Application Deadline
Spring and Fall
Spring Enrollment - November 1
Fall Enrollment - July 1
We will continue to accept applications after the deadline as long as there is space available in the program.
Film and Digital Technology (MFAFDT)
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Film and Digital Technology (MFAFDT) Overview
At Chatham, our Film and Digital Technology MFA allows filmmakers and media creators to collaborate and customize their learning according to their personal interests and areas of specialization. Combining technical skills, screenwriting, and a solid foundation in theory, the program helps students develop a unique approach to storytelling regardless of genre. Students are also challenged to think about how the convergence of technologies encourages innovative techniques in the development and distribution of stories with original themes.
Credits Required
36
The program is mainly project-based, with students working in small groups on a range of media productions.
Cost Per Credit
$1,016
Cost consists of program tuition (cost per credit times number of credits) as well as any applicable University and degree-specific fees.
Film Festivals
Share Your Work
Chatham students retain full ownership of any work created during their time in the program. This allows students to submit their work to film festivals. Watch this video to learn more.
Explore the Master of Fine Arts in Film and Digital Technology Degree:
Our project-based approach, instructed by recognized filmmakers, gives students the chance to hone their craft in ways that best use their talents and interests. Production-based courses comprise more than half of the curriculum in order to broaden students’ skillsets and bolster their portfolios.
My work at Chatham has had a direct impact on what I currently do and in many ways led me to my current work in TV program development and commercial projects. All in all, Chatham’s MFAFDT program pushed me into worlds that separate me from my contemporaries.
—JESSE COLAIZZI, MFAFDT ’12
Our Faculty
Full Faculty
The Pittsburgh Film Community
The film community in Pittsburgh is booming, and our own film community at Chatham is thriving as well. In addition to collaborative MFA students and supportive faculty, the program hosts panel discussions and Q&A's to discuss the work of filmmaking. These events extend students' learning opportunities and knowledge of filmmaking while better connecting them to the larger Pittsburgh film, literary, and arts scenes to create connections and continue the development of their craft.
Just Films
Co-sponsored by the Chatham University Women’s Institute and screened on campus, Just Films is an annual series that shows documentaries focused on gender equity and social justice, usually being shown in Pittsburgh for the first time.
Learn More
Social Justice
One of the powerful uses of film and digital media is the ability to create awareness and serve as a catalyst for change. Our curriculum includes research components that position students' work within broader social, historical, cultural, and theoretical contexts. This provides students with a platform to engage with stories of sustainability, women's issues, global perspectives, or other pressing concerns that deserve a voice.
Artistic Approach
"As technology constantly changes, teaching video production requires that we provide students with a filmmaking vocabulary and foster in them a desire to continually and independently learn. While we give them the confidence to use the tools proficiently, we must also reveal the possibilities of communicating with digital media; it is the content of the work that speaks to an audience, whether shot on a mobile device or the most advanced camera on the market." – Kristen Lauth Schaeffer, associate professor, MFAFDT
