CURRICULUM
| Total Credit Hours Required: |
| 60
Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree |
Visual Language and Interactive Media MFA track requires a minimum of 60 credit hours including a thesis project. The program requires 32 required credit hours, 18 program elective credit hours, and 10 credit hours of thesis.
During the first academic year, the student pursues required courses as dictated by the student’s plan of study. Throughout the second year, the student finishes remaining required course work and enrolls in electives approved by his or her thesis chairperson/adviser. During the third year, the student’s focus is on completing his or her thesis work.
Required Courses—32 Credit Hours
- DIG 5647 Science and Technology of Dynamic Media (3 credit hours)
- DIG 6825 Digital Media Research Methods (3 credit hours)
- DIG 6546 Previsualization and Concept Development (3 credit hours)
- DIG 6432 Transmedia Story Creation (3 credit hours)
- DIG 6551 Applied Interactive Story (3 credit hours)
- DIG 6136 Design for Media (3 credit hours)
- DIG 5137 Information Architecture (3 credit hours)
- DIG 5487 Principles of Visual Language (3 credit hours)
- DIG 6550 Digital Media Pre-Production (3 credit hours)
- DIG 6918 Directed Research (3 credit hours)
- DIG 5XXX Digital Media Perspectives Seminar (1 credit hour)
- DIG 6XXX Digital Media Thesis Preparation (1 credit hour)
Elective Courses—18 Credit Hours
Many graduate-level courses in the College of Arts and Humanities can be used as electives, based on an adviser-approved plan of study. In addition, other graduate courses may be used in place of those listed above, with permission of the adviser. These courses must be selected so as to ensure that at least one-half of the courses in the student’s plan of study are taken at the 6000 level. Normally, at least half of the selected electives should be taken with the Department of Digital Media.
A listing of courses offered offered by the Department of Digital Media can be found in the drop-down Catalog Menu at the top of the page under "Courses".
Thesis—10 Credit Hours
- DIG 6971 Thesis (10 credit hours)
Each candidate for the Master of Fine Arts must submit a thesis proposal and preliminary bibliography on a topic selected in consultation with the adviser. The formal thesis is initiated by the preparation of a proposal that will meet both departmental and university requirements for the thesis. Prior to enrollment into thesis, the adviser, in consultation with the student, will designate a Thesis Committee to be further approved by the Dean of Arts and Humanities or their designee. This committee is chaired by the adviser and includes two or more additional faculty members from the School of Film and Digital Media.
The members of the student’s thesis committee will judge the proposal as the preliminary step to beginning the thesis. This committee must approve the Thesis Proposal before academic credit can accrue.
A Visual Language and Interactive Media MFA thesis project involves creating innovative applications of digital media to serve artistic, entertainment, commercial, and/or educational needs. The thesis consists of three parts: (1) the creative project (that utilizes digital media); (2) the production journal (documenting the process of developing the project and evaluating its effectiveness); and (3) dissemination (the work is submitted in a juried exhibition, a refereed publication, or other venue that demonstrates development in connection with a professional partner).
The production journal portion of the thesis a formal written document. The introduction cites similar, related, and antecedent work; the body explains the purposes of the project, the method of its production, and any evaluation that was performed; and it concludes with plans for future work. The thesis will also include an archival copy of the resulting creative product. Both the thesis and the creative product must be delivered in a digital form, acceptable by the UCF library according to its standards for digital dissertations and theses.
Thesis Defense
In addition to the creative project, the written thesis, and dissemination of work, the final step in completing the thesis requirement is an oral defense before the thesis committee. Candidates present their creative or research work and explain its creation in an oral defense. These presentations are made to the student’s committee, in a public meeting that other faculty and students may attend.
INDEPENDENT LEARNING
A thesis is required.