Master of Advanced Study in Film and Media Studies Guidebook

Welcome to the ASU Master of Advanced Study in Film and Media Studies program! This guidebook is designed to help students through the program as efficiently as possible. It includes a discussion of the requirements for the degree and a guide for the procedural aspects of obtaining the degree as well as the MAS program checklist. It should be used in conjunction with the Department of English Graduate Handbook. Since it is the student’s responsibility to comply with all university and departmental requirements and to become informed of their nature and application, it is in the student’s best interest to be thoroughly familiar with this guidebook and to consult with their graduate advisor on a regular basis.

1.  Plan of study. 

It is in the student's best interest to file an official interactive plan of study (iPOS) with the Graduate College at the earliest possible date, but at the very latest when they reach 50% (5 courses; 15 credit hours) of their program. The iPOS lists the courses to be completed, and the committee consists of the current Film and Media Studies director as the chair (Dr. Aaron Baker).

Graduate College requires that the student be registered for at least one graduate credit in fall and spring semester, or at any time that the student utilizes university facilities or a professor's time. This includes registering for at least one graduate credit during the semester that the student applies for graduation, works on incomplete work or takes an exam. See the Graduate College Policy Manual for more information on Continuing Registration.

2.  Program Requirements. 

Core Courses (9 credit hours)

  • FMS 504 Film Analysis*
  • FMS 510 Digital Media Studies
  • FMS 520 Cultural History of US Television: Theory and Method

*Please note, this course cannot be substituted with MLS 504.

Electives (21 credit hours)

  • FMS 502 Film Historiography
  • FMS 503 Media Industries
  • FMS 508 Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Media
  • FMS 523 Authorship in Film and Media
  • FMS 567 WWII in Film (crosslisted as an ENG/WWS subject prefix)
  • FMS 598 Sci-Fi Cinema
  • FMS 598 Media Stardom and Celebrity
  • FMS 598 Media, Technology, and Society
  • ENG 598 Studies in Environmental Humanities
  • GER 598 Holocaust, War, and German Memory (crosslisted as a WWS/SLC subject prefix)

*Outside the department electives may be approved on a case-by-case basis. Please contact your advisor for approval before taking the course.

Please see the Typical Course Rotation for planning purposes.

Culminating Experience (0 credit hours)

  • Written Exam* - Taken in the final semester of the program. Students must be registered for at least one graduate level credit the semester they are taking the exam.

*The recommendation is to take the exam in the last semester of the program when registered for other courses. Please note the exam is only offered in fall and spring. Summer graduates will take the exam in spring.

3.  Written Exam. 

The written exam is a pass/fail exam and students will write two essays. The first question asks students to draw on their knowledge from the program to answer a question focused on the central learning outcomes of the program. The second question, which contains two prompts that students will choose one to write their essay on, is based on the three core courses of the program.

Students will be expected to write two 5-page essays for each of their answers. These essays need to be submitted via Word attachments and need to be written in 12 pt. font, double spaced, using MLA format for citations.

Fall Exam Dates:

  • October 18: Students will email their advisor by October 18 to indicate they will be taking the written exam fall semester.
  • October 25: Students will receive an email from the FMS Program Director with their questions. They will have 7 days to complete their essay answers (due by November 1, 11:59 p.m. Arizona time).
  • November 1: Students will email a Word attachment of the exam back to the FMS Program Director by 11:59 p.m. Arizona time. FMS faculty will return comments to the student along with the determination of Pass or Fail.

Spring Exam Dates:

  • March 18: Students will email their advisor by March 18 to indicate they will be taking the written exam spring semester.
  • March 25: Students will receive an email from the FMS Program Director with their questions. They will have 7 days to complete their essay answers (due by April 1, 11:59 p.m. Arizona time).
  • April 1: Students will email a Word attachment of the exam back to the FMS Program Director by 11:59 p.m. Arizona time. FMS faculty will return comments to the student along with the determination of Pass or Fail.

MAS students who do not pass the exam can retake it the following semester.

Summer Graduates:

  • The exam is only offered in fall and spring. Students graduating in summer will take the exam in spring.

Once exams results are received, your iPOS will be updated by your advisor.

4.  Pre-Admission Credits. 

With the approval of the program director, students may include a maximum of 12 graduate level credit hours with grades of B or better, provided they are courses appropriate to the program and are not more than three years old. MAS required courses that have been taken during a student’s undergraduate studies may be transferred only if those courses were taken within the last 12 units of the undergraduate degree and were not used towards that degree. Credit for pre-admission credit is given when the student files the plan of study, and final approval of transfer courses comes from the Graduate College. If you have pre-admission credits you want evaluated, please contact your graduate advisor.

5.  Graduation deadlines. 

All students are required to apply for graduation on their MyASU homepage. The deadline for application for graduation is roughly two months before the end of the semester. Check the Academic Calendar for dates.

6.  Commonly used websites and email addresses

7.  MAS in Film and Media Studies program checklist. 

Students can use the following checklist to keep track of the important components of the MAS in Film and Media Studies program:

  • Fill out the interactive plan of study on your MyASU homepage by the time 15 credits are completed.
    • List all courses for your degree. Only list courses relevant to your degree to equal 30 credit hours.
    • Email your graduate advisor Kira Assad to expedite the process after submitting your iPOS letting them know it has been submitted.
    • Wait for approval. If there are any issues, the iPOS will be sent back to you and you will be notified by email of what needs to be changed.
  • Coursework (Completion of 30 credit hours):
    • Required Courses (9 credits)
      • FMS 504 Film Analysis
      • FMS 510 Digital Media Studies
      • FMS 520 Cultural History of US Television: Theory and Method
    • Electives (21 credits)
      • Written Exam (0 credits)
  • Graduation: Apply for graduation online on your MYASU homepage.