After exploring options and choosing a specific program, follow the steps on our University’s graduate application process:
Steps to Apply General application process for all UCLA Graduate ProgramsM.F.A.: November 1, 2021
Animation only: February 1, 2022
M.A., Ph.D.: December 1, 2021
Optional for M.F.A. applicants; required for M.A. and Ph.D. applicants.
In addition to the University's minimum requirements and those listed above, all applicants are required to submit the departmental application and statement of purpose. No screening examination prior to admission is required.
Students are admitted in the Fall Quarter only. Admission is competitive, and only a limited number of students are accepted each year.
M.A.: Applicants must submit a sample of scholarly or critical writing; a statement of purpose. Other information, such as a resume or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, may be required to establish the quality of work in the student's specialization.
M.F.A.: No screening examination prior to admission is required. Applicants with diverse backgrounds and undergraduate majors in areas other than film and television are encouraged.
Applicants must state clearly on the online departmental application the degree objective (M.F.A.) and the area of specialization desired within the program: animation, film/television production, screenwriting, or producers program. An interview may be required.
Applicants who wish to concentrate in film/television production must submit a description of a film or television project that may possibly be undertaken in graduate study. The description should be in proposal or treatment form, two to three pages in length, using a 12-point font. Applicants may not submit DVDs. This material is nonreturnable.
Applicants who wish to concentrate in writing must submit samples of creative writing such as screenplays, short stories, plays, or poems.
Applicants who wish to concentrate in animation must submit a description of an animation project that may possibly be undertaken in graduate study, preferably in storyboard form. Other creative work may be submitted.
Applicants who wish to concentrate in the producers program must submit a complete resume and a portfolio consisting of two treatments (one to three pages each) for feature, television, or new media projects that the applicant expects to produce. Each treatment should include a logline and convey the genre, tone, size and scope of the project. Applicants may also include written publicity materials related to a produced film, television or theater project
Ph.D.: Applicants are expected to have completed an M.A. or M.F.A. degree equivalent to that offered by the UCLA Department of Film, Television, and Digital Media. In exceptional cases, students with an M.A. outside the field are considered for direct admission to the program.
Applicants must submit a dossier that includes: a letter describing the reasons the applicant wishes to earn the Ph.D and the master's thesis or writing samples that demonstrate a high level of ability to write criticism or historical narrative
