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Bulletin Archive

This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Graduate Programs in Documentary Film and Video

In this section:

Master of Fine Arts in Documentary Film and Video

Up one level:

Film and Media Studies

The Master of Fine Arts program in documentary production provides a historical, theoretical, and critical framework within which students master the conceptual and practical skills for producing nonfiction film and video. The M.F.A. is a terminal degree program with a two-year, full-time curriculum representing a synthesis of film praxis and film and media history, theory, and criticism. Courses provide an intellectual and theoretical framework within which students' creative work is developed. Students proceed through the program as a cohort. The program does not allow leaves of absence.

The M.F.A. degree is designed to prepare graduate students for professional careers in film, video, and digital media. Graduates are qualified to teach at the university level. The philosophy of the program is predicated on a paradigm of independent media that values artistic expression, social awareness, and an articulated perspective. Students become conversant with the documentary tradition as well as with alternative media and new directions in documentary. Training in documentary production is combined with the development of research skills in film criticism and analysis. The film studies, art history, and elective courses provide an intellectual and theoretical framework within which creative work is realized. The parallel emphasis on production and studies prepares students for an academic position that may require teaching both film studies and production.

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