The two-year MFA program focuses on each student's personal development within the context of media arts and design. To culminate their degree, each student produces an individual thesis project that incorporates research and theoretical exploration of a topic that results in a refined body of work and MFA exhibition. DMA graduate students come from many fields including the visual arts, sciences, and engineering. Students spend the first year of the program taking courses that expose them to new ways of thinking and making, which they use to build on their existing expertise. The second year is devoted to thesis definition, exploration, and production through a series of studio and seminar courses. Students have the opportunity to work as teaching assistants and to collaborate with faculty members on research projects throughout their tenure as MFA candidates.
DMA Faculty Research Areas
DMA's faculty offers a breadth of expertise and knowledge in design and media arts. Particular areas of interest and research of faculty members include:
PUBLIC ART / INSTALLATIONS: Christian Moeller, Jennifer Steinkamp
GAMING: Eddo Stern, Rebecca Allen, Steve Mamber [TFT]
ART + SCIENCE: Victoria Vesna, Mark Hansen [GSEIS]
DIGITAL HUMANITIES: Erkki Huhtamo, Peter Lunenfeld, Johanna Drucker [GSEIS]
BRANDING: Rebeca Méndez, Peter Lunenfeld
MOBILITY: Rebecca Allen, Ramesh Srinivasan [GSEIS]
SOFTWARE: Casey Reas
SOCIAL DESIGN: Robert Israel, Willem Henri Lucas
MFA Course Overview
A minimum of 85 quarter units of upper division graduate and DMA courses is required for the MFA degree. No fewer than 29 quarter units in the DMA 200 series are to be completed. These include DMA 200, 201, 252A*, 252B, and 254, which must be taken in the first two quarters in residence. The graduate seminar, DMA 269, is to be taken twice (eight units). 40 units are to be taken from the DMA 400 series, with 16 units taken in the first year beginning in the second quarter in residence and 24 units to be taken in the second year. An additional 16 units of electives, of which a maximum of eight units of DMA 596 (Directed Individual Study) may be applied toward the requirements for the degree.
Students who think they can demonstrate adequate technical background in interactive media, may petition to waive the 252A course and replace it with another DMA elective.
Curriculum
A recommended class schedule is listed in the right column. In the first year, core studios include Introductory Studio (254) and two quarters of DMA Studio 1 (401). In the second year, DMA Studio 2 (402), offered quarterly, guides students through the MFA thesis process. Students required to take 16 units of electives and encouraged to select elective courses from other departments across UCLA. For a complete list and description, consult the UCLA General Catalog at UCLA General Catalog.
Faculty Advising
Upon an applicant's acceptance, the faculty will form an initial advisory committee for each student. This committee is composed of two DMA faculty members. It is the committee's responsibility to monitor the student's progress and provide guidance until the student is considered ready to select a Graduate Thesis Committee, which must be established no later than the fourth quarter of full-time residency.
The Graduate Thesis Committee, led by the student's primary advisor, is responsible for reviewing the student's progress toward a thesis project and documentation. This committee is comprised of three faculty members and one outside member.
The comprehensive MFA examination consists of an oral examination and a concentrated body of work that will be presented in a master of fine arts exhibition. An accompanying record of the exhibition, including documentation appropriate to the media, for example, images of physical work, research material, other visual material, a written statement, and other materials as determined by the student’s Graduate Thesis Committee, is also required.
For a complete outline of degree requirements, see "Program Requirements for UCLA Graduate Degrees," accessible on the Graduate Division web site at Program Requirements for UCLA Graduate Degrees.