MA vs. MFA in Film: Which Master's Degree Fits Your Goals?

A master's degree in film can be a studio degree that trains you to make work or an academic degree that trains you to research it, and the award letters only partly tell you which. The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is the studio degree: it is built around making films or writing scripts. The Master of Arts (MA) is more varied. Many film MAs are academic film studies programs, but some are practical degrees in producing or screenwriting. This guide explains how to tell them apart and what the difference means for time, cost and what you finish with.

The MFA: a studio degree built around your work

An MFA in film centers on creative practice and usually ends in a substantial creative thesis. NYU's Graduate Film program, for example, describes itself as an intensive three-year conservatory production program; its bulletin lists 108 credits and a third year devoted to a thesis, which can be a film, a TV pilot or web series, a feature screenplay or series bible, or an editing or cinematography reel. The AFI Conservatory offers an MFA in six disciplines over two years, during which Fellows make four to ten films.

Screenwriting MFAs follow the same logic with scripts instead of films. NYU's Dramatic Writing MFA requires at least 58 credits and several polished full-length works, ending in an original full-length thesis in one medium (theater, film or episodic).

The academic MA: film studies

An academic MA trains you in film history, theory and criticism. NYU's Cinema Studies MA requires 36 credits, including film form, film theory, and film history or television history, and students must pass a take-home comprehensive examination. Chapman's MA in Film and Media Studies is a two-year program that ends with a master's thesis and an oral defense. UCLA's Cinema & Media Studies MA offers an academic track for students heading toward a PhD and a professional track for programming, archival and curatorial careers; both require 36 units and can be completed in three quarters or extended to seven.

These are not production degrees, even if a few electives involve hands-on work. If you want to go on to a PhD, an academic MA is often the step before it; see our PhD page and the film studies listings.

The practical MA: producing, screenwriting and more

Some MAs teach professional practice without being MFAs:

• NYU's MA in Media Producing is an online, 32-credit program with courses in production management,

entertainment business law, fundraising and deal making, and distribution, plus a two-part thesis.

• Columbia College Chicago's MA in Screenwriting and Development is primarily online, with an

optional session in Los Angeles, and covers writing and developing screenplays.

• Quinnipiac University's MA in Producing for Film and Television is presented as a two-year online

program; it ends in a thesis course in which students develop, schedule and budget a project and create pitch materials for it.

A practical MA is still an MA. We list it under its real award and never relabel it as an MFA. The difference matters if you plan to teach later, because colleges set their own requirements for faculty and may treat the two awards differently; ask the institutions you are interested in.

Side by side

Credit totals are not directly comparable across schools: some count semester credits, others quarter units, and tuition may be charged per credit, per term or per year.

What you submit when you apply

Applications follow the degree's purpose. NYU's Cinema Studies MA asks for a 15–20 page writing sample showing sustained critical, theoretical or historical thinking, along with a statement of purpose, a résumé and two recommendations; it no longer requires the GRE. Chapman's MA asks for a 12–15 page scholarly writing sample. MFA applications instead ask for films, scripts or a creative portfolio; NYU's Tisch graduate programs, for instance, require a department-specific portfolio or creative supplement with the general application. Our guides to preparing a film school portfolio and preparing a screenwriting sample go into detail.

Cost and funding questions to ask

An MFA's longer timeline usually means more terms of tuition, and production MFAs add costs that academic MAs mostly do not: equipment fees, insurance and the budget of your own films. Tuition is separate from mandatory fees and from production costs, so compare each line separately.

Funding differs too. Some programs offer assistantships or fellowships; Chapman, for instance, says students in its MA can apply for competitive research assistantships. Competitive awards are not guarantees. Check our funding page and each program's financial aid pages for the current cycle.

How to choose

• Want to make films or write scripts as your main work? Look at MFAs (and practical MAs in

writing or producing).

• Want to research, teach film history and theory, or go on to a PhD? Look at academic MAs.
• Need flexibility or online study? Some practical MAs are online; confirm whether any campus

visits are required.

Compare MAs and MFAs side by side in our master's degree listings. Lengths, credits, requirements and funding vary by school and change, so confirm them on each program's official pages.