Program Description

The Master of Fine Arts in animation (MFA) is a terminal degree for those who intend to engage in professional studio or design practice in the animation industry, as well as those who wish to teach animation related courses at the college level.  Students learn to present their work, incorporate feedback, and situate their practice within aesthetic, historical and cultural contexts. After completing their interdisciplinary coursework, students develop a thesis project that includes a public presentation component.  

In addition to working with world-renowned faculty, students in the MFA program have the opportunity to develop their teaching through teaching assistantships, to attend and present at conferences through competitive scholarships, to engage with the core intellectual life of the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology through the Dean’s Colloquium and other speaker series, and to collaborate in multiple research collectives.  

Benefits

The MFA program ensures that students gain a broad understanding of their chosen field or discipline, can apply their knowledge in new, creative ways, and can communicate and work effectively in collaborative environments.  

Other benefits include:  

• World-Class Faculty: The program is led by faculty of the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology, who are widely cited experts in their respective fields.  
• Comprehensive Curriculum: Courses in the MFA program will introduce students to new ideas, methodologies, and competencies, while preparing them to succeed in both public and private sectors.  
• Labs: Escape Pod Studio, Narrative Systems Research Lab, VAST Lab, experimenta.l Lab, MoGraph Lab 
• Location: Situated in the greater Dallas region — recently rated by Forbes magazine as the #1 “Best City for Jobs”—UT Dallas provides students with easy access to employers and internship opportunities, not to mention a large and supportive alumni population.  
• Facilities: The Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building, a 155,000-square-foot facility, houses programs in arts and technology, visual arts, and emerging media and communication, and a 1,200-seat lecture hall.  

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the MFA program have gone on to pursue a wide variety of careers in studio arts, creative industries, cultural institutions, and education, such as:

• 3-D computer animation  
• Modeling and simulation  
• Data visualization  
• Virtual environments  
• Interactive narrative  
• Museum administration  
• Non-profit arts foundations 

Marketable Skills

• Multimedia content creation and storytelling 
• Extended technical expertise in animation industry standard software and hardware  
• Theory-driven research and creative projects that reflect multi-modal research planning and implementation 
• Participation in substantial collaborative projects  
• Understanding and engaging diverse audiences 
• Understanding pedagogical practices, assessment principles, and instruction methods 

Application Deadlines and Requirements

Please take note of all application deadlines and visit the Apply Now webpage to begin the application process. See the  Animation MFA program website  for additional information. 

Applicants to the MFA program should have: 

• A previous academic degree (BA, BS, MA, MFA) in an appropriate field of study (e.g., art, computer science, design, film/video production, media studies, etc.). 
• A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0-point scale, especially in upper-division undergraduate or graduate work. 
• Letters of Recommendation: Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation from individuals who can judge the candidate’s potential for success in the master’s degree program. 
• Personal Statement: Applicants should submit a 500–700-word essay explaining their work or research. The essay should discuss past and present artistic practices as well as future directions or goals for the work, and it should describe how the ATEC MFA program is particularly suited to their professional goals. 
• Additional Materials: Applicants to the MFA program should submit a collection of original artworks demonstrating their artistic range and skills as evidence of previous course work and/or expertise in the creative arts and digital media and technology. These samples should be submitted in the form of a link to an online repository or portfolio of digital documents, which may include texts, still images, animations, films, or audio files. These should use the format best suited to convey the artistic qualities of the documents without requiring specialized software. 
• International applicants have multiple ways to fulfill the English proficiency requirements. Please view  Graduate Admissions  for all choices. Students who take the TOEFL must receive a score of at least 80 on the internet-based test. Scores must be less than two years old. See the  Graduate Catalog  for additional information regarding English proficiency requirements for international applicants 

For priority consideration for admission and funding, completed applications to the MFA program must be received on or before January 1. If space remains, the program will continue to accept applications in accordance with university deadlines. Students are accepted for the fall semester only.