Academics

Degree & Course Requirements

The Master of Fine Arts Degree in Film and Video at Columbia College requires the completion of a minimum of 60 units of study, distributed as follows:

Phase I (24 Hours)

Semester 1:
    Production I (24-6011-01) 6 credit hours
    Directing I (24-6312-71) 3 credit hours
    Screenwriting I (24-6713-01) 3 credit hours

Semester 2:
    Production II (24-6021-01) 6 credit hours
    Theory & History of Cinema (24-6022-01) 3 credit hours
    Editing for Film & Video(24-6423-01) 3 credit hours
    *Focus Review Process

Phase II (27 hours)

Semester 3:
    Documentary I (24-6832-01) 3 credit hours
    Production III (24-6031-01) 3 credit hours
    Short Forms (24-6033-01) 3 credit hours

Semester 4:
    Directing II (24-6341-01) 3 credit hours
    Ideation and Theme (24-6700-01) 3 credit hours
     Elective 3 credit hours

Semester 5:
    Directing III (24-6351-01) 3 credit hours
    Elective 3 credit hours
    Elective 3 credit hours

Phase III (9 hours)

Semester 6:
    Thesis Seminar (24-6060-01) 3 credit hours
    Elective

Thesis Process:
    Thesis Development 1 credit hour
    Thesis Production 1 credit hour
    Thesis Postproduction 1 credit hour

Full-time graduate enrollment is for 9 to 12 credit hours each regular semester (fall and spring). Students are required to enroll full-time for at least the first year of study. If a student is enrolled full-time, the program will take at least six semesters of study before beginning the thesis process, which can take 12 to 18 months.

Click here for full sample core course descriptions.