Welcome

Considering applying?  Please be aware of the following info: 

• Cal State LA's MFA program only accepts students for admission every other year.  

• The applications for Fall 2024 will open up in October 2023 and will close in February 2024. 

• We are NOT accepting applications for Fall 2023. 

• We do NOT have Spring admissions.

• The application process is done entirely through CSU Apply.

• For information about the application requirements & process, see our APPLY page

• For questions: email [email protected] 

Drawing on the strengths of faculty in the Department of Television, Film, Media Studies as well as the Department of Theatre and Dance, the MFA in Television, Film, and Theatre seeks to define and promote a new generation of artists who are capable of working across the boundaries of television, film, theatre and new media to combine innovative art practices with leading-edge technical knowledge.  We are seeking multitalented creators who want to produce original content and enthusiastically challenge themselves by adapting their ideas to multidisciplinary platforms of delivery such as theatre, film, television and emerging technologies.

Applicants should demonstrate their potential to succeed in a rigorous, hybrid, creative, and critical environment as well as an interest in exploring new directions in their creative practice.

In the Fall 2020, we unveiled some major revisions to the program.  Our Production Option is now an option in Content Creation.  The core courses of our MFA program have been reimagined, allowing students to participate in, develop and create projects, individually and in teams that not only prepare them for a career in the entertainment industry and in theatre, but also challenge them to produce original content that can be released, shared and experienced, without the confines of the “studio system.”  A core mission of this program is for students to feel empowered by their work and understand that it is time to move beyond the gatekeepers and create opportunities for themselves that allows them to retain total authorship over their vision.  Like Ava Duvernay says:

This MFA program offers students a broad overview of the collaborations required to create, write and perform across the mediums of TV, Film, Theatre and New Media.  Students work from the beginning of the production process, in both live and recorded mediums, focusing on project development.  Courses in each option focus on developing and enhancing skills in the students’ specific chosen area. Courses mirror professional structures and working relationships in the professional realm and prepare the students for that reality. Projects and productions both as part of the required coursework and as part of the various additional opportunities (theatre productions through the Department of Theatre and Dance, media productions through the Department of Television, Film, and Media Studies, and more) provide students with ample opportunity to apply the skills which are developed and gained in the classroom. 

Every student in the program will participate in the Teacher Training Seminar.  Those who complete this course, and do the additional training in their specific area, will have the opportunity to apply for Teaching Associate positions in both Theatre and TVFM.

While teaching opportunities are available, the focus on this MFA program is on working in the professional realm. Final Culminating projects are intended to be completed works that students can submit for professional work as part of their portfolios.  

The MFA in TVFT is eager to support students from diverse backgrounds who have a passionate voice and vision. We seek to support voices that may be underrepresented in the current industry by providing the tools needed to face the challenges of the industry and change the landscape to be more diverse and inclusive.

• Study at a diverse multicultural, multilingual, 21st century campus at the heart of the entertainment industry
• Study with Award-winning teaching and active research, performance, and media arts faculty
• Proximity and access to the major theatre, television, film and new media industries in Los Angeles 

• Entertainment industry internship opportunities and placements through the California State University Statewide Media Internship Program