Curriculum
The Master of Arts degree in Media Studies is awarded for successful completion of 39 credits. The extensive curriculum and limited number of required courses offer you many ways to design your own path through the program and enable you to sample a wide
variety of subjects and approaches. Many students focus their studies in one or more subject areas, but you are not required to do so to earn the MA. The program is designed to be completed in two years and must be completed within five years.
All students must take two core courses: Media Theory and Media Design. They must also take at least two production courses (practice and project) and one course in research methods. Electives can include selected courses offered by other graduate programs
of The New School. Students in the MA program may also earn the graduate certificate in Media Management throughout their course of study through consultation with an academic advisor.
Students can choose between the thesis and the non-thesis options to complete their degree.
Thesis Option
Non-Thesis Option
Thesis
Writing or producing a thesis is an opportunity to crystallize, display, and extend ideas and skills that you have acquired in the program. The thesis project should be a synthesis of your accumulated knowledge throughout the program. A thesis often serves
as a foundation for ongoing creative work or the basis for an article or articles to be submitted for publication. It is evidence of serious scholarship and/or professional production skills when applying for PhD programs or professional employment.
The School of Media Studies holds a thesis information session each spring and fall semester. If you have decided to pursue the thesis track and have already completed 18 credits, it is recommended you attend and plan on submitting your thesis proposal
this semester. If you have questions about submitting a thesis proposal and/or registering for thesis course numbers, contact mediathesisadvising@newschool.edu.
Electives
With special permission, you may take courses outside the School of Media Studies to fulfill your elective requirements. Please contact mediastudiesadvising@newschool.edu for information on how to
get approval to take elective courses in other colleges.
Graduate Minors
You can also use your elective courses to complete one of the university’s graduate minors, which provide a structured, accessible way to complement your primary course of study with with fresh
ways of thinking. Your graduate minor is officially recorded on your transcript.
Course Waivers
Students who have significant experience in Media Design may apply to have this requirement waived by emailing mediastudiesadvising@newschool.edu. Approval of a requirement waiver fulfills the degree
requirement but does not count towards the total number of credits required for the completion of a degree. It allows a student, in consultation with their advisor, to select another course for the same number of credits to be taken in lieu of the
waived course.
Online Learning
Our online program of study allows you to complete some or all of all the requirements for the MA in Media Studies from anywhere in the world. Online-only students are integrated into the Media Studies community through a Web version of our New Student
Orientation and online access to program advisors.
All the required courses for the MA — Media Theory, Media Design and Research Methods — are offered online. Seminar courses in history, theory, criticism, and management are also offered online; these courses either are online only or mirror on-site courses.
Practice and project courses on the still and moving image, audio, multimedia, and Web-friendly video applications are offered online.
Online-only students can earn credit through internships and assistantships (maximum of 6 credits; 3 in production, 3 in research).