Master of Fine Arts in Mass Communication and Media Arts

The M.F.A. program in Mass Communication and Media Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale immerses students in a three-year program of advanced practice and study. We believe that the arts are both fundamental and transformative. As active stewards of a dynamic terminal degree program, graduate students and faculty work to enliven and uphold a culture of shared values that support artistic practices that are situated in the intersection of experimental approaches, interdisciplinary, research-based inquiry, and critical study.
We are committed to fostering a vibrant, inclusive learning environment nurturing innovative interdisciplinary paths of exploration, and diversity in ways of knowing, all within an atmosphere that embraces experimentation and improvisation.

Through individual and collaborative work, dialogue with other artists, critical engagement with art history, and contemporary practices, artists enrolled in our program can expect to develop a practice focused on self-expression and creative risk-taking through engagement with varied forms and materials.

Artists who create in our program wrestle with difficult questions, initiate change, reveal hidden histories, and cultivate alternative ways of listening, seeing and bringing about joy.

With this in mind, we commit to creating a safe space for such challenging and deep work, one based on empathy and compassion through the co-creation of a radically welcoming learning community. We acknowledge our complicity in problems embedded in academic structures and elsewhere. We believe inclusivity is process-oriented. To that end, we commit to challenge acts of racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, xenophobia, or other social pathologies. Additionally, in light of the current climate crisis and other critical envi

All requirements for admission to the Graduate School at Southern Illinois University Carbondale must be met. Additional admission requirements include:

Application for Admission to Graduate Study forms.
Certified transcripts of all postsecondary studies.
Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can evaluate their potential for graduate studies.
Resume outlining educational and professional experience.
Personal statement describing their objectives for study in the program, career goals and interests.
Example of work, such as a portfolio of photographs or digitally generated art works, one or more films, videos, sound works, multimedia productions, web art projects, or other evidence of artistic potential. Applicants must clearly indicate their role(s) in any project submitted.
An interview with faculty in the program is highly recommended, particularly for applicants with minimal course work in the field.
Acceptance into the program and continuing enrollment are at the discretion of the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts and the Graduate School. Generally, applicants must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 (4.0 = A) for their last two years of undergraduate work. Students whose preparation is deemed lacking in certain areas may be required to take undergraduate courses to attain competency. These will not be counted toward the M.F.A. degree.
International students whose native or first language is not English, or those with fewer than 100 graded semester hours of college credit at a U.S. college or university, must take the TOEFL and score at least 550 (paper score) or 80 (internet score) or have an IELTS score of 6.5 to be admitted.