The MFA Visual Narrative program offers a fresh perspective and bold alternative to traditional MFA programs. We do so by recognizing that a command of story is the most powerful and fundamental foundation an artist in any creative profession can possess. Exceptional and effective storytelling isn’t conveyed in beautiful words, images, or character plot alone. Audiences only become invested with an insatiable “need to know what happens next” when they personally connect and empathize with a story’s message or protagonist on a personal and internal level—the challenges they face, why they make the choices they do and how they become forever fundamentally changed by them. That realization and empathy with the true meaning and purpose of a story’s message or protagonist’s struggle is what makes stories so powerful, immersive and moving—and why stories matter to us all.

Our educational mission is to inspire all students to harness their collective creative writing and visual development talents to amplify their visual narrative skills, in addition to mastering their personal command of story. Our graduates are empowered to be the next generation of transformational, relevant original content creators. The MFA in Visual Narrative program prepares them for leadership, with the confidence to own their personal voice and the visual narrative expertise to change the world through story.

If you are ready to test the limits of your skills and what your stories are capable of, we invite you to join us!

— Nathan Fox, Chair

Master your visual language and narrative skills. Founded in 2013, the SVA MFA Visual Narrative Department remains the only MFA program that puts the art and language of storytelling first, through the combination of creative writing and development of visual narrative techniques. In the process, we give each student the:

• Confidence to take agency of their creative process, elevate their personal voice and define their career path.
• Opportunity to explore new media and push what their imagination and abilities are capable of within a supportive community of storytellers.
• Expertise to craft visual narratives with purpose, meaning and empathy that generate original and innovative stories.
• Skills to create relevant and powerful stories that reach new audiences.
• Connection to a world of professional storytellers and markets curated to meet the specific needs of their artistic medium and practice.

Collaborate in a multidisciplinary community. Students join a cohort of creative trail-blazers from an array of traditional and non-traditional backgrounds, from animation and puppetry to PR and science. Students therefore bring, and share, a range of professional skill sets, building a collaborative new foundation of story craft. This broad range of talent is echoed in the faculty, with expertise in such varied areas as theatre direction, photography, picture books, visual mapping and brand marketing.

Maintain a flexible schedule. During the three summer intensive semesters in the heart of New York CIty, students attend courses, supported by a network of industry and market experts. Throughout the four semesters of online study during the fall and spring students are able to work remotely and travel—without having to uproot their professional careers and family or change their personal lifestyles.

Define your voice and professional practice. From day one, students learn to communicate their message clearly, with meaning and purpose, in every visual narrative they make. We are a pass/fail program, so our students are encouraged to be bold, to fail and experiment in order to achieve their personal vision. As the future gatekeepers and creators of contemporary culture, our graduates are prepared to respond with the knowledge, vocabulary and skills necessary for true innovation and leadership in visual narrative.

Elevate your career and expand your network. Alumni have moved into careers in creative direction, animation, comics, game development, film, toy design, information and motion design, education and many other disciplines. Recent graduates have worked for such organizations as Apple, Fisher Price, Penguin Books, Disney+, Chase, Deloitte Digital, Nickelodeon, MTV2, Exploding Kittens, Major League Baseball, Nike, Google, The Boston Globe and The White House. Others have gone on to successful teaching positions at prestigious institutions such as NYU, Rutgers, Gallaudet, College of Marin, CCS, UConn, CCNY, KCAI and School of Visual Arts.

Review application requirements in full here.

In 2015 the MFA Visual Narrative department founded the RisoLAB, the first all educational interdisciplinary space for printing, publishing and production of Risograph based printed works. The RisoLAB has quickly become a hub of small scale and experimental printing and publishing activity bringing together artists of all backgrounds and creative disciplines to foster discussion about the role of print media as a vehicle for art and culture, and a way to work out creative ideas that lead to unexpected results. All MFAVN students receive hands-on training, provided up to three years open-access to print in the lab and can audit RisoLAB classes. Visit risolab.sva.edu for more information

The first-year curriculum is comprised of the first summer intensive and academic year online. The first-year summer intensive focuses on hands-on, content and project-based explorations in Creative writing, visual development and communication design fundamentals through small group collaborative projects, rapid prototyping challenges and robust discussion and critique. Critical thinking, digital application fundamentals, and the history of storytelling in graphic media, photography and film provides students with the foundations for thinking strategically about their visual narrative practice. Throughout the first summer semester and academic year online, students dig deeper into advanced styles and formats in creative script writing, visual composition and original content development across a range of media, perspectives and narrative design methodologies. Guest in-class lecturers, NYC field trips, The Storyteller’s Lecture Series and off-campus/remote events round out the first-year experience.

Applying what the students learn in their first-year explorations, the second-year curriculum leans heavily into character-based story development and world building, visual writing techniques, information design systems, marketing and entrepreneurship skills, audience and community engagement, improv and character development and project management skills. The yearlong thesis project and mentorship with a mentor of their choosing, yields an original story work around a defined media and format best suited to the story production and professional field of interest. The resulting body of work is completed portfolio project, original IP creation and supporting design and production materials.

The final and third summer semester in NYC builds upon the finished thesis work and supporting materials to advance each student final portfolio and promotion materials, activating their marketing plan, network and outreach campaigns and building professional contacts and relationships to advance or launch their career in industry(s) or profession(s) of their choosing.

Degree candidates must successfully complete 60 credits, including all required courses. A low-residency of three academic summer semesters and two academic years online is required. In the final year, each student completes a thesis project, which must be reviewed and approved by the thesis review committee and the department chair in order for the student to be eligible for degree conferral. Upon graduation, students will exhibit and present their thesis projects.