Digital Cinema - Master of Fine Arts

Application Requirements

To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the University graduate admission requirements listed in the catalog under general information for graduate degrees as well as the following MDC program criteria. Students must submit an application packet, pass a personal interview, and attend the program orientation before they may begin classes. The application will determine applicant proficiency and skill sets in digital technology, editing and photography as well as writing and communication in English at the graduate level.

Students interested in enrolling in this program should contact the MDC program lead faculty advisor for further information regarding the application process and to determine at what point in the sequence they might enter the program. Entrance points may vary depending on applicant experience, skills and proficiencies.

Program Prerequisites

Students in the Digital Cinema MFA are required to conduct independent research and be able to write at the graduate level. It is recommended that students have had undergraduate courses or experience in some of the following areas: communication, film, literature, media studies, graphic design, multimedia arts, history, philosophy, psychology or sociology. The MDC application and personal interview will determine whether or not an applicant meets the program prerequisites. A successful applicant should have entry-level knowledge of video editing software and be able to create new projects, capture digital video and audio assets, assemble and insert, edit, and export sequences to a variety of QuickTime formats for DVD, Internet and streaming formats.

Students are also required to have the basic technical knowledge and skills needed to operate a digital camera using manual settings and be familiar with photographic principles like exposure, iris, and shutter, as well as such digital concepts as white balance, image resolution, frame rate and screen ratio. Students who do not have such experience or skills should take a basic noncredit video editing and digital photography preparation course. Students may also be asked to submit a short digital video project for consideration. Contact the program lead faculty for details.

Students admitted to the program are expected to possess or have reliable access to a high-speed Internet connection including an email account outside of National University for course projects and assignments and a personal computer that meets the system requirements for professional digital video editing software currently available. (Always check the manufacturer\xc2\x92s web site for system requirements before purchasing software. Students may need to upgrade their computer or components to meet those specifications.) AVID Media Composer or Final Cut Pro editing software are used for the onsite editing and post-production course and students are expected to have a working knowledge of one of those software programs before taking MDC 652 & 689. All students must have access to a DVD rental service for films and television programs, and own an external FireWire 400 or 800 (IEEE 1394) hard drive for media storage. Students in the online/hybrid program must have access to a digital still camera, a digital video camera with manual controls, a tripod, a basic lighting kit, and nonlinear editing software prior to taking MDC 661, 651, and 652. The following software is required to complete program course work: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer) or comparable software capable of outputting PDF documents, a variety of standard browser plug-ins (i.e. JavaScript, Flash, QuickTime, etc.), an FTP client software (such as Fetch, CoreFTP, FileZilla, etc.), Adobe Photoshop Elements (or equivalent photo image processing program (MDC661 & 651), Apple QuickTime Pro and the above mentioned AVID Media or Composer, Final Cut Pro or a comparable digital video editing software package (MDC 662 & 652), project management software like GanttProject or equivalent by Gorilla or EP (MDC 650, 683, 683P), and a script writing program such as CELTX, MovieMagic or Final Draft (MDC 680 & 681). Students should plan to learn how to operate the software before taking related classes. For more information on any of the above requirements contact the program lead faculty advisor.