Film crew recording a video on the college green
About The MFA Program
Apply

About the MFA Program

Elevate your skills with our groundbreaking MFA program, a unique collaboration between the Schools of Visual Communication, Emerging Communication Technologies, and Media Arts & Studies in the Scripps College of Communication. Designed for media professionals with substantial experience, our three-year program broadens your production skills and complements them with contextual knowledge, preparing you to better navigate our rapidly evolving media landscape. 

Benefit from our state-of-the-art facilities and a curriculum rooted in creativity, personalized learning, and hands-on experience. Our program equips students for industry leadership, creative dexterity, and/or an academic career. Refine your cutting-edge production skills, engage in comprehensive creative projects, and gain invaluable teaching experience in one of the country's top communication colleges. 

Set in picturesque Athens, Ohio, our nationally ranked Scripps College of Communication offers an innovation-centric learning environment like no other. 

Apply now and step into the future of communication media arts.
Application deadline: January 1. 

Explore Our Schools

The MFA is a cross-disciplinary program that includes faculty from several programs including the School of Visual Communication, Media Arts & Studies, and Emerging Communication Technologies in the Scripps College of Communication, and the Schools of Art + Design, Theater, and Film in the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts. 

Learn in our state-of-the-art facilities

Experience an immersive learning environment in our state-of-the-art facilities. Here, you'll gain access to cutting-edge technology, studios, and labs dedicated to different areas of media production. Our modern infrastructure promotes hands-on learning, fostering innovation, creativity, and collaboration - equipping you for a future at the forefront of the communication industry. 

About the Director

Eric R. Williams is a new media storyteller with ten books and podcast series under his belt. Writing and producing for Universal Studios and American Movie Classics early in his career, Eric now works in cinematic virtual reality and interactive media. Eric explains the common thread of the MFA program in this way:

 

“Faculty and graduate students in this program understand the importance of collaboration between storytellers, their audience, and the media we use.  Technologies are now being invented that are changing storytelling as we know it. This program invites mid-career professionals to explore these technologies alongside the faculty, not sitting at their feet. To be successful, we must be learning together. The future is there for the taking. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime.” 

Headshot of Eric Williams

Experience Global and Interdisciplinary Learning

Our MFA program takes pride in fostering a diverse community of learners. We have welcomed students from nearly every continent across the globe, underlining our commitment to intercultural and interdisciplinary learning.

Embrace this global perspective and enrich your learning experience.


Submit Your Application

Grow and Inspire

“The MFA program made space for experimenting with new ideas and technology. I came into the program insecure about my ideas and lost on what to do with them. My experience in and out of class made me a forever curious learner and solidified my identity as a storyteller.”

 

— Medrine Nyambura, MFA '22

Headshot of Medrine Nyambura

Transformative Experiences

"My MFA experience was absolutely transformative. Having a strong notion of what I wanted to learn and achieve from the beginning, I was able to connect with professors across disciplines who supported my ideas and have since become life-long mentors. The flexibility and customization afforded by the MFA program allowed me to make my experience precisely what I wanted and needed to learn and attain as a mid-career professional."

 

— Megan Westervelt, MFA '22

Headshot of Megan Westervelt

Athens, Ohio

Athens Ohio may be most well-known as the home of Ohio University, but this buzzing little city is much more than a college town. For anyone looking to enjoy nature, art, culture and history, Athens Ohio is the perfect destination with notable nature experiences like Hocking Hills and Strouds Run, and the Adena bikeway; a rich historical landscape including the Little City of Black Diamonds and the Athens Lunatic Asylum; as well as eclectic art and music opportunities for all sorts of tastes – including Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch, Passion Works Studios, the Dairy Barn , and the Kennedy Museum of Art. Discover the charm of Athens as an eclectic haven! 

Athens, Ohio

Emeriti Park at twilight

Ohio University

Nestled amidst rolling hills and verdant forests, Ohio University offers more than a graduate degree — it promises an experience that becomes part of your identity. In Athens, city, campus, and community converge for an unparalleled experiential learning opportunities. Our MFA forces you out of the classroom and into the community – sharpening your skills with practice and experience, enhancing your portfolio, not just your GPA.  The Scripps College of Communication and the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts are renown for their work with the community and across the university. As we like to say, “Communication doesn’t work if you don’t have anything authentic to communicate”.