As an undergraduate student in Asbury University’s School of Communication Arts, you can take advantage of a special +Grad program. This program allows students to finish their undergraduate degree and then earn a master’s degree with a significant time and cost savings. Asbury offers three graduate communication programs: a Master of Arts in Digital Storytelling (30 hours), a Master of Fine Arts in Film & Television Production (42 hours), and a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting (42 hours). The M.A. program can be completed within one year after completion of undergraduate studies, and the M.F.A. degrees can be completed within two years (due to the larger credit hour requirement).
Earning a graduate degree has become an increasingly important way to set yourself apart in the job market and prove you have advanced training in media production and a greater understanding of how to plan and carry out successful media campaigns. Asbury University’s graduate programs have been specially designed to give you the skills needed to be a successful media professional in today’s ever-changing world. These programs can be completed entirely online (with the exception of the seminar in Los Angeles for the M.F.A. degrees) if you have already taken the prerequisite courses, so you can live anywhere in the world and even work a full-time job while completing your graduate degree.
The M.A. in Communication is designed for professional communicators and recent graduates seeking a creative emphasis while expanding their strategic and global communication insights and abilities to excel in public relations, advertising, and corporate or nonprofit communication careers in a diverse professional landscape.
The M.A. in Digital Storytelling program is intended for those interested in social media management, marketing, video production, church ministry, journalism, and any other field that involves creating compelling narratives and sharing them across digital platforms.
The M.F.A. in Film/Television Production is intended for current and future professionals in the film and television industry.
The M.F.A. in Screenwriting is intended for current and future screenwriters in the film and television industry. The M.F.A. programs are also ideal for future high school teachers and college professors, since they confer a terminal degree.
Asbury has substantially lowered the cost of graduate tuition in order to help students earn valuable graduate degrees, but graduate courses taken during your senior year will add no cost to your undergraduate tuition. This means you can complete 30% of the M.A. program or 20% of the M.F.A. programs without paying extra tuition!
In order to enter the +Grad program for the M.A. in Digital Storytelling or the M.F.A. in Film/Television Production, you will need to have completed three classes: MC 121 Audio Production, MC 261 Multi-Camera Production, and MC 302 Single Camera Production (or their equivalents). In order to enter the program for the M.F.A. in Screenwriting, you will only need to have completed MC 302 Single Camera Production. You must also have a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
Upon being accepted to the +Grad program, you will be allowed to take up to 9 hours of graduate courses during your senior year. This means you’ll only have 21 hours left in the M.A. program or 33 hours left in the M.F.A. programs after undergraduate degree completion. In order to take graduate courses during your senior year, you must maintain at least 12 hours of undergraduate courses per semester, and graduate courses taken as part of the +Grad program cannot be counted towards your undergraduate degree.
Ready to get started? Contact us online or talk with your Asbury faculty advisor!