Residency

Completing two years (six quarters) of graduate work in residence at Stanford.

Units

A minimum of 62 units is required for the M.F.A. degree. In the production core, students are required to conceptualize and visualize their ideas in a series of writing and producing courses that focus on documentary story structure. These courses are taken in tandem with project-based production courses that provide training in the technical and conceptual aspects of cinematography, sound recording, and editing. Discussion of form and content is a signature component of the writing and production courses. The production core is complemented by a series of required film studies courses in documentary plus elective courses in the history, aesthetics, ideology, and theory of all genres of moving image media. All courses, except for FILMPROD core courses, must be taken for a letter grade.

The Department of Art & Art History did not make any changes to graduate degree grade requirements for classes taken in Winter Quarter 2019-20.

The Department of Art & Art History counts any Spring Quarter 2019-20 class in which the student received a final grade of ‘S’ towards graduate degree requirements that otherwise require a letter grade.

The Art & Art History department did not make any changes to its policy concerning 'CR' (credit) or 'S' (satisfactory) grades in degree requirements requiring a letter grade for academic year 2020-21.

M.F.A. Thesis Project

In the second year of the program, each student produces a 15-20 minute documentary that constitutes the thesis project. In course Producing Practicum: The Non-Fiction Film, students research and develop their project and write a proposal for submission. A project may not begin production until the written proposal has been approved. Most of the production and post-production occurs (in Winter and Spring quarters) in course and course.

Required Courses

1. Core Production courses; core courses must be taken in sequence:

		Units

course	Film/Video Writing and Directing	3
course	Nonfiction Film Production	3
course	Digital Video	4
course	Advanced Documentary Directing	3
course	Advanced Video Production	3
course	Producing Practicum: The Non-Fiction Film	4
course	Documentary M.F.A. Thesis Seminar I	5
course	Documentary M.F.A.Thesis Seminar II	5

2. Core Film Studies courses:

		Units

course	Documentary Perspectives I	4
course	Documentary Perspectives II	4

3. Electives (to be chosen in consultation with the student's adviser):

		Units

Art History—one course		4
Studio Art —one course		4
Film Studies—three courses		12
Choice Elective—one course		4

FILM-MFA - Documentary Film and Video (MFA)

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Overview

Program Policies

Learning Outcomes

External Credit Policies

Advising Expectations