MFAAddendumAddendum to the Graduate Handbook for Students in the Studio Art MFA Program at the School of Visual Art and Design

Revised November 2019. The University of South Carolina is an equal opportunity institution.

Media Arts Addendum

School of Visual Art and DesignAddendum to the Graduate Handbook

2020-2021

Welcome to the Graduate Program in Media Arts at the University of South Carolina’s School of Visual Art and Design.

We are pleased that you have decided to join us to pursue advanced studies in the media arts, and we hope that you find your time here productive and rewarding. We intend this handbook a guide; therefore, do not take it as a series of hoops to jump through, but rather an outline of the curriculum through which you will navigate in consultation with faculty. The Media Arts faculty, along with the school Director and Graduate Director will be able to help clarify anything about which you may have questions—please ask if you have questions.

We are glad that you are here!

About this DocumentThe purpose of this addendum is to outline processes that are specific to the Media Arts program, and to reiterate pertinent information from the graduate handbook.

The Master of Arts Degree in Media ArtsThe Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Media Arts provides advanced education in artistic practice. The program prepares students to pursue media arts in a variety of contexts including independent, commercial, and academic. Students pursuing the degree will refine their creative arts practice in one or more of the following areas: moving image, writing, new media, and media theory. Recognizing the interdisciplinary nature of the media arts, the program encourages students to foster interests in and affiliations with other disciplines across the university. Students applying to the program should have academic and/or work experience in a field related to media arts and a portfolio that exhibits a capacity for theoretical, historical, and/or cultural inquiry.

Master of Arts Degree in Media Arts TypesThe Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Media Arts can be undertaken in two main ways. The first is the

Welcome

tradtional Master’s degree path. This is generally spread out over two years and is designed for most candidates. The second way is via the Accelerated Master’s degree path, which requires advanced work at the undergraduate level preceding a single M.A. year. As this mainly alters timelines and scheduling, be very aware of which pathway you are following.

The Program and the SchoolMedia Arts is one of four programs in the School of Visual Art and Design, which is itself a school in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina.

You will spend most of your time interfacing with the Graduate Faculty, professors who have been certified by the Graduate School to teach and research the most advanced aspects of study available at the University.

In addition, there are several professors who administer different aspects of your program whom you will encounter. The Coordinator of Media Arts (“Coordinator”) organizes operations pertaining to the Media Arts program. The Graduate Director of the School of Visual Art and Design (“Graduate Director”) is responsible for all aspects of the School’s overall graduate studies. The Director of the School (“Director”) manages the entire School of Visual Art and Design.

The Graduate School and the UniversityThis document gives an overview of the procedures and requirements for the Media Arts Master of Arts degree. Information given here is in addition to that which is given in the School of Visual Art and Design Graduate Handbook and posted in the Graduate Bulletin (http://bulletin.sc.edu/). If discrep-ancies should be found between this handbook and the Graduate Bulletin, the Bulletin will always be the authority. The requirements in this document apply to all graduate students who matriculate in or after Fall 2019. It also applies to students who were admitted before Fall 2019 if re-instated or incurred a change of status after this date.

There is substantial information for graduate students at the University’s web site for the Graduate School (http://www.gradschool.sc.edu/). It will have the most current information regarding import-ant dates, residency requirements, financial aid, health insurance and immunization requirements, parking, email access, tuition, and fees.

Academic Standards and PoliciesAcademic standards and policies information is based on that which is posted at the Graduate School (http://www.gradschool.sc.edu/).

Student ResponsibilityIt is the responsibility of all students to be aware of UofSC academic standards and their current academic record. Students should check their Record of Academic Work accessible via the student information website (http://my.sc.edu) at the conclusion of each semester. The academic record will list any probationary status that requires attention by the student.

Foreign Language RequirementsThe M.A. in Media Arts does not have a foreign language requirement.

Time to DegreeMaster’s students have six years from initial term of enrollment in which to complete their degree. Graduate courses are valid for six years, after which they expire. Once a course has expired it may be revalidated. Revalidation requires approval of the Coordinator and Graduate Director, as well as the Dean of the Graduate School. Students whose coursework is revali-dated are subject to changes in degree requirements that may have occurred since previous enrollment. The terms of the applicability of such changes will be determined by the Media Arts graduate faculty in consultation with the Coordinator and Graduate Director.

GPACumulative GPA is defined as the grade point average of all graduate-credit courses recorded on the official USC academic transcript. Revalidated courses are included in the cumulative GPA calculation. Grades earned on graduate credits transferred from other universities are not included in the grade point average.

Graduate courses may be passed for degree credit with a grade as low as C, but a student’s cumulative grade point average at all times must be at least B (3.00 on a 4.00 scale).

Graduate degree-seeking students whose cumulative grade point average drops below 3.00 (B) will be placed on academic probation and allowed one calendar year in which to raise the grade point average to at least 3.00.

Regardless of cumulative GPA, a student who accumulates 12 graduate credits (four courses) with grades lower than a 3.00 (B) will be ineligible to continue in the degree program.

Graduation GPAAt the time of graduation, the student’s cumulative grade point average must be at least 3.00. Additionally, the student’s average on all grades recorded on the Program of Study must be 3.00 and the student’s GPA for courses numbered 700 or above, recorded on the Program of Study, must be at least 3.00.

Please see the Graduate School website (http://www.gradschool.sc.edu/) for more informa-tion on academic probation, academic forgiveness, reinstatement processes and appeals.

EnrollmentsThe University of South Carolina is a member of the Council of Southern Graduate Schools. As such, our policy with respect to the number of credits you can or must take is based on CSGS policies. A course load includes audit credits as well as undergraduate enrollment by a gradu-ate student in calculating the maximum load.

Special Enrollment (Z-Status)In some limited, term-specific circumstances, a graduate student may need to under-enroll as a re-sult of internship, practicum, field experience, family leave, or other acceptable justification. Those students should submit written requests to the Dean of The Graduate School with an accompany-ing memo from the academic advisor or the Graduate Director.

Maximum EnrollmentsNo more than one credit per academic week should be awarded. In other words, 15 credit hours are the maximum allowable during Fall or Spring Semesters. A two-course load (6 credit hours) is considered maximum for either the Maymester/Summer I term (together) or Summer II term.

Transfer CreditsNo more than 12 credits may be transferred into this master’s degree. Course work transferred must be current, relevant to the program and have course content and a level of instruction equiv-alent to that offered by the University’s own graduate programs. Transfer credit must be approved by the Graduate Director and submitted to the dean of the Graduate School for final approval on the Request for Transfer of Academic Credit (G-RTC) form. Transfer credit is not posted to the stu-dent’s official academic transcript until the term of graduation.

Beginning the ProgramStudents are accepted to the Media Arts graduate program in the Spring semester to begin the subsequent Fall semester. The School of Visual Art and Design holds an orientation for all graduate students prior to classes beginning in the Fall, and around that time you will also first meet with other students and faculty of your program. During the summer prior to your first semester, the Coordinator will advise you on the first courses to take in your first semester. If your background indicates a need for foundational preparation in an area, you may need to take additional undergraduate courses to address any deficiencies.

When you are first admitted to the Media Arts graduate program, the Coordinator will serve as your advisor until you select and confirm a formal graduate advisor, a member of the Media Arts Graduate Faculty whose work and research is aligned with your intellectual interests and goals.

Your relationship with your advisor is a critical source of information and academic guidance, and we urge you to meet with your advisor regularly. You will customarily meet with your advi-sor prior to scheduling classes for the following semester, and to discuss your progress through the degree.

CourseworkThe Traditional M.A. (30 Credits)Courses required of all M.A. students (6 credits)

MART 701: The Role of Research in Media Arts ProductionMART 702: Principles of Media Arts Practice

Media Arts Elective Coursework (choose 15 credits from the following)

MART 521xx - Media Writing Advanced seriesMART 571xx - Moving Image Advanced seriesMART 581xx - New Media Advanced seriesMART 591-595 - Media Studies seriesMART 598 - Media Management and DistributionMART 705 - Creativity in the Media ArtsMART 721xx - Topics in Research and Practice in Media Writing seriesMART 771xx - Topics in Research and Practice in Production seriesMART 781xx - Topics in Research and Practice in New Media seriesMART 795xx - Topics in Research and Practice in New Media seriesMART 797 - Practicum in Media Arts

Cognate Coursework (3 credits)Three credit hours must be taken outside of Media Arts to support the candidate’s research in me-dia theory and/or creative production. This course must be approved by the student’s advisor.

Project or Thesis (Choose one for 6 credits)MART 798: Project Research and Preparation—or—MART 799: Thesis Research and Preparation

The Accelerated Program (B.A/M.A)The Accelerated M.A. in Media Arts consists of at least 30 hours of coursework. It is similar in scope to the traditional M.A., but may look slightly different for each candidate, depending on their senior year undergraduate course-load. As such, each M.A. candidate should plan their course work in conjunction with the Graduate Student Coordinator, Undergraduate Student Coor-dinator, and Committee Chair.

This makes a total of 30 credits for this degree. However, choosing coursework for the graduate degree is a different matter than you may have encountered at the undergraduate level. Rather than taking courses as they come depending on what is available, you will file a formal Program of Study at the conclusion of your first semester of graduate study (last year of undergraduate studies).

The Program of Study is a list of courses that satisfy degree requirements. It must be approved by the student’s advisor, the Graduate Director, and the Dean of the Graduate School. To do this, you will fill out the M-POS from (found on gradschool.sc.edu) in consultation with your advisor, who will sign it and submit it for approval. Media Arts graduate students must file a completed Master’s Program of Study form before registering for the second semester of classes.

This agreement allows the student and advisor to engage in early planning of course work, explore research interests, and discuss requirements for progress toward the degree. It facili-tates subsequent advisement and protects the student in the event of unexpected curriculum or faculty changes. If any changes become necessary to your Program of Study, you must use a Program Adjustment form, which again must be approved by your advisor, Graduate Director, and Dean of the Graduate School.

There are other important considerations to be aware of when planning your formal program of study with your advisor.

Independent Study

The purpose of an independent study is to allow the student to pursue an area of academic interest not covered by the regular course structure and offerings. Not more than 6 hours of independent study may be used on a master’s program of study. Independent study cannot be used to fulfill a core or cognate requirement.

Course Levels

At least half of the credit hours on the Program of Study, exclusive of project/thesis prepara-tion (798/799), must be earned in courses numbered 700 and above. This means that 12 credit hours of coursework must be at the 700-level (or above).

You may not use courses with designators less than 500 toward your degree, though you may take them for personal interest or remediation.

Program of Study

A comprehensive examination in the major field of study is required for all candidates for a Master’s degree. The exam remains valid for two years after which it must be retaken.

Media Arts comprehensive exams are generally given remotely during the winter break of the student’s terminal year of the program and are intended to determine whether a student has a sufficiently sophisticated understanding of the topics and processes in the field to be able to mount a successful project or thesis.

The exam consists of two conference-length essays (approximately 2000-2500 words, which is about 8-10 double spaced pages, 12-point font): one essay will be based on material from the “The Role of Research in Media Arts Production” course and related readings; the other essay will relate to an area of the student’s particular are of intellectual and production exper-tise.

The comprehensive exams are administered electronically and submitted electronically. Stu-dents are given 48 hours to write responses. Media Arts Graduate Faculty craft the questions and, subsequently, score the responses according to “pass” (2) “marginal” (1) or “fail” (0). The average of the scores of the faculty will determine the overall score of the comprehensive exam (2 = passing).

The Coordinator will notify the Graduate Director and the Graduate School of successful com-pletion of the comprehensive examination.

Media Arts Comprehensive Exam

Creative Terminal Project or Thesis

To complete the M.A. degree in Media Arts, a student must either create a Project (MART 798) or write a Thesis (MART 799), and then publicly present and defend it. The Project consists of a significant new work of media art, while the Thesis is a significant new work of research study.

The Project/Thesis is a significant endeavor that represents the culmination of the M.A. de-gree. Though your final six credits will be spent completing it, you are in essence preparing for it during your entire time in the program. The six credits of Project/Thesis may be taken in the final semester, or they may be taken spread out across two semesters.

Composing your Committee

The Project/Thesis Committee will consist of three members of the UofSC Graduate Faculty, two of whom must be in Media Arts. Your committee may only be composed of faculty from the Columbia campus. One member of the Media Arts faculty will be your committee chair and will be your primary contact and collaborator through the Process/Thesis process. (Note: Your advisor does not need to be on your Thesis Committee.) The second and third members (also sometimes called “readers”) are faculty members to give you feedback and support, who will eventually vote on your project’s ultimate passage. Students are strongly encour-aged to have a third Committee member from outside their program.

Students must submit a Thesis Committee Form, which must be signed by all prospective committee members and approved by the Coordinator. You will not be able to register for MART 798/799 without this form, which proves that you have a committee.

Late in the first year (or during your final undergraduate year if pursuing an accelerated mas-ters), you should identify and meet with the faculty member who will be your thesis chair to discuss preliminary plans for your Project/Thesis.

You should present your advisor with prospectus (i.e., informal essay or proposal) outlining your plans for the Project/Thesis, including the nature of the project, any preliminary out-lines/treatments/scripts, a list of what equipment may be needed, and an anticipated time frame and budget. This initial meeting will allow your chair to advise you as you craft a Proj-ect/Thesis proposal and constitute a Thesis Committee.

Regular Graduate Faculty of any rank with a terminal degree may serve on or chair thesis committees. Emeritus faculty, instructors, lecturers, adjunct faculty, or faculty who do not hold the terminal degree may serve on and chair a thesis committee with approval of the Graduate Director, and the Dean of the Graduate School.

Proposal As a demonstration of your readiness to advance to the Project/Thesis phase of the M.A. de-gree, graduate students in Media Arts should submit a Project/Thesis Proposal the semester prior to the completion of the Project/Thesis at latest. This proposal offers you an opportunity to think through the details of your project and its governing questions, provides the School with details regarding the scheduling of resources and materials, and assists the Media Arts Faculty in determining how best to support your work.

The Project/Thesis Proposal should include the following:

1) Title [May be a working title, i.e., subject to change.] 2) Script, Treatment, and/or Storyboard 3) Description and Rationale a) A substantial description elaborated question or hypothesis, providing information regarding subject/theme, medium, governing questions, and details regarding its historical/theoretical underpinnings. b) Why is this an important, timely, and/or relevant project? c) Who is the target audience? Who benefits from your successful work? 4) Materials List a) Both materials and equipment the University owns that you plan to use, as well as materials and equipment you own or plan to buy. b) To cover all phases of the project. 5) Budget 6) Schedule a) Intended milestones for completion of pre-production, production, and postproduction elements. b) Schedule must take into account the Graduate School’s deadlines for the semester of your Project/Thesis completion. Those dates are publicly available on gradschool.sc.edu 7) Bibliography [A list of sources used to prepare for and orient the project.] 8) A copy of the approved Thesis Committee Form.

The student should present the formal proposal to the Committee and arrange a meeting with the full committee to discuss changes and deadlines for progress review, and to approve the proposal. Your Project/Thesis Proposal must be approved by your Committee the prior to beginning the MART 798/799 course if taking six credits in one semester, or within the first month of the first semester of taking your first three credits if splitting the thesis/project up into two semesters or if on the Accelerated track.

Parameter Report

In addition to the thesis proposal, and as a way to create a specific understanding for thesis out-put, each candidate is asked to include a document concerning the end-point deliverables of their particular project. Since Media Arts can encompass a wide gamut of disciplines, the faculty recog-nize that each thesis may have unique formats, platforms, and logistical outcomes. However, in keeping with MART’s ongoing efforts to archive graduate student work, a set of expectations must be agreed upon between the candidate and the committee. This document outlines those expec-tations.

Submitted via an email-attached PDF to the Thesis Committee and archived with the Thesis Com-mittee Chair once approved, the candidate must, as specifically as possible, detail the following:

1) When submitting the final thesis work, production notes, pre-production materials, and other related elements must be turned in as well. Given the candidate’s thesis project, what form will these materials take?

2) When submitting the final thesis work, precursor academic work, annotated bibliogra-phies, and any scholarly products related to the thesis must also be turned in. Given the candidate’s thesis project, what form will these materials take?

3) When submitting the final thesis work, a statement of purpose (in line with an artist statement or similar) must also be turned in. Given the candidate’s thesis project, what form will these materials take?

4) On what static, reproducible, and archival format will your thesis be submitted?

5) How will all of the above materials be presented to the thesis committee for archival ac-cession on the thesis’ defense date?

It should be noted that the above questions are to help facilitate the expectations of the Thesis Committee, the candidate in question, the SVAD Graduate Director, and the SVAD Graduate Stu-dent Coordinator. As such, this document should be completed in conversation with the above faculty and staff.

Additionally, the practical purpose of this document is to serve as a guidepost for the graduate candidate during their thesis production and as a deliverable checklist upon the thesis’ submis-sion. Of course, as the thesis evolves, this document may also be modified and resubmitted, pro-vided the committee agrees with said changes. The most current version of this document should be kept by the Thesis Committee Chair and submitted along with the candidate’s materials to the SVAD Graduate Student Coordinator and the Coordinator after the defense.

Completing the Project or Thesis

The Project/Thesis requires a substantial amount of time and strong organizational skills. The Project is a collaborative effort, involving the student and Committee. You should not work in isolation, expecting to present the finished Project/Thesis at the end of the semester. Instead, you should meet frequently with the Committee Chair who will often function as a mentor during the course of the Project/Thesis.

Regular constructive feedback is critical to a successful outcome, so be sure to seek out critique frequently. At each stage of progress listed on your Thesis Proposal schedule, you should get approval from your Chair.

The exact form of your Project/Thesis will vary depending on the nature of your work. How-ever, these specifics will be in line with the expectations set forth by the initial Media Arts Project/Thesis Parameter Report.

Completed copies of the Thesis or Project materials (as outlined in The Media Arts Project/Thesis Parameter Report) must be submitted to the Thesis Committee Chair and the Coordi-nator prior to the defense. They must contain all materials outlined the Parameter Report or risk invalidation. Those copies will not be returned. Following a successful defense, the mate-rials will be sent to the SVAD Graduate Student Coordinator to be archived. A confirmation of successful archival accession will be emailed to the candidate and to the Thesis Committee Chair before the end of the semester.

The Defense

The Graduate School posts deadlines for graduation, thesis defense, and thesis submission each semester. Students are responsible for these deadlines and should check them at least one semester in advance of thesis completion to ensure that a deadline will not be missed.

A Thesis defense consists of a public seminar, which consists of a public presentation of com-pleted artwork followed by a question and answer period. In the case of a Project Defense, the presentation of the work and the question and answer period may occur at separated times and places, depending on the nature of the work.

The student should submit a title, brief abstract, date, time, and location of the defense to the Coordinator at least 2 weeks in advance of the defense. If a student is having trouble finding a location for the defense, the Graduate Student Services Coordinator can help reserve a room in McMaster College. The Graduate Student Services Coordinator will announce the defense to all School of Visual Art and Design faculty, staff, and students via email and post it on the School website.

Upon a successful defense, the Thesis Committee will sign the Thesis Signature and Approval Form (G-TSF) and submit it to the Graduate School via the Coordinator or Graduate Director. Additionally, a thesis cover page must be signed by the thesis committee after all required changes are made.

Changing Advisors and Committee Members

During your studies, faculty members may become unavailable, or your work may change in such a way that necessitates a change of advisor or in the composition of your Committee. Changes of advisor must be approved by the Coordinator, changes in the composition of the Committee must be approved by the Coordinator and a majority of the current committee. You should avoid chang-ing advisors or Committee composition as you near the completion of your degree.

Academic Integrity

Honesty and integrity of academic and non-academic conduct are at the core of independent learning, professionalism, and the creation of knowledge. Academic dishonesty in all of its forms, including cheating and plagiarism, is a serious offense and will be addressed according to the poli-cies of the University Code of Student Academic Responsibility (http://www.housing.sc.edu/acade-micintegrity/).

Each semester a limited number of graduate assistantships are available for entering and continuing students. The Media Arts Graduate Faculty select the recipients of these assis-tantships every semester for the subsequent semester based on academic performance and the needs of the program. Students may also seek and be awarded assistantships from other areas of the University that have funding for work that would be appropriate. More in-formation on these assistantships is available at the Graduate School website (gradschool.sc.edu/current/gata.asp).

Enrolled Media Arts M.A. students may qualify to be Graduate Instructional Assistants. In order to receive and maintain a Graduate Instructional Assistantship (GIA) from SVAD, you must be registered for 9 credits of graduate level coursework at the 500 level and above (equivalent to three courses). Dropping a course or registering for less than 9 credit hours will prevent you from receiving the GIA, and likewise any stipend or tuition supplement.Graduate Assistants work up to 10 hours a week and are paid a stipend for each semester they are employed. Stipend amounts are based on the number of hours the student is ex-pected to work each week with the minimum set by the College of Arts and Sciences. All new Graduate Assistants must register for the GRAD 701 course which meets regularly throughout the semester in which you hold your first assistantship. By not registering for GRAD 701, you will not be able to serve as a graduate assistant. View all requirements and details about GRAD 701 here: https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/cte/gradu-ate_teaching_assistants/grad701/index.php.

All new Graduate Assistants must also sign up for GA orientation in the semester in which you hold your first assistantship. You can register on this page: https://sc.edu/about/offic-es_and_divisions/cte/graduate_teaching_assistants/orientation/index.php

A student who has received assistantships totaling 20 hours per week may not receive addi-tional funding in the form of a fellowship or internship that requires additional duties with-out an appeal. A student may not receive assistantships requiring work in excess of 10 hours per week in the School of Visual Art and Design.

Assistantships

Below is an outline of important timeframes during your time in the Media Arts M.A. pro-gram. As certain specific dates will shift within this frame, be sure to write down the exact deadlines for each of these milestones in conversation with your committee chair. Thesis defense deadlines are set by the Graduate School and cannot be changed.

Standard Program

Year 1

FallMART 701MART 702non-MART grad level class

SpringMART 7XXMART 7XXMART 7XX

Year 2

FallMART 7XXMART 798 or 799(An additional course may be needed to maintain eligibility for assistantship. See Assistant-ship section below.)

September Week 2 (Committees finalized, paperwork signed by Graduate Director)Week 4 (Parameter report and proposal due to Committee and Graduate Coordinator)

October Week 1 (Thesis approval, paperwork signed by Graduate Director)

Sample Timelines

December Week 2 (Take Comprehensive Exam)

SpringMART 7XXMART 798 or 799(An additional course may be needed to maintain eligibility for assistantship)

January Week 1 (Apply for graduation)Week 3 (Comprehensive exam results reported)

April Week 1 (Thesis Defense, all material to be archived)Week 1 (Complete G-TSF form) Week 4 (Complete M-POS form) May University Commencement

Accelerated Program

Undergraduate Year

FallMART 701MART 702

SpringMART 5XX or 7XXnon-MART grad level class

Year 1

FallMART 7XXMART 7XXMART 798 or 799

September Week 2 (Committees finalized, paperwork signed by Graduate Director)Week 4 (Parameter report and proposal due to Committee and Graduate Coordinator)

October Week 1 (Thesis approval, paperwork signed by Graduate Director) December Week 2 (Take Comprehensive Exam)

SpringMART 7XXMART 7XXMART 798 or 799

January Week 1 (Apply for graduation)Week 3 (Comprehensive exam results reported)

April Week 1 (Thesis Defense, all material to be archived)Week 1 (Complete G-TSF form) Week 4 (Complete M-POS form)

May University Commencement

Anna ToptchiGraduate Student CoordinatorSchool of Visual Art and Design Office: McMaster 227toptchi@mailbox.sc.edu803-777-4184

Andrew Graciano, Ph.D.Director of Graduate StudiesAssociate Director, SVADProfessor, Art HistoryOffice: McMaster 316graciano@mailbox.sc.edu803-777-6631