Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2011-2012 > School of Film and Television > Graduate Program

Graduate Program

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The School of Film and Television offers three Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degrees: Film and Television Production, Feature Film Screenwriting, and Writing and Producing for Television.

Mission Statement

The Master of Fine Arts degrees offered by the School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University are based on a professional academic program and designed to foster original and creative work in film and television production and writing. The emphasis is on understanding and mastering visual storytelling in an atmosphere which allows students to explore and express their ideas with ever increasing creative and technical skills.

The School of Film and Television is committed to a relatively small graduate program. Given the large number of qualified applicants, the review process is necessarily very selective. Graduate study in this program is a full-time, intensive endeavor; only the most motivated and serious students can be considered.

Admission Requirements

All applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. The department welcomes applicants who have received degrees in unrelated fields.

There are only a limited number of openings in the graduate School of Film and Television programs and applications are reviewed and accepted ONLY for the Fall semester each year.

Applicants must submit ALL materials to the Graduate Division by January 15. These materials include: application, $50 application fee, detailed personal statement, all transcripts, GRE scores, two letters of recommendation, and supplemental materials. Supplemental materials include any creative work in written and/or multi-media formats (DVD preferred) that illustrate a particular talent or expertise that the applicant would like to highlight for the selection committee. Students applying to the Screenwriting emphasis must submit a writing sample.

A $250 deposit must accompany your letter of acceptance within 15 days of notification by the University of your admittance into the program. The deposit is applied toward tuition and is non-refundable. Notification letters are sent out April 16.

May 15 is the deadline for non-refundable Commitment Deposits (if the deposit is not received by this time, an applicant forfeits his or her spot).

June 15 is the deadline to register for Fall classes. IMPORTANT: Any applicant who does NOT register by this date will forfeit his or her spot, and it will be offered to another student.

Program Options

There are three degree programs within the graduate School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University: Film and Television Production, Feature Film Screenwriting, and Writing and Producing for Television. These majors come to fruition in the graduate thesis project for production students, and a portfolio for screenwriting students. Thesis projects take a minimum of one year to complete, usually spanning the final year of graduate work. They comprise 6 semester hours of graduate credit required for the Master of Fine Arts degree. Students do not have the option of the traditional Master’s research thesis.

Graduate Prerequisites

Students will also be required to take a specified number of graduate prerequisites. Graduate students are on a provisional status until their graduate prerequisites are successfully completed. These prerequisites are required and may not be waived.