Graduate Program in Media Studies

Master of Arts in Media Studies

Media Studies at Pratt is an intensive program shaped in relation to Pratt’s art/design/architecture environment and to the burgeoning mediascape and lively social space and theoretical scene of Brooklyn and New York City. Classes are small, following seminar and workshop formats, and all classes are taught by professors.

Media emergence is rapidly transforming experience, society and knowledge. The program is designed to foster the investigation of many of the significant social, political, cultural, economic and aesthetic questions of our time by drawing both on the historical record of media forms as well as on cutting-edge theory regarding nation, political economy, gender and sexuality, race, aesthetic form, screen studies and the like.

The curriculum emphasizes studies of media, in their various forms, including film, video, television, radio, writing and computer-mediated forms of convergence. Guided by our diverse faculty, students study the logics and logistics of media and mediation, and they explore cultural technologies of expression, representation and manipulation, along with the aesthetic, economic and political contexts in which such media operate. They also work on textual analysis, interpretation and semiotics. Students gain expertise in media history, media theory and media practice.

Mediologies Conference

Each year in late April, the Media Studies Program hosts a conference, Mediologies, which includes presentations of work and works-in-progress by students, faculty, and guest presenters. Seminar courses being offered in the spring enable students to develop papers and projects specifically for presentation at Mediologies.

Application for Admission

Applications for admission to the Master of Arts are due January 5 for the following Fall; the program accepts fall entrants only. Applicants should have a B.A., B.S. or B.F.A. from an accredited institution. Candidates submit (1) a statement of purpose in which they describe their interest in the program; (2) 10-20 pages of relevant writing sample(s), with emphasis on analytical writing about media; (3) transcripts of undergraduate coursework; and (4) three letters of recommendation. All applicants follow the standard admission process for graduate programs at Pratt: see http://www.pratt.edu/apply

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