Stanford MFA in Documentary Film Reviews & Admissions Statistics

The MFA degree is designed to prepare students for professional careers in film, video, and digital media. Graduates are qualified to teach at the university level. The philosophy of the program is predicated on a paradigm of independent media that values artistic expression, aesthetics, social awareness, and an articulated perspective. Students become conversant with the documentary tradition as well as with alternative media and new directions in documentary.

In addition to the core production courses, students take a range of film studies, documentary film history, art history, and art practice courses, helping them situate their documentary film practice within a context of critical engagement with the world. The MFA degree is designed to prepare students for professional careers in film, video, and digital media. Graduates are qualified to teach at the university level. In their first year, students learn the fundamentals of visual storytelling, working in a range of media, from black and white 16mm film to digital video. Each film is made within a collaborative partnership, and while students serve as directors of their own projects, the partnerships encourage collegial interaction and foster community, one of the strengths of the program. A testament to the success of this approach is the number of long-standing professional relationships among our graduate alumni. In their second year, the students produce a 15-20 minute thesis film over the course of the academic year. The films engage with pressing social issues while taking a bold, cinematic approach to documentary storytelling. Thesis films from the program have gone on to screen at major festivals (Sundance, SXSW, and Tribeca, among others), have been broadcast on PBS’ POV and Independent Lens, featured on the NYTimes’ Op-Docs, and have won major awards. Stanford films have garnered more Student Academy Awards in the Documentary Category than any other college or university.

Documentary Film graduate students receive a generous amount of fellowship support, covering the full cost of tuition and assistance toward costs of living. In addition, the program offers funds toward the costs of student productions made within the program. Additional information about graduate financial aid, including a student budget and tuition calculator are available at Graduate Basics : Stanford University.