Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Master of Fine Arts in Film & Animation
Rochester, USA
MA
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
USD 41,424 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* $41,424 - $54,974 | based on credits taken
Key Summary
Choose from virtual and on-campus events where you can interact with other prospective students and admissions counselors, meet with our graduate program directors, and gain insight into how applicants are reviewed and evaluated.
In the MFA program in film and animation, students create live-action production, scripts, 2D, 3D, or stop motion animation that is unique. The School of Film and Animation houses state-of-the-art facilities, including full production facilities. The program is also supported by highly specialized faculty from RIT's photography, imaging science, computer science, information technology, and design programs.
Industries
- Movies, TV, and Music
- Animation
- Advertising, PR, and Marketing
- Higher Education
- Writing and Editing
RIT awards more than $37 million in merit scholarships and assistantships to graduate students each year. Scholarship awards range from 10% - 40% of tuition. Awards are based on an applicant's academic excellence. Many things are considered when awarding scholarships - undergraduate grades, graduate placement test scores, and your research and work experience all factor in.
Graduate assistantships are offered to full-time matriculated graduate students to serve as teaching, research, or administrative assistants. Graduate Assistants receive wages (determined by the department making the appointment) in exchange for work performed. Many graduate assistants also receive tuition remission (i.e., tuition support) in addition to receiving wages for assistantship duties.
Graduate students can be awarded both scholarships and assistantships. These funding opportunities are the same for both US and international applicants.
Optional Co-Op
Cooperative education is paid work assignments with corporations and organizations around the U.S. and abroad. Co-op allows students to spend one or more semesters employed in a full-time, paid position related to their academic program before they graduate. Many students use co-op earnings to help finance their education.
Work-Study
Graduate students studying full-time may apply to work part-time on campus. RIT has more than 9,000 jobs available yearly, and students typically work 10 – 20 hours per week. International students studying on an F-1 or J-1 visa may work up to 20 hours per week on campus and 40 hours during break periods.
The MFA in film and animation offers four options:
- 2D animation concentrates on traditional forms drawn by hand, a mixture of both traditional and digital, or all digital origination. Students may concentrate their studies on stop motion puppet animation.
- 3D animation courses focus on advanced 3D modeling, lighting, texturing, and animating in a 3D space.
- Production allows students to develop and refine their creative approach to fictional narrative, documentary, and experimental live-action filmmaking.
- Screenwriting is an opportunity for students to complete short films with a concentration in creating feature, short, and series-length screenplays.
All four options require two years of coursework and a thesis project. A complete film is required of all first-year students, a complete film or script is required in the second year, and a more ambitious thesis film or feature-length script is required in the third year. In the third and final year, students are enrolled part-time and their work is focused only on their thesis project.
Film and animation (2D animation option), MFA degree, typical course sequence
First Year
- SOFA-605 Basic Sound Recording
- SOFA-610 Graduate Seminar
- SOFA-611 History and Aesthetics of Animation
Choose one of the following:
- SOFA-615 3D Animation Fundamentals
- SOFA-617 Stop Motion Puppet Fundamentals
- SOFA-603 2D Animation I: Fundamentals
- SOFA-622 30-Second Film
- SOFA-625 Animated Acting Principles
- SOFA-627 Pre-production for Animators
Choose one of the following:
- SOFA-748 Concept and Character Design
- SOFA-623 Stop Motion Master Class
- SOFA-628 Animation Writing and Visual Storytelling
- SOFA-630 Animation Film Language
Second Year
- SOFA-717 Animation Workshop
- SOFA-618 Business Careers and Animation
- SOFA-780 Thesis Preparation Seminar
- SOFA-604 2D Animation II: Mechanics
- SOFA-676 After Effects for Animators
- Free Electives
- SOFA Electives
Third Year
- SOFA-790 Research and Thesis I
- SOFA-890 Research and Thesis II
Film and animation (3D animation option), MFA degree, typical course sequence
First Year
- SOFA-605 Basic Sound Recording
- SOFA-610 Graduate Seminar
- SOFA-611 History and Aesthetics of Animation
Choose one of the following:
- SOFA-603 2D Animation I: Fundamentals
- SOFA-617 Stop Motion Puppet Fundamentals
- SOFA-615 3D Animation Fundamentals
- SOFA-622 30-Second Film
- SOFA-625 Animated Acting Principles
- SOFA-627 Pre-production for Animators
- SOFA-628 Animation Writing and Visual Storytelling
- SOFA-630 Animation Film Language
- SOFA-695 Advanced 3D Animation
Second Year
- SOFA-675 3D Lighting and Texturing
- SOFA-717 Animation Workshop
- SOFA-618 Business Careers and Animation
- SOFA-676 After Effects for Animators
- SOFA-780 Thesis Preparation Seminar
- SOFA Electives
- Free Electives
Third Year
- SOFA-790 Research and Thesis I
- SOFA-890 Research and Thesis II
Film and animation (production option), MFA degree, typical course sequence
First Year
- SOFA-678 Cinematography and Lighting
- SOFA-602 Production Processes
- SOFA-605 Basic Sound Recording
- SOFA-606 Graduate Directing
- SOFA-610 Graduate Seminar
- SOFA-613 Graduate Screenwriting I
- SOFA-621 Spring Film
- SOFA-626 Writing the Short Film
- History and Aesthetics Elective
Second Year
- SOFA-721 Fall Film
- SOFA-733 Hybrid Forms: Theory and Practice
- SOFA-614 Business and Careers in Film
- SOFA-780 Thesis Preparation Seminar
- History and Aesthetics Elective
- SOFA Electives
- Free Electives
Third Year
- SOFA-790 Research and Thesis I
- SOFA-890 Research and Thesis II
Film and animation (screenwriting option), MFA degree, typical course sequence
First Year
- SOFA-602 Production Processes
- SOFA-605 Basic Sound Recording
- SOFA-606 Graduate Directing
- SOFA-610 Graduate Seminar
- SOFA-613 Graduate Screenwriting I
- SOFA-621 Spring Film
- SOFA-626 Writing the Short Film
- SOFA Elective
- History and Aesthetics Elective
Second Year
- SOFA-663 Writing the Feature
- SOFA-664 Writing the Series
- SOFA-721 Fall Film
- SOFA-614 Business and Careers in Film
- SOFA-780 Thesis Preparation Seminar
- SOFA-733Hybrid Forms: Theory and Practice
- History and Aesthetics Electives
- Free Electives
Third Year
- SOFA-790 Research and Thesis I
- SOFA-890 Research and Thesis II
Electives
Elective courses are available in animation, film, video, multimedia, screenwriting, printmaking, painting, sculpture, communication design, museum studies, crafts, bookmaking, typography, color photography, new media, studio photography, advertising photography, perception, gaming, computer graphics, art history, and archival preservation and conservation. There are also opportunities for independent studies, internships, and concentrations.
Thesis
Specific instructions pertaining to the thesis are available in the “MFA Guide for Students and Faculty: Policy Regarding Student Work.” The School of Film and Animation reserves the right to retain copies of student-produced films to be used for educational purposes, to show to prospective students, and as examples of student productions.
The program provides students with the opportunity to use animation, filmmaking, and other imaging arts as a means to:
- pursue a career and earn a livelihood.
- enrich their personal lives and society as a whole.
- encourage a sense of community, creativity, scholarship, and purpose.