NYU Tisch Graduate Film Programs and How to Apply for 2025 Entry
NYU offers several highly selective degree programs for aspiring filmmakers, producers, and writers. Take a look at the requirements below, procedures for international applicants, and how to request an application fee waiver.
The most popular three-year graduate program at NYU Tisch offers two optional matriculation semesters and hands-on courses. Graduate students write and direct in a highly collaborative laboratory environment that redefines the limits of their creativity and nurtures innovative thinking.
Graduate students make four short films in addition to the thesis film. The thesis film can be created at the end of the program or during the matriculation period in year 4. Matriculated students attend tuition-free, but must pay departmental lab, matriculation, and registration fees. Many students stay in the Writer/Director track, but students can also specialize in Cinematography, Producing, and Editing.
Year 1 has a few core objectives:
The OSC project takes place over inter-term break. Filmmakers shift into using digital film, color, sound, and 1-2 person film crews. This documentary exercise explores their subject's character by shooting their mannerisms, features, and interactions with their environment. By filming a non-interrupted series of real-life events, graduate filmmakers learn how to direct emotionally compelling narrative fiction and non-fiction.
The Spring Narrative project is a 7-minute long digital film that incorporates other key filmmaking elements: written dialogue, music, and cinematic lighting, in addition to shooting in color. Each class in the spring semester revolves around preparing for the Spring Narrative film. The scope is limited to three scenes and three-person film crews to help graduate filmmakers learn masterful storytelling.
Projects and coursework conclude with the First Year Marathon. Family members, instructors, and classmates attend your film screening at a NYU Tisch venue.
Year 2 has a few core objectives:
Graduate students learn to write longer materials, from feature-length scripts to longer shorts. The year 2 film project challenges graduate filmmakers to double their total run time; each week, they attend Master Classes to edit and refine their work. Group workshops led by Directing instructors help students improve their craft and prepare the final cut by the middle of the semester.
Beginning in week 9, graduate students enter a production period that spans the rest of the semester. Each student receives one week of production time and chooses their film crews; 4-5 film crews go out each week and shoot on 16mm celluloid film or digital cameras. The project can take place nationwide or worldwide. Additionally, all graduate filmmakers receive a small cash stipend.
Year 2 concludes with a widely-celebrated off-campus film showcase.
In years 3-4, graduate students have greater flexibility with a self-designed, thesis-driven curriculum.
The thesis film must demonstrate mastery of filmmaking basics and passion for their subject. Many students elect to complete the thesis in an additional year of study; visiting faculty provide high-level guidance and insight into enhancing the project.
Writing and Directing students can choose from the following formats to fulfill the thesis:
Graduate students in all specializations collaborate with award-winning visiting faculty, along with NYU Tisch students in the Design, Acting, and Dramatic Writing programs to keep growing their collaborative and artistic skills. Electives help students hone skills taught in year 2.
@notthatguypal was a first-time applicant to NYU Tisch Kanbar FTV Graduate Film received these interview questions:
NYU's two-year Graduate Dramatic Writing MFA trains students to write their most exemplary work in theater, film, and episodic series and master the art of dramatic storytelling. Participants take classes in writing, text analysis, and the production process, in addition to pre-professional training courses.
Aspiring writers can take advantage of departmental awards, such as the Goldberg Playwriting Award and Goldberg Prize (open to MFA and BFA students). Graduate students are also encouraged to attend the monthly Tisch Alumni Script Script Critique and Networking Group.
Dramatic Writing MFA students take introductory writing courses. By the end of year 1, students will have two original, full-length works that reflect two of these core mediums. Additional courses cover text analysis, production, and pre-professional training.
Year 2 includes seminars, master classes, and colloquia with prolific guest speakers in film and entertainment that support thesis preparation (one full-length dramatic work). Graduate students can also complete a second full-length dramatic work in a different medium.
High-level electives prepare graduate writing students to experiment with writing comedy, children’s TV shows and films, graphic novels, and more. There is also an optional internship for credit.
@tylergenet got into the Dramatic Writing program by planning ahead. They said:
“I worked on my TV pilot the summer before and worked on it through early October while making the finishing touches on my personal statements. I also workshopped my pilot to get feedback about what beats landed well and what I could've done without. My personal advice is backtrack from that final [deadline], apply at least 2 weeks beforehand, and give yourself [milestones] to complete the necessary supplements and writing sample.”
The three-year MBA in General Management from the Stern School of Business and MFA in Film & Television Production from the Tisch School of the Arts dual degree prepares graduate students to compete for high-level film industry careers. Many graduate film students go on to work for major television and film studios and independent production companies in New York and Los Angeles.
In year 1, Kanbar students use Stern's Ignite program to complete required and optional workshops, panel discussions, mini-courses, Q&A sessions, mock interviews, resume critiques, and functionally-specific strategy groups.
In year 2, Stern students take advantage of on-campus recruiting sessions. MBA/MFA students are not required to complete a summer internship; the program requires two consecutive semesters of summer coursework.
In the final year, students split courses equally between both schools and prepare to graduate with career counseling services and online tools.
@Sw121 had "two years [of] entertainment business experience [but] virtually no set experience." Take a look at their academic profile:
To receive an application fee waiver, send a request via email to the Director of Graduate Admissions, Joe Miserendino (jm7@nyu.edu).
Briefly summarize the nature of your request and provide supporting evidence. For additional questions about the admissions process and application waivers, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at admissions.gradfilm@nyu.edu.
If you previously attended NYU Tisch as a graduate student, you can apply for readmission.
Most students reapply after their approved leave of absence has lapsed, or if they failed to maintain matriculation. Fill out the application here.
Start the General Graduate Admissions Application and begin the creative portfolio via SlideRoom.
NYU Tisch Kanbar Institute of Film & Television MFA
The most popular three-year graduate program at NYU Tisch offers two optional matriculation semesters and hands-on courses. Graduate students write and direct in a highly collaborative laboratory environment that redefines the limits of their creativity and nurtures innovative thinking.
Graduate students make four short films in addition to the thesis film. The thesis film can be created at the end of the program or during the matriculation period in year 4. Matriculated students attend tuition-free, but must pay departmental lab, matriculation, and registration fees. Many students stay in the Writer/Director track, but students can also specialize in Cinematography, Producing, and Editing.
Year 1
Year 1 has a few core objectives:
- Shoot 3 short films over two semesters
- Complete the MOS Project, a black and white silent film shot on 16mm celluloid
- Complete the Observational Character Study (OCS), a 5-minute digital film
- Complete the Spring Narrative, a sync-sound, 7-minute digital film
The OSC project takes place over inter-term break. Filmmakers shift into using digital film, color, sound, and 1-2 person film crews. This documentary exercise explores their subject's character by shooting their mannerisms, features, and interactions with their environment. By filming a non-interrupted series of real-life events, graduate filmmakers learn how to direct emotionally compelling narrative fiction and non-fiction.
The Spring Narrative project is a 7-minute long digital film that incorporates other key filmmaking elements: written dialogue, music, and cinematic lighting, in addition to shooting in color. Each class in the spring semester revolves around preparing for the Spring Narrative film. The scope is limited to three scenes and three-person film crews to help graduate filmmakers learn masterful storytelling.
Projects and coursework conclude with the First Year Marathon. Family members, instructors, and classmates attend your film screening at a NYU Tisch venue.
Year 2
Year 2 has a few core objectives:
- Take primary electives
- Stay in writing/directing or specialize
- Prepare to design year 3 thesis film
- Complete the Second Year Film, a 10-minute, sync-sound film (digital or celluloid)
Graduate students learn to write longer materials, from feature-length scripts to longer shorts. The year 2 film project challenges graduate filmmakers to double their total run time; each week, they attend Master Classes to edit and refine their work. Group workshops led by Directing instructors help students improve their craft and prepare the final cut by the middle of the semester.
Beginning in week 9, graduate students enter a production period that spans the rest of the semester. Each student receives one week of production time and chooses their film crews; 4-5 film crews go out each week and shoot on 16mm celluloid film or digital cameras. The project can take place nationwide or worldwide. Additionally, all graduate filmmakers receive a small cash stipend.
Year 2 concludes with a widely-celebrated off-campus film showcase.
Year 3/Year 4
In years 3-4, graduate students have greater flexibility with a self-designed, thesis-driven curriculum.
The thesis film must demonstrate mastery of filmmaking basics and passion for their subject. Many students elect to complete the thesis in an additional year of study; visiting faculty provide high-level guidance and insight into enhancing the project.
Writing and Directing students can choose from the following formats to fulfill the thesis:
- Short film
- Short or feature-length documentary
- Web series
- Feature script
- Television pilot
- Micro-budget feature film (less common)
Graduate students in all specializations collaborate with award-winning visiting faculty, along with NYU Tisch students in the Design, Acting, and Dramatic Writing programs to keep growing their collaborative and artistic skills. Electives help students hone skills taught in year 2.
FIlmSchool.org admitted student perspective
@notthatguypal was a first-time applicant to NYU Tisch Kanbar FTV Graduate Film received these interview questions:
- What would you have done differently about your visual sample?
- What would you do with your life if film (and all jobs/hobbies related to it) suddenly ceased to exist? ("I said - assuming I had lots of money - I would travel the world.")
- Tell us a personal story and explain every beat, all your emotions, and how it resolved?
How to apply
- Fill out the General Application: Learn more about the General Graduate Application requirements by reading "NYU Tisch General Admissions Requirements for Graduates in 2024-2025."
- Set up a free SlideRoom account: Upload all portfolio materials to SlideRoom by the deadline. Applicants can return an unlimited number of times (but remember to save your progress).
- Submit the Creative Portfolio: Upload these materials to SlideRoom
- Visual Submission: Provide the best samples of your creative work. Co-created materials that feature you as the principal creator are permitted. Choose from either the video or photography category:
- Video – Must be either narrative fiction or documentary and have a total run time of no longer than 15 minutes; upload videos longer than 10 minutes to YouTube or Vimeo with an accessible link. Foreign films must be subtitled in English.
- Photography – Submit 10 photographs (stills) in black and white or color, with or without commentary. All subjects are welcome, but photos must be a minimum of 72 dpi.
- 3 Written Submissions: Respond to ALL of the following prompts:
- Dramatic Story – 1 short narrative writing exercise, up to two pages in length. Format double-spaced, 12-point font, prose style, and save a PDF. Build dramatic tension by ending with one of these lines:
- Dialogue Scene – Write an interesting conversation between two people that reveals something about the characters. Give a one-sentence description of each character, but include only essential details. Format as a screenplay, 12-point font, and save as a PDF. No cover page is necessary.
- Concept – In only one page, write about the concept for a feature-length script, narrative film, or documentary that you would like to develop. Format double-spaced, 12-point font, and save it as a PDF.
- 3. Photograph: Add your self-portrait to SlideRoom.
Rita and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing MFA
NYU's two-year Graduate Dramatic Writing MFA trains students to write their most exemplary work in theater, film, and episodic series and master the art of dramatic storytelling. Participants take classes in writing, text analysis, and the production process, in addition to pre-professional training courses.
Aspiring writers can take advantage of departmental awards, such as the Goldberg Playwriting Award and Goldberg Prize (open to MFA and BFA students). Graduate students are also encouraged to attend the monthly Tisch Alumni Script Script Critique and Networking Group.
Year 1
Dramatic Writing MFA students take introductory writing courses. By the end of year 1, students will have two original, full-length works that reflect two of these core mediums. Additional courses cover text analysis, production, and pre-professional training.
Year 2
Year 2 includes seminars, master classes, and colloquia with prolific guest speakers in film and entertainment that support thesis preparation (one full-length dramatic work). Graduate students can also complete a second full-length dramatic work in a different medium.
High-level electives prepare graduate writing students to experiment with writing comedy, children’s TV shows and films, graphic novels, and more. There is also an optional internship for credit.
FilmSchool.org admitted student perspective
@tylergenet got into the Dramatic Writing program by planning ahead. They said:
“I worked on my TV pilot the summer before and worked on it through early October while making the finishing touches on my personal statements. I also workshopped my pilot to get feedback about what beats landed well and what I could've done without. My personal advice is backtrack from that final [deadline], apply at least 2 weeks beforehand, and give yourself [milestones] to complete the necessary supplements and writing sample.”
How to apply
- Fill out the General Application: Learn more about the General Graduate Application requirements by reading "NYU Tisch General Admissions Requirements for Graduates in 2024-2025."
- Set up a free SlideRoom account: Upload all portfolio materials to SlideRoom by the deadline. Applicants can return an unlimited number of times (but remember to save your progress).
- Creative Portfolio:Identify the medium of your portfolio (not equated to your concentration). Next, provide a single, complete work that reflects your best dramatic writing and tells a complete story. You must also be the sole creator. If your sample falls outside of the following major categories, address how it relates to dramatic writing in a short addendum:
- Full-length screenplay (up to 120 pages)
- Screenplay (90-120 pages)
- Original episodic pilot (25-60 pages
NYU Tisch Kanbar FTV/Stern School of Business MBA/MFA Dual Degree
The three-year MBA in General Management from the Stern School of Business and MFA in Film & Television Production from the Tisch School of the Arts dual degree prepares graduate students to compete for high-level film industry careers. Many graduate film students go on to work for major television and film studios and independent production companies in New York and Los Angeles.
Year 1
In year 1, Kanbar students use Stern's Ignite program to complete required and optional workshops, panel discussions, mini-courses, Q&A sessions, mock interviews, resume critiques, and functionally-specific strategy groups.
Year 2
In year 2, Stern students take advantage of on-campus recruiting sessions. MBA/MFA students are not required to complete a summer internship; the program requires two consecutive semesters of summer coursework.
Year 3
In the final year, students split courses equally between both schools and prepare to graduate with career counseling services and online tools.
FilmSchool.org admitted student perspective
@Sw121 had "two years [of] entertainment business experience [but] virtually no set experience." Take a look at their academic profile:
- GPA: 3.58
- GMAT: 700
How to apply
- Submit the Dual Degree program application: Applicants must complete one application for eachschool. Stern MBA students must apply to the dual degree program no later than their first semester. The application has SIX components:
- Short Answer: Professional Aspirations – Reply to “What are your short-term career goals?” in 150 words or fewer. Format double-spaced, 12-point font.
- Change: ____ it: Redesign Stern’s call to action in 350 words or fewer by filling in the blank with a word that speaks to you and your creative/professional goals. For example: “Change: dream it” or “Change: empower it.” Format double-spaced, 12-point font.
- Essay 2: Personal Expression (a.k.a. "Pick Six"): Paint a self-portrait in six images; open with a 3-sentence or fewer introduction about your selection. Include a one-sentence caption describing the significance of each image.
- EQ Endorsement: NYU Stern seeks applicants who present exceptional emotional intelligence. 2 EQ endorsements are required for admission; one must come from a current supervisor, and the other can be personal or professional.
- Essay 3: Optional – Provide additional details about your academic and/or professional background in 250 words or fewer. Format double-spaced, 12-point font.
How to request a graduate application fee waiver
To receive an application fee waiver, send a request via email to the Director of Graduate Admissions, Joe Miserendino (jm7@nyu.edu).
Briefly summarize the nature of your request and provide supporting evidence. For additional questions about the admissions process and application waivers, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at admissions.gradfilm@nyu.edu.
NYU Tisch graduate readmission application
If you previously attended NYU Tisch as a graduate student, you can apply for readmission.
Most students reapply after their approved leave of absence has lapsed, or if they failed to maintain matriculation. Fill out the application here.
Ready to apply?
Start the General Graduate Admissions Application and begin the creative portfolio via SlideRoom.
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