Film Studies, MA

Requirements for the MA

General Requirements. The Terminal MA in Film Studies degree will be granted only to those students who have been admitted to the PhD in Film Studies but are subsequently unable to finish the program. The terminal MA provides this group of students the possibility of a terminal degree that acknowledges their time of study. A total of 25 credits are needed, including the three core courses in film studies and five electives in film studies.

Master’s Research Paper. The research paper is required for a terminal MA in Film Studies. The paper should be between 6,000-8,000 words, and can be based on a paper that was prepared for a seminar. One Film Studies faculty member will supervise the paper (most likely the instructor for the class in which the paper was written). Two other film faculty members, including the student’s Area of Concentration faculty advisor and one other film studies faculty member, will serve as readers. All three must approve the paper for it to count as fulfilling the requirement. To pass, a paper should provide coherent and original textual analysis, provide historical contextualization (if appropriate), and incorporate primary research in a cogent scholarly argument relating to Film Studies.