MA in Cinema and Media Studies
The MA degree may be earned in one of four ways:
- By completion of 8 half courses and a Major Research Paper (MRP) of 40-50 pages. The majority of students in the Cinema and Media Studies MA will be expected to elect this option.
- By completion of 8 half courses and a Research-Creation major research project supplemented by a support paper of approximately 20 pages
- By completion of 8 half courses and a Field Placement major research project supplemented by a support paper of approximately 20 pages.
- By completion of 7 half courses and a Thesis (80-100 pages). MA Students will be granted permission by the Program to pursue a thesis option on the basis of a rigorous and well-structured thesis proposal.
Students should consult with the Cinema and Media Studies Graduate Program Director (CMS GPD) in order to determine which model best suits their interests and abilities. Students wishing to complete the degree under option 3 or 4 must make certain that they have the supervision in place as well as the research tools to complete a rigorous Field Placement capstone or Thesis.
Please see the Graduate Program course offerings. Note that the list of courses offered varies each year.
- Film 6220 3.0 Methods and Research in Film Studies
- Film 6230 3.0 Contemporary Cinema & Media Studies Theory
- Film 5400 3.0 Graduate Seminar
Graduate Seminar (FILM 5400): All first-year students in the Cinema and Media Studies, Production, and Screenwriting graduate programs are required to attend the Grad Seminar. The Seminar presents opportunities for interdisciplinary discussion, gathering students for workshops on professional development (e.g., grant writing, applying to conferences and festivals), and screenings and presentations by faculty and visiting artists, filmmakers, and scholars. All second-year students will present a detailed and developed synopsis of their Thesis/MRP project at a Graduate Symposium to be held during the fall term of their second year of study.
MA students may take up to a total of two half courses from outside the Graduate Program in Film. Students should consult the York University website for cognate departments such as Communication and Culture, Humanities, Social and Political Thought, English, Art History and Visual Culture, Dance Studies, Digital Media, Theatre and Performance Studies, Anthropology, and Environmental Studies, among others. Permission of the instructor and Graduate Program Director is required.
The MA requires full-time residency of FIVE terms or part-time residency of TEN terms.
MFA in Film
Our graduate production area features a team of award-winning faculty members whose expertise, and ongoing research/practice spans Fiction, Alternative and Documentary filmmaking and new media. We are dedicated to helping our students achieve their highest creative potential.
The principal goal of our program is to immerse students in a program of study that best meets their overall academic, creative and professional goals. The required courses are intended to enhance the range and depth of a student’s skills and knowledge. The program is committed to providing the opportunity for students to enhance their experience by choosing from a selection of elective courses.
All those earning an MFA Degree must complete 7 half courses and a thesis, consisting of creative work on film, video, digital, and a written component.
Please see the list of Graduate Program in Film course offerings, which varies each year.
Production students must complete at least one Cinema and Media Studies 3.0 credit course.
Required Courses:
- FILM 5010 — Production or
- FILM 5080 — Directing Short Narratives
- FILM 5400 — Graduate Seminar
Our highly motivated Screenwriting faculty (whose awards range from the Governor General’s Award to multiple Gemini nominations for both writing and directing and a Canadian Screenwriting Award) guide students through an intensive immersion in the craft and art of writing dramatic screenplays.
All those earning an MFA Degree must complete 7 half courses and a thesis screenwriting project.
Screenwriting students must complete at least one Cinema and Media Studies 3.0 credit course. This course may include Film 6230 Contemporary Film Theory or Film 6210 Theoretical Issues.
Required Courses
- Film 5110 — Graduate Screenwriting
- Film 5130A — Selected Topics in Screenwriting
- Film 5400 — Graduate Seminar
MBA/MA | MBA/MFA Joint Program
MBA/MFA/MA Program—Option 1
Year 1: MFA/MA Core Requirements
Students take the core course requirements in their Fine Arts area. In addition, students will take GS/ARTM 6301 3.00 during the Winter Term of their first year of study for degree credit in Fine Arts. They may also take ARTM 6300 3.00.
Year 1 Required Course:
ARTM 6301 3.00 ISSUES IN ARTS & CULTURAL MANAGEMENT
Year 1 Recommended Elective:
ARTM 6300 3.00 CULTURAL POLICY
Year 2: MBA 1 Requirements
MBA 1 Core Courses (27.00 credits of the Required Foundations of Management 5000 level Core Courses)
3.00 credits of Schulich electives
Students may also take a course in their Fine Arts field for degree requirement in the MFA or MA
Year 2 Summer (optional)
Students generally undertake an internship after completing their second year in the program, (and having fulfilled their 5000 level core MBA requirements).
Year 3: MFA/MA and MBA Requirements
Students will complete the requirements in both programs during this final year of study.
- MBA 2 Core Courses (6.00 credits)
- 6.00 to 9.00 credits of Schulich electives
- The balance of required courses in the student’s fine arts specialization in either the MFA or MA streams in the Arts, Media, Performance & Design in the Faculty of Graduate Studies
- Students will also complete their Master’s Research Paper (MRP) or thesis and the balance of their course requirements in each program over the two terms
MBA/MFA/MA Program Option 2: Schulich Start
Year 1: MBA 1 Requirements
- MBA 1 Core Courses (27.00 credits of Required Foundations of Management 5000-level core courses)
- SB/ARTM 6301 3.00: Issues in Arts and Cultural Management
- Students may also take a course in their Fine Arts field for degree requirement in the MFA or MA
Year 1 Required Course:
ARTM 6301 3.00 ISSUES IN ARTS & CULTURAL MANAGEMENT
Year 1 Summer: optional
Students may choose to undertake an internship after completing their first year in the program.
Year 2: MFA/MA Core Requirements
- Students will take the core course requirements in their Fine Arts area.
- In some cases, students may take Strategic Management (SB/SGMT 6000 3.00) and may complete their Strategy Field Study (MGMT 6090 0.00 and MGMT 6100 3.00) in this year of study.
Year 2 Summer (optional)
Students may choose to undertake an internship in this term, if not already completed.
Year 3: MFA/MA and MBA Requirements
Students will complete the requirements in both programs during this final year of study.
- Students should take MBA 2 Core Courses (6.00 credits) in the Fall term, if not already completed
- 6.00 to 9.00 credits of Schulich electives
- The balance of required courses in the student’s fine arts specialization in either the MFA or MA streams in the Arts, Media, Performance & Design in the Faculty of Graduate Studies
- Students will also complete their Master’s Research Paper (MRP) or thesis and the balance of their course requirements in each program over the two terms.
For more information please visit the Joint degree page on the Schulich website.
PhD in Cinema & Media Studies
Total course requirement: 18 graduate credits (six 3.0-credit courses).
Required courses:
- FILM 7000 — Key Concepts in Cinema and Media Studies (3.0)
- FILM 7020 — Advanced Methods and Research in Cinema & Media Studies (3.0)
- Students may count a maximum of two 3.0-credit courses as an elective outside the Program towards their degree requirements. Extra courses may be counted upon appeal to the Graduate Program.
- Students may count a maximum of two 3.0-credit independent study courses towards their degree requirements (FILM 5600, FILM 5700, FILM 5800). The Graduate Program must approve these courses.
For a list of other courses offered in the Graduate Program in Film, please visit the Courses page.
The objectives of the comps are to equip students with the specialized knowledge they need to undertake research for their doctoral dissertation and to prepare and qualify students to teach at the university level.
Each doctoral student is responsible for forming a Comprehensive Exam Committee (comps committee) composed of three faculty members, normally in PhD1, and no later than the end of term 4 (Fall PhD2).
Students are expected to complete the comprehensive exam (comps), normally by the end of PhD2, and no later than the end of term 7 (Fall PhD3). The required Essay comp shall normally be submitted by the end of term 5 (Winter PhD2); students in each cohort are urged to form writing groups to meet this deadline.
Students must complete three comps, including at least one 3000-word Essay (plus endnotes); the remaining two comps will be chosen from the following options:
- Recommended: A Dissertation Proposal (see guidelines in PhD Handbook)
- A Syllabus for an advanced undergraduate course
- A second or even a third 3000-word Essay (plus endnotes)
- A Prototype (this option is available only to students undertaking research-creation dissertations)
There are multiple combinations of these options open to students, the configuration of which must be discussed with the comps supervisory committee. The students will work closely with the comps committee to build reading lists for each of the three areas they have selected. The written/prototype sections are defended in an oral examination, adjudicated on a pass/fail basis. Should the student fail the comps, the student will have two terms to resubmit the comp materials and retake the oral examination in the area that might be of specific relevance to the student’s future dissertation work.
Detailed information on the Comprehensive Examination can be found in the PhD Handbook.
Students shall submit a dissertation proposal, including Ethics Approval (if applicable), for approval by their dissertation committee, the Program, and FGS normally no later than two months after completion of the comprehensive examination.
Dissertations will be evaluated by standard FGS humanities oral defence procedures. When the Supervisory Committee is satisfied that a dissertation is ready for oral examination, it will send a signed oral defence examination notification form to FGS. The Supervisor, working in conjunction with the GPD, will form an examination committee according to the standards of the FGS. A complete copy of the dissertation shall be sent to all members of the oral examination committee at least four weeks before a scheduled oral defence date. All York FGS procedures for dissertation examination shall apply.
Students in the CMS PhD program have the option of developing a research-creation dissertation. Research creation dissertations must contain a written component in addition to other components. All components of the dissertation must be readily accessible by the oral exam committee for the dissertation defence. For more information, please see the FGS Guidelines on Dissertations. Students producing a multimedia thesis/dissertation should consult with the Theses Canada Portal on the Library and Archives Canada website for advice on formats supportable for preservation.
A multimodal thesis/dissertation in Cinema and Media Studies is a work in which a key component is a media work, installation or film. A Research/Creation dissertation in Cinema and Media Studies must clearly demonstrate how the media work is implicated in and contributes to the exploration of a set of conceptual and theoretical concerns raised by the written component of the dissertation. The balance between the written and media component of a Research-Creation dissertation will be determined by individual committees with the understanding that the written component will remain a significant aspect of the work. Students working toward a dissertation in research-creation must provide a detailed outline of the logistics and equipment needs as part of their thesis proposal. Access will be determined in negotiation with the Studio Manager and is dependent on Studio priorities.
Learn More
The Graduate Program in Film at York is an exciting environment to pursue innovative, socially engaging, career-ready education. Contact our Graduate Program Assistant to learn more.