Animation and Digital Arts (MFA)

Requirements for the MFA in Animation and Digital Arts

Total required units: 32

*A minimum total of 18 elective units must be taken.

Cinematic Arts Electives

To complete the 50 units required for the MFA in Animation and Digital Arts, students are required to take a minimum of 18 School of Cinematic Arts elective units. Four of those units must be taken from the following Cinema and Media Studies courses:

Additional Requirements

Thesis Project

In order to begin work on the thesis project, students must first successfully propose their project to a committee of MFA animation and digital arts program faculty. Their proposal is prepared during the spring semester of their second year as part of their pre-thesis class CTAN 591 .

In order to pass the pre-thesis class, the thesis proposal must be presented and approved by the thesis committee at the end of the fourth semester. Students cannot change their approved thesis project after the completion of CTAN 591 . Throughout the pre-thesis and thesis years of study, students will meet regularly with an MFA animation and digital arts faculty adviser(s) and thesis committee to develop and refine the proposal and discuss the progress of their work. The adviser(s) will be a member of the thesis committee.

The proposal itself will include a written treatment of the project with a discussion of similar work in the field and its relationship to the proposed project. It will describe aesthetic issues to be explored and specific techniques to be employed in its realization. It will also include a storyboard or visualization, budget and schedule, in addition to supporting materials created by the student demonstrating his/her ability to pursue the project. The thesis committee will make comments and decide whether the student may go forward with his/her project. Upon acceptance, the student will begin work on the project, otherwise revising the proposal and meeting again with the committee.

A mid-residency review of the thesis project will take place in the first semester of the final year of study. The student must show that deadlines set in the proposal have been met and that progress consistent with the proposal has been made. The committee may, if necessary, suggest modifications to the project, which the student is then obligated to implement.

In the final year, students concentrate on their thesis projects, completing production and post-production. The student’s thesis will be presented to the committee upon completion.

Completion is defined as a fully rendered, animated piece with a completed sound track (guide mix acceptable). In the case of live action and visual effects projects, at least 70 percent of the final film must be animated. In the case of installation work, the piece must be mounted in a suitable space with all sound and animated components completed and functional. In the case of an interactive work the piece must be fully functional with completed animation, sound and interactivity.

In addition to completion of the thesis project, the student must provide the thesis committee with written and visual documentation of the research. This will be documented as a Website or interactive DVD. The documentation comprises the following and should include a publishable research paper: synopsis; artist’s statement and research paper; learning objectives — focus of research; type of project — animation, installation, interactive, etc.; research presentation in the format/medium in which the project is to be seen; script and storyboard or conceptual drawings if applicable; style approach, including source references for image shot structure, etc.; sound design and references; collaborators — if any; audience — who it is intended for and who will benefit from the research; budget; marketing and distribution plan.

Criteria for successful completion include: 40 percent originality, 40 percent quality of execution and 20 percent quality of research documentation.

Grade Point Average Requirements

A grade point average of at least 3.0 (A = 4.0) must be maintained in all USC course work toward the master’s degree. Courses in which a grade of C- (1.7) or lower is earned will not apply toward a graduate degree. Courses below a C must be repeated.

Time Limit

Students must maintain satisfactory progress toward their master’s degrees at all times. The time limit to complete all requirements is three years from the first course at USC applied toward the Master of Fine Arts degree. Course work more than seven years old is invalidated and will not be applied toward the degree.