Film and Media Studies

The Department of Film Studies at Emory University offers a free-standing M.A. Program in the methodologies of film theory, history, and criticism. The program trains its students to be astute and discriminating critics and analysts of film and media art; it strengthens their critical thinking through an awareness of the philosophical and aesthetic debates in film and media theory; and it provides students with a thorough knowledge of cinema and media history as a dynamic form of cultural expression.

Financial aid in the form of partial tuition waivers is available to M.A. candidates who study on campus.

Coursework

Eight courses are required.  FILM 500: Introduction to Graduate Film and Media Studies is required of all entering students.  Five must be taken in our core seminars-Authorship, Genre/Criticism, History/National Cinemas, Theory, and Methods in Film and Media Studies. The subject matter for each of these seminars grows out of the instructors' and students' interests.  Students may also require some leveling coursework (in, for example, Classical and Contemporary Film Theory).

Thesis

The MA degree culminates in the writing and oral defense of a thesis.  The thesis demonstrates the ability to formulate and address an original research question in discipline-specific language.  It should display in-depth knowledge of at least one area of expertise; it must also indicate broad familiarity with the methods and discourse of film and media studies-primarily by showing how it is in dialogue with other work in the field and making the case for its own relevance.  Each thesis has three faculty readers, one of whom can be from a department other than Film and Media Studies.

Courses

The five core graduate seminars (all of which feature rotating topics) for the M.A. are:

• FILM501: Seminar in Authorship
• FILM502: Seminar in Genre/Criticism
• FILM503: Seminar in History/National Cinemas
• FILM 504: Seminar in Film Theory
• FILM 506: Methods in Film and Media Studies

In addition, M.A. students are required to enroll in the following:

• FILM 500: Introduction to Graduate Film and Media Studies (in their first semester)
• FILM 598: Graduate Colloquium (in all four semesters)
• FILM 599: Master's Thesis (in the spring of their second year)

In addition, students may enroll in any of the following courses offered during their matriculation:

• FILM 401: Film and Media Criticism
• FILM 402: Scriptwriting
• FILM 403: The Biz
• FILM 404: Women in Film and Media
• FILM 405: Experimental/Avant Garde Cinema
• FILM 407: Content Creation
• FILM 500: Introduction to Graduate Film Studies
• FILM 573: Special Topics in Film Studies
• FILM 581: Classical Film Theory
• FILM 582: Contemporary Film and Media Theory
• FILM 589: Special Topics in Media
• FILM 591: Studies in Major Figures
• FILM 592: Studies in Film Genres
• FILM 593: Non-Fiction Film
• FILM 595: Studies in National Cinemas
• FILM 597: Directed Study

1. Transcripts
2. GRE Scores
3. Statement of Purpose
4. Resume/CV
5. Three Letters of Recommendation
6. $75 Application Fee
7. If your native language is not English, you must show evidence of command of the English language. To determine what you need to do, visit the website of the program you are applying to. Generally, programs require the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an evaluation of a writing sample.
8. Transcripts that are not in English must be translated and notarized. Please scan both the original and the translated versions, and submit them together as one file using the online application.
9. You will need a visa.  Until you have accepted an offer of admission, you do not need to take any action concerning a visa.  In fact, the process cannot begin, since an accepted offer of admission is an essential part of the visa documentation.  
10. If your first language is not English, you will need to participate in English Language Support Program testing.  The testing happens in August, right before classes begin, and new students are notified early in the summer.  

Scholarships

Financial aid in the form of partial tuition waivers is available to M.A. candidates who study on campus.