Generous grad programs for liberal arts? Do these exist?

Question

I've seen a lot of science/math grad programs which are quite generous - free tuition, stipends, some even provide housing - but am wondering about whether any colleges offer these for liberal arts, specifically film, writing for the arts (novel, short story, screenwriting), or photography? What kind of programs should someone like me who has extensive college loans (from my B.F.A.) be looking for? I'd like to enroll in a grad program but it would have to be very generous. Do they exist?

Answer 1

First, there are tons of generous graduate programs in the liberal arts, but it does not sound like you are looking for a graduate program in the liberal arts. (Graduate programs in the liberal arts lead to the Ph.D., and are focused on producing scholars. They offer the same awards as math and science programs - full tuition remission, stipends, etc..)

It sounds like you are looking for a pre-professional degree (MFA) in screenwriting. Because MFA programs are pre-professional degrees (like law and medicine), they do not always have the same resources for graduate study

But there are many resources to be found, some in the form of fellowships and assistantships awarded by the program itself, and some in the form of national fellowship foundations, some specifically for film and screenwriting.

I've heard that UCLA doesn't offer much support, but check it out anyway. I know AFI offers fellowships for second-year MFA students on a competitive basis.

Emerson College has regular fellowships and assistantships.
http://admission.emerson.edu/admission/graduate/financing/merit_awards.cfm

So does Boston University.
http://www.bu.edu/com/grad/financial_aid/index.shtml

Cal State Northridge (MA in Screenwriting) is known for being a good program that is also affordable.
http://www.csun.edu/~ctva/AcademicProgram/AcademicProgramHTML/GradProgram.html

And below, I've placed the websites of some foundation fellowships and scholarships.

Best wishes to you.

Answer 2

PhD programs have much more money available to them than terminal masters programs. Because a terminal masters program only has a certain number of assistantships (tuition waiver and stipend) you have to be among the top students applying. The primary criteria is GPA. So, if you have a stellar one you've got a shot, depending on what they have available and who else is applying who has a stellar GPA. Do talk to your advisor (you'll be assigned one as soon as you're accepted), the department chair, and the graduate director about the availability of funding. It is possible to get an assistantship from a department other than your own (though unusual), if they have one available and you have skills they need. A friend of mine is fluent in Hebrew and was able to teach it while in an MA program in history, thus getting her funding from the foreign language department. Though almost all of the funding at the graduate level comes from the individual departments rather than the university as a whole, its still worth talking to the graduate school about any funding that they may control. I wasn't able to get any funding from my department but I did get several small scholarships from my school of graduate studies.

Answer 3

My college offers a few grad programs... a few examples are children's lit (M.A. or M.F.A.), creative writing (M.F.A.), playwriting (M.F.A., which is new this year), and screenwriting and film studies (M.A. or M.F.A.). I'm not sure how generous they are with loans, as I've only had experience as an undergrad, but I know financial aid can be very helpful here.

By the way, my college is Hollins University in Roanoke, VA. You can find more information at their website, which I've listed down in the source. Good luck!

Answer 4

They might care a lot - it will depend on the competitiveness of the schools to which you are applying. They may even look at the overall gpa and toss you into the "reject" pile without taking the time to ascertain why. Write a dynamite essay on your application and if you don't get accepted anywhere, then you will know you need to retake those classes and get A's. You may get accepted into a less prestigious school - then you can decide to go there, or retake the classes with the firm intention of getting A's and reapplying.