Articles | Preparing for the MS in Media Doc/Nonfiction Oral Defense
Preparing for the MS in Media Documentary/Nonfiction Production Oral Defense
Rev. 2/9/24
NOTE: Be sure to routinely visit the Media School Graduate Program Canvas site, MSCH Grad, for important information, resources, links, and forms.
MS in Media students need to schedule an oral defense of their thesis or capstone project to take place in the final semester. The defense may only take an hour, but it’s wise to schedule a few hours for it, just in case. In attendance will be the student and their advisory committee. It is up to the MS student to find a time that works for the committee and to schedule it well in advance of the planned meeting. Schedule it using the form on the MSCH Graduate Program Canvas site. If you have questions, contact your MS advisor or MSCH Graduate Administrator.
Timing: Ideally, committee members will be given ample time to review the student’s thesis or capstone project and all accompanying documentation before the defense takes place. It’s also wise to leave time for revisions, in the event the defense is not fully successful. For example, given a spring graduation, an oral defense scheduled in mid-April would be good. All materials would be distributed in early April. In the event that the oral defense isn’t 100 percent successful, there are still a few weeks left in the semester to make revisions.
Supporting Documentation
Please include an abstract, which summarizes your thesis project and outlines the content of the included work. Please also include an artist’s statement. Assume you are preparing to publicly present your work. How would you describe yourself and the contents of your thesis project or portfolio?
Analytic Essay – Please submit a five-to-nine-page analysis of your thesis or capstone project. It plays an important role, helping your MS advisory committee understand precisely what your project was and what you learned from it.
The essay should describe the project and critically discuss your process for completing it. Analyze the decisions you made and obstacles you faced. What did you learn from this process? What might you have done differently?
The essay should also explore the relationship of the project to your studies in the Media School as a whole. Did knowledge gained in specific courses help you carry out the project?
'Retrospective Essay – In three-to-five pages, reflect on your experience in the Media School’s MS in Media Documentary/nonfiction program. What elements or parts of the program stood out or resonated with you? What were the biggest challenges? Describe how your documentary/nonfiction studies tie in with future plans.
Please be sure to ask your MS advisor if you have any questions.
# # # #
