Master of Fine Arts - Science and Natural History Filmmaking

The Master of Fine Arts Program in Science and Natural History Filmmaking at Montana State University is the largest and best known of only three programs in the world dedicated to this unique and rewarding field of filmmaking.  Students in the program have had their work broadcast on many major channels and programs such as The Discovery Channel, National Geographic, The Science Channel, CNN, Sixty Minutes II, Larry King, CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News.

Students have produced films for the National Park Service, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Agriculture, NOAA, NASA, National Geographic, Discovery, and such non-profit organizations as the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, the Field Museum and the Boston Museum of Science.  Students’ work has also been featured in numerous festivals internationally.

Our students have won EMMYS, been awarded Fulbright scholarships, a Fred Rogers Scholarship from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Webby awards, and many other honors. The students have documented the work of explorers and scientists on every continent in the world. The graduate student podcast and website TERRA: THE NATURE OF OUR WORLD  (http://www.lifeonterra.com) attracts and distributes some of the world’s leading science and conservation productions to more than 100,000 viewers a month and has won three Webby awards.

Our mission is to provide filmmaking knowledge to students with formal education and experience in science, engineering and technology so they may create accurate, innovative, and exciting programs that advance the public understanding of science.