The Feature Film Production MFA is a terminal degree, the highest degree awarded to filmmakers or film artists. It is a highly selective and rigorous professional film production program for film practitioners and visual artists who demonstrate a commitment to the expressive potential of filmmaking and the exploration of non-traditional modes of distribution. The Feature Film Production MFA produces graduates with mastery of storytelling through cinema as it encourages the candidate to find his or her personal style. The program emphasizes story, performance, aesthetic choice, business, and creative thinking. The program develops graduates who can compete in the worlds of national and international independent filmmaking.
Students will pursue a modality –narrative, documentary, or experimental– for their thesis film, or body of work, during their first two semesters in the program. All MFA candidates must take the core required courses but will choose electives that best match their modalities and interests. Upon completion of the degree, each student will have produced a micro-budget digital feature film or equivalent body of work that meets standards outlined in the Program Graduate Handbook. Students will also have prepared a marketing strategy for its distribution and exhibition. Graduates in this program are responsible for funding their own thesis projects, including fundraising and soliciting investors where needed. Historically, graduates have produced feature films within the budget range of 5-25K. Budgetary needs can vary greatly depending on the scope and modality of the thesis. Consulting with the thesis committee regarding the appropriate budgetary scale is advised for all students. Budgets exceeding 50K are strongly discouraged.
We welcome innovative approaches within the digital cinema paradigm that reimagine how new technologies can create alternative performances to exploit the tension between narrative and experimental storytelling, creating a new agency for actors and new expectations for audiences.
Program Prerequisites
A BA or BFA in film production is preferred, however, degrees in the following areas are acceptable if accompanied by a strong video portfolio:
- Animation
- Art
- Cinema Studies
- Communication
- English/Creative Writing
- Game Design
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Journalism
- Photography
- Radio/TV
Degree Requirements
Required Courses
39 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Complete the following:
- FIL5406 - Theories of Film Production (3)
- FIL5419 - Developing the Film Screenplay (3)
- FIL5800 - Research Methods in Film and Digital Media (3)
- FIL6146 - Screenplay Refinement (3)
- FIL6454 - Microbudget Production Design (3)
- FIL6596 - Advanced Directing Workshop for Film and Digital Media (3)
- FIL6619 - Guerrilla Marketing and Models of Distribution (3)
- FIL6644 - Microbudget Pre-Production (3)
- FIL6673 - Arts and Media Entrepreneurship (3)
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- FIL6649 - Microbudget Post-Production (3)
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- FIL5924 - Graduate Seminar (1)
- Note: FIL 6649 is a repeatable course, take for two semesters. FIL 5924 Graduate Seminar is 1 Credit Hour to be taken each semester for a total of 6 credits.
Internal Elective Courses
6 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Students select a minimum of 6 credit hours of internal electives that reflect their mode of filmmaking interest (narrative, documentary, or experimental). One additional internal elective course may be taken to substitute for an external elective if approved by the graduate program coordinator. Students in other graduate programs are required to receive instructor consent before enrolling.
- Complete at least 2 of the following:
- FIL5370C - Documentary Production I (3)
- FIL5371C - Documentary Production II (3)
- FIL5422C - Experimental Cinema II (3)
- FIL5426C - Experimental Cinema I (3)
- FIL5809 - Independent Cinema (3)
- FIL6596 - Advanced Directing Workshop for Film and Digital Media (3)
- Note: FIL 5907 Independent Study and FIL 5917/5918 Directed Research may be taken for a total of no more than six credit hours each.
External Electives
3 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Students select a minimum of 3 credit hours of external electives that align with their particular interests, outside the MFA in Feature Film Production. Choice of external electives should be made after discussion with the thesis advisor or graduate coordinator. Other electives related to the thesis topic may be approved by the graduate coordinator. Not all of these courses are offered every term, prerequisites and consent of instructor may be required.
- Complete at least 1 of the following:
- ADV6209 - Advertising and Society (3)
- ARH5897 - Advanced Seminar in Art History (3)
- ART5280 - Serial Content (3)
- ART6683 - Time Arts (3)
- ART6911C - Studio Concentration (3)
- COM5932 - Topics in Communication Theory and Research (3)
- COM6046 - Interpersonal Communication (3)
- COM6048 - Communication in Close Relationships (3)
- COM6121 - Communication Management (3)
- COM6145 - Organizational Communication (3)
- COM6463 - Studies in Intercultural Communication (3)
- COM6467 - Studies in Persuasion (3)
- COM6468 - Communication and Conflict (3)
- DIG5366C - Animation and Visual Effects Production II (3)
- DIG5378C - Editing for Animation and Visual Effects I: Theory and Production (3)
- DIG5386C - Animation and Visual Effects Production I (3)
- DIG5439C - Script and Story Development for Animation and Visual Effects (3)
- DIG5487 - Media Aesthetics (3)
- DIG5865 - The History of Animation and Visual Effects (3)
- DIG6136 - Design for Interactive Media (3)
- DIG6365C - Media and Music for Animation and Visual Effects (3)
- DIG6379C - Editing for Animation and Visual Effects II: Practical Editing (3)
- DIG6551 - Theory and Practice of Interactive Storytelling (3)
- ENT5016 - New Venture Design (3)
- ENT5206 - New Venture Implementation (3)
- ENT5619 - Creativity and Entrepreneurship (3)
- MMC6202 - Legal and Ethical Issues for Communication (3)
- MMC6307 - International Communication (3)
- MMC6567 - New Media (3)
- MMC6600 - Media Effects and Audience Analysis (3)
- MMC6612 - Communication and Government (3)
- MMC6735 - Social Media as Mass Communication (3)
- PUR6215 - Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility (3)
- PUR6405 - Communication and Public Relations in Politics and Government (3)
- SPC6340 - Teaching Communication (3)
Thesis
10 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Earn at least 10 credits from the following:
- FIL6971 - Thesis (1 - 99)
- Before undertaking the thesis project, candidates must meet with the thesis advisory committee to submit and discuss the proposed project and obtain the committee's approval. The thesis requires intensive applied learning in order to complete a feature-length project and/or body of work. The student cannot enroll in thesis hours until the thesis advisory committee has been selected and approved. Once a student has begun to take thesis hours, they must enroll in at least one thesis hour for each remaining term until graduation. Students may spread out thesis hours any way they wish but are advised to follow recommendations in the program handbook. The thesis project has a strong research component both in the initial development phase and in the creation of the distribution and marketing plan for the project. In addition to creating the feature film or body of work, the student must write an accompanying thesis paper that meets all university requirements (see ETD Requirements). The final stage of the curriculum serves as a bridge to the professional world and supports the entrepreneurial philosophy of the program. The thesis project must be reviewed by the faculty adviser throughout the production process, and meet agreed upon criteria within a stated time frame. Once the thesis project is completed, candidates must have a screening or exhibition of the work and meet with the thesis advisory committee for final approval and oral defense.
Equipment Fee
0 Total Credits
- Students in the Feature Film Production MFA program pay a $90 equipment fee each semester that they are enrolled. Courses containing a production element may charge an additional materials and equipment fee.
Grand Total Credits: 58
Application Requirements
Application Deadlines
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
