, internships with national media companies, and a semester intensive in Prague are just a few of the many options you'll have to develop skills outside the classroom. AU's Center for Media & Social Impact and Center for Environmental Filmmaking offer special courses, seminars, and screenings that will enrich your experience here. 

Admissions

The School of Communication reviews graduate applications on an ongoing basis until programs reach capacity. Learn more about our admissions process.

Our Film and Media Production master's degree is offered both full-time and part-time. Students are generally expected to complete the 36-credit-hour program within 24 months. First-year students are required to attend our Film & Media Arts Boot Camp in late July — early August before their first semester. Boot Camp teaches you the essential building blocks for production. Focusing on a digital skill set, you will work on practical exercises to get up to speed with equipment and learn about the expectations of the programs in SOC.

Film and Media Arts Watch Now Video

MEDIA IN THE MIX | The Erie Situation

After months of compiling footage about a Great Lake 'gone bad', David Ruck, SOC/MFA'23 needed an editor. Maggie Burnette Stogner, executive director of SOC’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking, connected him with Grace Eggleston, SOC/MA’21, who was looking for a thesis project after COVID yelled “cut” on her film about the threats posed to the Great Lakes by Asian carp. Listen as they work together to navigate a documentary project during COVID!

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Cost and Financial Assistance

The MA in Film & Media Arts is a 36 credit program. To estimate the cost of tuition, please see the current cost per credit hour for graduate students.

The School of Communication offers graduate students both merit-based and need-based financial aid. Merit awards are administered by the SOC Graduate Admissions Office, while need-based awards are administered by the American University Office of Financial Aid. A number of prestigious fellowships and scholarships are also available for students in the Film and Media Arts program. Additional financial support is available for veterans.

85 percent

of students receive financial assistance

Frequently Asked Questions

Our MA in Film and Media Production is a 36-credit, 24-month program that will help you build a solid professional skill set in film, video, and digital media. You’ll acquire professional competencies in scriptwriting, cinematography, lighting, sound recording, and editing, while also learning the historical, conceptual, and aesthetic foundations and frameworks of the art form and the industry.

Our MFA in Film and Media Arts is a 54-credit, 36-month terminal degree that prepares you to teach at the university level. The focus is more on how meaningful stories are constructed, in an artistic sense, for public knowledge and action. You will also focus your studies in one of four concentrations: Environmental and Wildlife Filmmaking; Political, Cultural and Social Impact; Art in Entertainment; or Games and Interactivity.

The Film & Media Arts division of American University's School of Communication is a leader in visual storytelling and integrating the latest and evolving technologies into production and distribution.

Remember that we have an all-digital tapeless production workflow, which means that the central tool for managing media is your computer. Read about the computer requirements for this program.

Applicants with prior experience in visual media, who wish to be considered for a substitution of the required COMM-610 Principles of Video Production and/or COMM-663 Techniques and Aesthetics of Editing courses, should submit a written request illustrating relevant coursework or professional experience to gradcomm@american.edu. Those requesting a substitution of either or both of these required courses will be required to take and pass an exam. Students granted substitutions for either, or both, of these required courses take advanced coursework in order to fulfill those academic credits. It is up to the discretion of the faculty committee to allow students to proceed to fall courses even if they pass either, or both, of the required bootcamp courses.

The School of Communication offers a number of opportunities for hands-on learning that also allow you to showcase your own work. The Visions Awards celebrate the best in student visual work—documentary, fiction, digital and new media, screenwriting, and photography. Our partnership with the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague helps students develop their skills and portfolios in photography and super 16mm or 35mm film. The Center for Environmental Filmmaking inspires a new generation of filmmakers and media experts whose commitment to environmental stewardship drives them to produce creative work that is informative, ethically sound, and entertaining. And our Center for Media & Social Impact empowers media that matter as an innovation incubator and research center that creates, studies, and showcases media for social impact.

Still have questions? Check our general admission FAQ or send us an email: GradComm@american.edu