Introductory Courses
No Introductory course may be substituted for any other course at any level.
Introductory courses may be waived for any of the following conditions:
- The student has the appropriate course work to satisfy an Introductory Course.
- The student has appropriate and verified professional experience to satisfy an Introductory Course.
- If an exam is available, the student passes a
Graduate Assessment Examination (GAE) in the Introductory Course area.
Note: Students required to take
FILM 401must take the course during the Fall quarter of their first year and consult their advisor about their course sequence for their first year in the program.
First Year
Fall Quarter |
FILM 410 |
SCWR 400 |
FILM 430 |
DOC 414
|
Winter Quarter |
FILM 484 |
FILM 450 |
POST 400 |
Spring Quarter |
SCWR 408 |
POST 420
|
Second Year
Fall Quarter |
FILM 479 |
CP 420 |
FILM 485 |
Winter Quarter |
|
FILM 487 |
SCWR 401 |
FILM 431 |
Spring Quarter |
POST 484 |
FILM 501 |
FILM 425
|
Third Year
Fall Quarter |
POST 500 |
CP 540 |
Winter Quarter |
POST 520 (2 credit hours) |
POST 580 (2 credit hours) |
Spring Quarter |
FILM 499* and
SCWR 446* |
|
or |
FILM 499 and
1 Major Elective |
*See information about Optional Los Angeles quarter below.
Major Electives
Students must choose any graduate level
DC, ANI, TV, or VFX courses or
MCS 502.
Optional Los Angeles Quarter
Students
may apply to participate in the Los Angeles Quarter Program for the spring of their third year; they will spend twelve weeks in Hollywood doing industry internships, living with their fellow DePaul classmates, and having twice-weekly classes on an industry lot where they will have intimate question and answer sessions with industry professionals in all aspects of the film, TV, and videogame world. If selected to participate in the LA program, MFA in Film and Television Directing students would take
SCWR 446 andFILM 499 in Los Angeles.
MFA in Film and Television Directing students who are not selected to participate in the LA program, would take
FILM 499 in Chicago and
1 Major Elective.
MFA Thesis
The MFA Thesis should be a significant work that demonstrates a mastery of cinematic storytelling technique to convey the filmmaker's unique voice and vision. This project may be a short film or television/web series pilot. Feature films may be permitted with approval from the student's thesis committee.
Thesis Committee
Students will be asked to submit five preferences for full-time faculty members to serve on their thesis committees. Two committee members and one thesis chair will be assigned to each student by the Production-MFA Committee. During the thesis phase, the thesis committee supervises a student's project. Approval to proceed to the thesis classes is at the sole discretion of the thesis committee. If the thesis committee denies approval, students may appeal to the Production-MFA Committee. If appeals are denied, students are dismissed from the MFA program. Students in good academic standing may choose to complete an MS in Film and Television.
Thesis Classes
There are four crucial milestones a student must pass in order to proceed with thesis classes:
1) Script Approval
The thesis committee must approve a student's thesis screenplay before admission will be granted to DC 571 Advanced Pre-Production for Thesis. The thesis committees will notify the instructor of DC 571 of approved students.
2) Principal Photography
MFA students should complete principal photography prior to taking DC 572 Advanced Editing for Thesis. Only instructor approval (not thesis committee approval) is necessary to register for this class. If the instructor deems the student not ready to register for DC 572, the student must wait until the class is offered again, and must again seek instructor approval to register.
3) Picture Lock
MFA students must edit and picture lock their films prior to taking DC 573 Advanced Sound Workshop for Thesis and DC 574 Advanced Finishing Workshop for Thesis. Thesis committees will notify the instructors of DC 573 and DC 574 of approved students, and the instructors will grant approval to register. If the thesis committee deems the student not ready to register for DC 573 and DC 574, the student must wait until the classes are offered again, and must again seek committee approval to register.
4) Final Thesis Delivery, Screening and Defense
MFA students will deliver their finished projects their thesis committees for exhibition at a culminating screening of all thesis films. After the screening, students will schedule a formal defense of their thesis films. If the film passes and upon completion of the required 96/100 credits of coursework, the student will be awarded an MFA. If the film does not pass, the student may revise it and re-defend. If the film does not pass again, the student will be dismissed from the MFA program. Students in good academic standing may choose to complete an MS in Film and Television.
DC 701 Thesis Continuation
This zero-credit course is for students who do not continue with the thesis classes as scheduled. A student's MFA thesis committee chair may enroll a student in DC 701 a maximum of six times. Failure to enroll in a course for three straight quarters will lead to a student becoming inactive at the university, and will require the student to reapply to the program should they wish to finish their degree. Re-admission cannot be guaranteed, and the student will be subject to follow the curriculum in place when they return.
Time Limit to Finish Degree
Students must complete all required coursework and defend their finished thesis projects in no more than five years from their first enrollment in the program. If the student does not complete the above requirements in the required five years, the student will be dismissed from the MFA program. As per University policy, during their college career, students may be allowed one medical/personal approved administrative withdrawal and one college office administrative withdrawal, each for one or more courses in a single term. Such withdrawals do not count towards the time limit to finish the degree.