MFA Visual Narrative Curriculum
The MFA Visual Narrative is a flexible, low-residency program designed for working professionals and students of visual storytelling alike. Three onsite summer sessions are connected by two years of online study during the fall and spring semesters. After each summer session and academic year, students must receive an acceptable review from a faculty panel in order to continue in the program. Degree candidates must successfully complete 60 credits, including all required courses.
During the eight-week summer sessions, students attend classes and seminars, and work in the studios for 8 to 10 hours per day, six days a week. Several evenings are devoted to digital/interactive tutorials, critiques and lectures. Capitalizing on New York City’s rich array of culture, research trips including contemporary artists events, studio visits and other activities will take place during workshops and on weekends. The summer sessions concentrate on advanced writing, digital media and technique-based workshops. Working in tandem, the creative writing and visual studio workshops as well as analog and digital media studios create a unique and intensive environment—allowing the author-as-artist to thrive.
Throughout the fall and spring semesters, students fulfill the studio components of the online program, with supervision from their course instructor and support from their chosen mentor. Creative writing is assigned in coordination with the online studio story course. This important component includes online submission [posting] of written and visual materials. In the third year, each student is responsible for producing, curating and/or publishing a unique narrative thesis, which will be exhibited in a group show in one of the SVA galleries. Both analog and digital versions of each thesis project must be approved by the Thesis Committee, the student’s mentor and the department chair in order to be eligible for degree conferral.
General Requirements
- Successful completion of 60 credits, including all required courses and the thesis project. Documentation of all thesis projects must be on file in the Visual Narrative Department to be eligible for degree conferral.
- A matriculation of three summers on-site and four semesters (fall and spring) of low residency. Students must complete their degree within six years, unless given an official extension by the provost.
- Visual Narrative grades on a pass/fail system. Students are required to remain in good academic standing.
Note: Departmental requirements are subject to change by the department chair if the chair deems that such change is warranted.
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First-Year Requirements
First-Year Course Requirements
Summer Semester
VNG-5040 Framing the Story
VNG-5080 Analog to Digital: Riso and the Power of Print
VNG-5085 Analog to Digital: Lens-Based Storytelling
VNG-5130 Writing Studio: Narrative Writing
VNG-5230 Visual Narrative: Graphic Media
VNG-5234 Visual Narrative: Photography
Fall Semester (online)
VNG-5540 Story Visualized: A Text and Image Lab
VNG-5580 Writing Studio: Creative Script
VNG-5583 Visual Narrative: Film and the Moving Image
Spring Semester (online)
VNG-5640 Narrative Color
VNG-5652 Visual Narrative: Crafting Worlds and Immersive Stories
VNG-5657 Writing Studio: Mythology and Folklore
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Second-Year Requirements
Second-Year Course Requirements
Summer Semester
VNG-6150 Thesis Prep: Shaping Your Story
VNG-6210 Visual Research
VNG-6240 Form, Empathy and Character Play
VNG 6243 Visual Narrative: The Power of Story
VNG-6250 Thesis Prep: Picturing Your Story
Fall Semester (online)
VNG-6320 Identity in a Digital World
VNG-6520 Thesis I
VNG-6532 Seminar I
Spring Semester (online)
VNG-6510 Storyteller as Community
VNG-6525 Thesis II
VNG-6533 Seminar II
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Third-Year Requirements
Third-Year Course Requirements
Summer Semester
VNG-6820 Storyteller as Brand
VNG-6852 Thesis Exhibition
VNG-6860 Professional Practices
VNG-6900 Portfolio and Presentation
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General Course Listing - MFA Visual Narrative
General Course Listing
The courses that follow reflect the offerings for the 2024-2025 academic year. For additional course details please visit the Registrar page and click on the Graduate Course Listing.
First Year
VNG-5040
Framing the Story
Summer semester: 3 credits
This course focuses on the fundamental principles and visual language of compositional design and how the framing of a story’s imagery can influence or alter its communication and how it is perceived by an audience. Through collaborative projects and rapid prototyping challenges, students will be asked to break out of their comfort zones, apply their discoveries, and dig deep to develop their own visual language and unique approach to narrative image-making.
VNG-5080
Analog to Digital: Riso and the Power of Print
Summer semester: 1 credit
Utilizing Risograph duplicator technology in this project-based workshop, students will learn to harness the power of print through the print reproduction process, developing a personal workflow that can be applied to any professional analog or digital medium. We will examine a variety of reproduction methods, such as spot-color, four-color/CMYK and photo-based print design techniques for producing both print-based and digital imaging. Contemporary print and printmaking activities and examples of print-based projects from art history will be viewed and discussed. Finally, we will connect print-based analog media to the advent of digital platforms, including the rise of the Internet as a primary information distribution network, and how digital media and analog print complement each other.
VNG-5085
Analog to Digital: Lens-Based Storytelling
Summer semester: 1 credit
Through technology and project-based workshops, this course will examine best practices for telling a story through video. Traditional media and analog processes will be transformed by time, sound and photography. Video and sound capture techniques, as well as production design and lighting will be addressed. Using Adobe Premiere Pro, students will explore a variety of methods for producing digital images, and how to translate a stationary vision into the dynamic world of motion. The evolution of storytelling from analog to digitized media will be discussed.
VNG-5130
Writing Studio: Narrative Writing
Summer semester: 3 credits
Words are powerful. This course will explore how to use their power to create effective narratives, looking at the function storytelling serves in our lives—from our basic psychology to how we use story to understand ourselves and the world around us. As a class we will develop one common narrative during the semester, through which we will break down the essential elements of story mechanics to discover how story transcends medium using the same core elements. The goal is not merely to communicate, but to connect. How these basic principles are presented in both traditional prose and in radio and podcasts will be examined, and students will have the opportunity to write their own narratives for both mediums. With a focus on how language alone can be used as imagery to achieve these narrative goals, students will explore how the two mediums function differently. Readings of theoretical and narrative works will be included.
VNG-5230
Visual Narrative: Graphic Media
Summer semester: 2 credits
The Visual Narrative series offers an overview of various creative fields. This course will examine the evolution of picture books, comics, artists’ books and graphic novels as the departure point for different approaches to telling a story with words and pictures. A history of these art forms and their various points of intersection will be given, from children’s adventure books to comic strips, web comics and experimental graphic picture books to contemporary independent, direct and book publishing markets. Guest artists and lecturers will address the class and field trips will be included.
VNG-5234
Visual Narrative: Photography
Summer semester: 2 credits
The Visual Narrative series offers an overview of various creative fields. This course is a survey of the history of photography with special emphasis placed on how narrative is communicated through the medium. Photographs often suggest open-ended, non-linear narratives, and we will examine these ideas by looking at both the individual image and serial work. Studying photographs from the 19th century to contemporary practices, we will embark upon a careful analysis of the bond between photography and narrative will be defined and disassembled. The notion of photographers’ intentions versus viewers’ perceptions will also be explored. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how the practitioners of this medium create stories.
VNG-5540
Story Visualized: A Text and Image Lab
Fall semester: 2 credits
In this course students will create fully formed visual narratives, such as creating a visual documentary story incorporating collaged elements or creating a visual story entirely out of letterforms and words. The relationship of text and image in visual storytelling will be explored by experimenting with text as image, image as text, and using them together to tell stories in different formats, media and materials. Throughout the semester students will create a series of short projects that lead up to a longer adaptation of an existing story.
VNG-5580
Writing Studio: Creative Script
Fall semester: 2 credits
Concept, character, structure and craft—the fundamentals of creative storytelling and the architecture of a well-defined outline—will be explored in this course. Through a series of exercises, students will develop writing skills in the core components of storytelling, such as an active but flawed protagonist with a concrete goal, a story with a solid structure based on a character arc and a concept with a specified target audience. The similarities and differences among theater, film, television, comics, games, and other visual media will be explored through lectures, and primarily through writing itself.
VNG-5583
Visual Narrative: Film and the Moving Image
Fall semester: 2 credits
The Visual Narrative series offers an overview of various creative fields. In this survey of the moving image we will screen a classic film every week—each from a different genre and era—and explore the concepts and visual narrative structures it illustrates. Clips from other influential films that inspired (or were inspired by) our core films will be incorporated, to gain a deeper understanding of the continuum of film history. The course will also examine how film theory, specifically the interplay between montage and mise-en-scène, is put into practical use. How the visual vocabulary of film developed along with new innovations (and innovators) will be addressed as we examine how filmic vocabulary informs, and borrows from, other visual media.
VNG-5640
Narrative Color
Spring semester: 2 credits
From fundamental principles of color theory to the invention of the printing press, color film and the digital exploitation in today’s mobile media and entertainment, this studio course will explore the emotive, psychological and symbolic properties of color and the narrative role color plays in visual communication, culture, politics and storytelling across media. Students will create a series of works that convey atmosphere and mood through narrative color.
VNG-5652
Visual Narrative: Crafting Worlds and Immersive Stories
Spring semester: 2 credits
Combining the theory and practice of immersive storytelling with the art and craft of world-building is the focus of this course. From folktales to franchises, we will explore transportive worlds and the methods used to create them. Students will delve into the psychology, theory, history and creation of stories that emerge from the dynamics of interaction, exploration and choice. We will examine the history of our most pervasive forms of media and platforms to gain an understanding of how to tell stories that move the audience from viewers to architects of their own experience. Collectively, we will deconstruct the idea that world-building is a private practice and, instead, uplift the notion that it is a creative tool to strengthen stories and expand ideas.
VNG-5657
Writing Studio: Mythology and Folklore
Spring semester: 2 credits
This survey course will explore the history, universality and use of mythology and folklore across literature, the arts, entertainment and popular media. We will review a diverse list of stories from around the world, studying the symbolism, archetype, structure and intent, and what these stories reveal about our shared humanity. How these stories influence contemporary storytelling across media will be discussed. In addition to analysis, the course will focus on application of the structures and characters found in mythology and folklore through creative writing and peer response. Students will concept and create new forms and works of myth and fiction.
Second Year
VNG-6150
Thesis Prep: Shaping Your Story
Summer semester: 3 credits
What is the best way to research, develop and produce a personal story from start to finish? How do you identify the point of what that story is about—and the reason that drives you to create it? Why would the audience care? These are the core questions that this course will consider as students begin to develop their thesis concepts. Students will analyze their chosen medium’s strengths and weaknesses in the service of their story while taking into consideration the scope, budget and relevant production criteria in pursuit of an ambitious and professional outcome. At the end of the semester, students will pitch their concept development to the Thesis Review Committee for evaluation and approval.
VNG-6210
Visual Research
Summer semester: 3 credits
This course focuses on the application of mapping and data visualization techniques for use in concept development and world-building. Students will identify locations connected to their existing story ideas and will investigate these locations using documentary media, data collection, and other methods of site-specific research. The materials they gather will be compiled into visual archives and students will create analog and digital maps that describe their content. The work produced in the course will function as a reference for the development of thesis projects and as a means of communicating the spaces that these stories will inhabit.
VNG-6240
Form, Empathy and Character Play
Summer semester: 3 credits
Sometimes the only way to find a character’s “voice” as a storyteller is to become that character in order to understand it. This course is designed to further develop skills in character creation through examining what makes characters behave in the ways they do. With lectures on archetypes, defining moments, unconscious desire and design, students will examine the elements necessary for creating their own characters. Through improv and role-playing techniques, students will understand how their characters will behave in fictional settings, better enabling them to write and visualize their creations.
VNG-6243
Visual Narrative: The Power of Story
Summer semester: 2 credits
This lecture survey takes a critical and bold look at the power and influence storytelling has employed throughout history as a force for both good and evil. Through discussion and research, students will look at historical movements and cultural shifts in major religions, literature, art, digital media, entertainment and politics through a global lens and assess the narrative concepts, messaging and impact of storytelling. As content creators and future gatekeepers of change, students will be challenged to reflect upon the past and consider how the power of their storytelling can affect and shape culture and society.
VNG-6250
Thesis Prep: Picturing Your Story
Summer semester: 1 credit
Through research, critical discourse and presentations, students in this course will formulate and articulate the conceptual positions of their visual work. The goal is to identify, analyze and interpret each student’s creative interests, creative values, intent, influences, philosophical viewports and historical lineage as it relates to the work being pursued. The course is structured around extensive group critiques, presentations and research. It will guide students to write, visualize and speak about the visual projects they are preparing, and will culminate in fully realized pitch presentations.
VNG-6320
Identity in a Digital World
Fall semester: 2 credits
Aspiring artists and storytellers will advance the development of their online tool set and studio practice skills to take agency of their personal identity and communications across platforms and marketplaces. A variety of web hosting, social media, blog and portfolio/skill-sharing platforms will be discussed, along with marketing and data collection to effectively share and represent students’ digital identity and content. The pros and cons of each tool will be addressed, and specific strategies for finding clients and generating traffic and interest will be discussed.
VNG-6510
Storyteller as Community
Spring semester: 2 credits
As an artist, your brand is defined by how others perceive you and your work. In this course students will lay the foundation for developing their personal brand by understanding and engaging with their creative community. Students will conduct research and build connections with potential audiences, supporters, collaborators, clients and customers. Through this process, students will discover their interests and the impact they want to have on their community. There will be individual consulting sessions where students will review their findings and prepare for developing their personal brands in the following summer semester.
VNG-6520 / VNG-6525
Thesis I and II
Fall and spring semesters: 3 credits per semester
Focusing on thesis story development, these courses will address project management, thesis production, and how to achieve audience engagement. Students will establish production schedules and deadlines with instructors and mentors, who will guide and support them through constructive critique, industry feedback and troubleshooting. Participating in discussions and hearing from professionals in various fields, students will build a community of mutual support and accountability for the completion of each thesis, and in preparation for exhibition and public presentation.
VNG-6532 / VNG-6533
Seminar I and II
Fall and spring semesters: 1 credit per semester
The goal of these seminars is to provide encouragement in the development and production process of each student’s thesis project, and to ensure that they meet departmental deadlines. Through group critiques, peer review and writing, students will examine their working processes—successes and difficulties—as they advance their thesis project. Along with focused production of these projects, students will provide feedback on their peers’ work, write a statement pertaining to their artistic work, draft an artist’s presentation and formulate an outline for their upcoming thesis exhibition in the summer.
Third Year
VNG-6820
Storyteller as Brand
Summer semester: 3 credits
In this course students will develop a personal brand strategy that resonates with their audience based on the research completed during the previous spring semester. Students will utilize their brand strategy to design and implement actionable marketing plans toward their creative and professional goals. Throughout the semester there will be guest presentations to explore industry best practices as well as small group consulting sessions to gather feedback and refine materials. By the end of the course, students will have a polished visual deck that establishes their personal brand and content across various channels.
VNG-6852
Thesis Exhibition
Summer 2024: 3 credits
The challenges in realizing a professional gallery exhibition and presentation experience will be addressed in this course, as students explore spatial design, working to scale and curating work for presentation to the general public. Working with the SVA galleries and Visible Futures Lab, various modes of fabrication will be applied, including pedestal fabrication, as well as lighting strategies and signage development for the installation of the work in both a gallery and the digital exhibition space. Time management and budgetary constraints will be considered and students will explore promotional techniques that articulate their work to target specific venues. Guest artists and gallery visits are included. The course will culminate in the thesis exhibition.
VNG-6860
Professional Practices
Summer 2024: 3 credits
Designed as both a studio workshop and guest lecture series, this course will assist students in advancing their professional business networking and social media skills as well as developing practical outreach skills. Guest presentations will be held throughout the semester to discuss and share real-world expertise, production pipeline techniques and industry best practices.
VNG-6900
Portfolio and Promotion
Summer 2024: 3 credits
Developing each student's online portfolio and accompanying promotional materials and networks will be covered in this course. We will examine current trends and professional standards for each student’s market and audience, which will be paramount in cultivating relationships with art directors, editors, producers and clients. At the end of the semester, students will present their thesis and portfolio at a public exhibition. Students will exit the program with an online portfolio and website presence.
VNG-6965
Thesis Extension
One semester: 1.5 credits
This course is designed for students who have not met the unanimous approval of the Thesis Review Committee and who need an additional semester to complete their project. Students will work with a faculty advisor and have limited access to facilities.
New York, NY 10011
