Intermedia MFA

Program - Thesis Requirements

MFA Thesis

The student’s thesis will be a body of work growing from the entirety of their research and creative production while at the University of Maine. The nature, scope and breadth of this body of work will be agreed upon between the student and his or her committee in consultation with the Program Director. In general this work must be presented in two forms: a written thesis statement and documentation of research, and a presentation of creative thesis work at the MFA thesis festival, Without Borders.

Written Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is a formal presentation, prepared by the candidate, as a portion of the requirements for the Masters of Fine Arts degree in Intermedia. The thesis topic should be based directly on the candidate’s historical and critical research as well as their creative studio work and should include references to other artists that are relevant to, or have influenced, the candidate’s creative work.
The thesis statement must:

1. Provide evidence of scholarly research and thought through direct reference to influences, concepts and principles.
2. Be presented as a competent, written discourse.
3. Reveal the ability to select, organize and demonstrate, in writing, the independent thought and originality reflected in the candidate’s studio work (thesis exhibition).
4. Examine and discuss appropriate historical, philosophical and aesthetic issues.

The thesis must be presented in the format required by the graduate school as well as in a digital format suitable for archiving and presentation on the web.

Thesis Exhibit

Every summer there will be an exhibition and festival, the Without Borders Festival (started in 2004), at which all third year students will exhibit a thesis work/project as the final completion of their work in the program. This work will have been developed in the preceding year specifically for this exhibition/presentation and should reflect the culmination of their work in the MFA program. During this thesis exhibition an oral examination will be conducted by their faculty committee.

This exhibition will showcase the intermedial work of advanced students in the Intermedia Program, preparing them for their ongoing careers. The MFA Thesis Exhibition is intended to be part of an endeavor by the Intermedia Masters Program to extend the relationship between creativity and research into a public forum. This presentation will culminate the students’ experiences in the program as well as and demonstrate the program’s commitment to Intermedia research, collaboration, education and the development of successful creative professionals as evidenced by the work of the students.

Image Description: 2010 Without Borders

Image Description: MFA Banner 2011

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