Admissions

The M.A. in Communication with a concentration in Film and Video Production admits students for Fall entry only. Applicants should submit all required materials through the University of Memphis Graduate School application.

Please note: Because the Film and Video Production concentration emphasizes hands-on production experience, access to specialized equipment, and collaborative filmmaking, the program is offered exclusively in person.

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Admission Requirements

Applicants should have:

• A bachelor's degree in Communication or a related field from an accredited institution.
• A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale.

Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee acceptance but ensures your application will receive full consideration.

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Required Application Materials

Applicants must submit the following through the Graduate School application:

• Official or unofficial transcripts from all previous colleges and universities attended (official transcripts are required upon admission)
• Current résumé or curriculum vitae (CV)
• Academic writing sample (such as a final course paper)
• Statement of purpose (maximum 1,200 words) describing your academic interests, professional goals, and reasons for pursuing graduate study in Film and Video Production at the University of Memphis
• Two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with your academic abilities and potential for graduate study

Optional Materials

Applicants to the Film and Video Production concentration are encouraged to submit:

• A sample video and/or screenplay

Application Deadlines

Curriculum & Degree Requirements

The Film and Video Production concentration requires 30 credit hours of graduate coursework and provides students with advanced training in filmmaking, production, and cinematic studies. Students develop the creative, technical, and critical skills needed to produce original film and video projects while gaining a deeper understanding of visual storytelling and film scholarship.

Degree Requirements

Students in the Film and Video Production concentration will:

• Complete a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours
• Complete COMM 7891 – Graduate Film Production
• Complete at least 21 credit hours (70%) at the 7000 level or higher
• Complete and successfully defend a Culminating Film and Video Project (COMM 7994) under the supervision of a Film faculty member
• Complete COMM 7891 prior to enrolling in COMM 7994
• Apply up to 9 credit hours of approved coursework outside the Department of Communication & Film toward the degree, when appropriate

Academic Standards

To remain in good standing, graduate students must:

• Maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
• Make satisfactory academic progress toward degree completion
• Successfully complete the Culminating Film and Video Project within the required timeframe

The official Graduate Catalog contains complete program requirements, course descriptions, academic policies, and degree regulations.

Full Degree Requirements

Course Offerings

Graduate students in the Film and Video Production concentration complete coursework in advanced film production, cinematic studies, and related media disciplines. Course offerings vary by semester.

To explore all graduate Communication courses, visit the University of Memphis Graduate Catalog and select the COMM course prefix to view course descriptions.

For the most up-to-date list of courses being offered, view the current semester's course schedule:

Current Course Offerings**create and link PDF

Graduate Policies

Graduate students are responsible for understanding the University, Graduate School, and Department policies that apply to their program and academic progress.

Policies for M.A. Communication Studies Students

Policies relevant to M.A. Communication Studies students include advising, special project procedures, graduate creative and research grants, continuous enrollment, leaves of absence, and general academic standards.

The Department maintains a centralized Graduate Policies page containing policies for Communication Studies, Film and Video Production, Ph.D. students, graduate assistants, and other graduate students. Each policy is clearly labeled by the program or student group to which it applies.

View Graduate Policies**link new policies page

What is a Special Project?

The culminating Special Project is the capstone experience for students in the Film and Video Production concentration. Rather than completing a traditional research project, students produce an original fiction or documentary film that demonstrates the creative, technical, and scholarly skills developed throughout the master's program.

Special Projects typically consist of a film with an average runtime of approximately 10 minutes and no more than 15 minutes, although exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Getting Started

Students completing the Special Project must:

• Select a Film faculty member to serve as their project advisor.
• Form an advising committee consisting of the advisor and two additional faculty members.
• Submit a Special Project proposal for committee approval before registering beyond 18 credit hours.

Special Project proposals should be submitted through the Department's MA Special Project Proposal Form:

MA Special Project Proposal Form

Proposal Requirements

Special Project proposals should include:

• A description of the project's expected deliverables
• A treatment and synopsis
• A working draft of the screenplay (fiction) or an outline/dual-column script (documentary)
• A production budget
• A proposed cast and crew list
• Planned filming locations
• Requested production equipment
• A timeline outlining pre-production, production, and post-production through the final semester

Final Defense

Students submit a working cut of their film no later than three weeks before the planned defense date. After receiving feedback from the advising committee, students revise their project and submit a final defense cut no later than one week before the defense.

During the defense, students present and discuss their completed film with the committee, reflecting on both the creative process and how their graduate coursework informed the project. The committee evaluates whether the completed film fulfills the approved proposal and demonstrates master's-level achievement in film and video production.

Students who successfully defend the project will receive a Satisfactory (S) grade for COMM 7994. Students who do not successfully complete the defense may repeat COMM 7994.