CUNY Brooklyn College · Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema

Cinema Arts, M.F.A.

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Cinema ArtsFunding not verifiedEditorial selection: Top Film Directing Schools Editorial selection: Top Cinematography Schools Editorial selection: Top Screenwriting Schools

Overview

A 66-credit MFA at the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema in which students direct projects from their first semester and complete a third-year thesis in directing, cinematography, screenwriting, editing, producing or VFX. It can be taken full- or part-time. MFA students pay an Academic Excellence Fee on top of CUNY tuition, and the school states they should expect production costs beyond the facilities and equipment it provides.

Official program name: Cinema Arts, M.F.A.
Awarded degree: Master of Fine Arts in Cinema ArtsMaster's · Master of Fine Arts
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
School: CUNY Brooklyn College — Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Delivery: On campus
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Required attendance: Regular campus attendanceStudents attend classes on campus throughout the program.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Study intensity: Full- or part-time
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Duration: Not verified
Required credits: 66 credits
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Start: Fall
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Fields of study

Field	Classification	Evidence
Film Production	Dedicated degreeThe degree itself is in this field.	Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Film Directing	Named concentrationPathway: Thesis as directorAn officially named concentration, specialization or track inside the degree.	Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Cinematography	Named concentrationPathway: Thesis as cinematographerAn officially named concentration, specialization or track inside the degree.	Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Screenwriting	Named concentrationPathway: Thesis as screenwriterAn officially named concentration, specialization or track inside the degree.	Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Producing	Named concentrationPathway: Thesis as producerAn officially named concentration, specialization or track inside the degree.	Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Editing	Named concentrationPathway: Thesis as editorAn officially named concentration, specialization or track inside the degree.	Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Why this degree is listed

MFA in cinema arts with thesis disciplines in directing, cinematography, screenwriting, editing and producing.

Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We list verified film degrees only — no certificates, workshops or generic degrees with a few film electives. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, pathways and faculty

Official concentrations and pathways

Live Action Filmmaking
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Thesis, film or capstone

Thesis filmThird-year thesis in one of several disciplines: director, cinematographer, screenwriter, editor, producer or VFX artist.

Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Published areas of study

Students take electives to reach 66 credits, including at least one screen studies course; elective examples include Writers Room Workshop, Assistant Editors Workshop and Process of Producing & the Business of Film.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other

The Digital Animation and Visual Effects pathway is not accepting new students.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

Faculty list: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

Production costs and equipment

Production and equipment costs are separate from tuition. Tuition does not include cameras, crew, actors, locations, software or thesis-film budgets unless the school says so.

Equipment and facility access

Equipment loans: Students shoot on Alexa LF, XT, RED Weapon and Panaflex Millennium XL camera platforms with LED, HMI and tungsten lighting.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Post-production: Post-production in Avid, Resolve and Premiere Pro.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Stages and studios: Studios and stages in the Feirstein facility.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Published production and equipment costs

Published production and course fees

Academic Excellence Fee (full-time MFA): $5,022 per semester MandatoryAssessed for Feirstein MFA programs to fund facility and programmatic expenses such as specialized equipment, staff and maintenance; part-time rates are $3,767 (9-11 credits) or $2,511 (fewer than 9 credits).
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Academic Excellence Fee, summer/winter courses: $1,175 per course MandatorySummer and winter intersession MFA courses are assessed an Academic Excellence Fee per course.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Thesis and project spending

Production costs beyond school-provided resources: MFA students should expect production and related costs beyond the facilities and equipment the school provides; no amount is published.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Slideroom portfolio submission fee: MandatorySlideroom charges applicants a small fee to submit the creative portfolio.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We never estimate a total cost when key expenses are unpublished. Compare production costs

Admissions

Each submission item is shown exactly as the school states it. Anything not listed is not verified — never “not required”.

Portfolio and submission materials

Material	Status	Instructions as published
Film or reel	Optional	One of three options: a short film the applicant directed or was a principal credited creative contributor on, not exceeding 15 minutes.Length: up to 15 minutesSource: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Writing sample	Optional	One of three options: an original feature film treatment of 10 pages or less plus one page explaining the project.Length: up to 10 pagesSource: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Screenplay sample	Optional	One of three options: an individually written, correctly formatted short script of no more than 12 pages.Length: up to 12 pagesSource: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Creative portfolio	Required	A creative portfolio submitted via Slideroom (which charges a small fee) is required; it must include one of the three options above, plus up to five optional additional items.Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other requirements

Minimum GPA: RequiredBachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.00 satisfies the undergraduate requirements.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Statement of purpose: RequiredThree- to four-page statement of purpose (double-spaced, 12-point).
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required2 letters — Two letters of recommendation.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Résumé / CV: RequiredRésumé or CV required for Cinema Arts.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredTranscripts from all colleges attended; course-by-course evaluation for degrees earned outside the U.S.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

TOEFL iBT: Required — minimum 79F-1 or J-1 international students.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
IELTS Academic: Required — minimum 6.5F-1 or J-1 international students; alternative to TOEFL.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Duolingo English Test: Required — minimum 105F-1 or J-1 international students; alternative; range printed as 105-160.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate competitiveness. Build an application checklist

Deadlines

Dates are shown with the year and intake the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadline
Rolling admission · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Rolling
International applicants · international
July 15 (I-20 submission for F-1 students outside the U.S.) · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its applicant category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-year and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other. Production costs are listed separately above.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
In-state — New York State residents, full-time (12 credits), tuition only	$5,545	per semesterSource: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Out-of-state — Nonresidents and international students, full-time (12 credits), tuition only ($855 per credit)	$10,260	per semesterSource: brooklyn.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Funding

We have not verified an official funding policy for this program. That does not mean funding is unavailable. “Fully funded” never means every personal or production expense is covered. How we classify funding

Funding not verified

Funding policy: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 12, 2026.

brooklyn.edu/academics/programs/cinema-arts-mfa/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
brooklyn.edu/bursar/tuition-and-fees/feirstein/ — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 12, 2026
brooklyn.edu/feirstein/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
brooklyn.edu/feirstein/admissions/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
brooklyn.edu/feirstein/facilities/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026

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