22 courses with the subject MFA, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
MFA 501Screen Scoring I: Vocabulary4.5
What we call film music is a language of signs. It speaks to us through a multitude of musical gestures that, over time, have come to have meaning for the audience. As with any system of signs, the sender must be competent in their use to convey messages that are clear and cogent. This course is an introduction to the vocabulary of music for the screen. In it, you will learn the language of screen scoring through a series of visual music exercises and assignments in writing for short scenes of different media types and genres. Credits 4.5
In order to solve the dramatic and story problems posed by all forms of on-screen media, composers need to understand how artists who have preceded them have grappled with the same problems, such as how to evoke sympathy, apprehension, terror, nostalgia, and the full compass of human emotional experience. During this course, you will study scores and analyze both iconic concert works and landmark film music to give you the foundation to develop your own style. Credits 4.5 Strayer University 2026-2027 Catalog 343
Basic skills in instrumentation and arrangement are the first steps toward accomplishment in the craft of orchestration, which is the ability to make musical instruments “speak together” in a powerful and coherent way. During this course, you will go beyond basic grounding in orchestral instrumentation and learn about instrumentation for screen media, which incorporates a wide range of non-symphonic, folk, ethnic, electronic and even invented instruments and techniques for how they can be blended effectively to produce the contemporary hybrid score. Credits 4.5
As any experienced film composer will attest, the principal job of the composer is to support the story and the filmmaker’s intent in telling it. In musicological terms, the craft of doing this is called musical narratology, literally, “telling stories with music.” Narrative cinema is constructed based on classic story form, which includes exposition, conflict, resolution, three-act structure, and manipulations of time and space. You will score three assignments to picture, and through this exercise, learn to create a linear partnership between the story’s structure and the score that accompanies it. Credits 4.5 Prerequisites MFA 501
The radical changes in compositional technique introduced by Modernism, Minimalism, Post-Minimalism, and other new forms, as well as simultaneous breakthroughs in electronic music and the integration of non-Western tonal systems into popular music, have had a profound effect on the way music for visual media sounds and the expectations content creators have for it. In this course you will continue the work of Cinematic Score Study I to explore the paths that brought music to where it is now, and consider where it is going in the future. Credits 4.5 Prerequisites MFA 502 Strayer University 2026-2027 Catalog 344
Maurice Ravel, acknowledged as one of the greatest orchestrators in musical history, distinguished instrumentation from orchestration by saying that the orchestrator painted the colors around the individual instrument in such a way that these colors became more important than the identity of the instrument itself. The analogy to painting is fitting: works like Daphnis et Chloe and Mother Goose Suite are highly visual and textured in a way that can almost be felt. This course will put Ravel’s musical paintbrush in your hands. In addition to orchestration techniques, you will also learn the fundamentals of score preparation, notation, and engraving to prepare you for the live recording sessions that will occur at key stages of the program. Credits 4.5 Prerequisites MFA 503
MFA514 Description: The “mock-up,” a digital simulation of an acoustical/orchestral performance, was once just a demo used to show the client/filmmaker one’s intent and obtain approval of the music prior to live recording. With the extraordinary advancement in the quality of digital instrument libraries, what was once a demo now frequently becomes the final product and the critical medium by which the composer communicates intent to the filmmaker. In this course you will develop the skills to create these digital products to meet the high standards of production and authenticity currently expected in the industry. Credits 2.5 Prerequisites MFA 504
MFA 515Find Your Voice Tutorial: Directed Study I2
“Find your voice” is the imperative given to every student who enrolls in the Master of Fine Arts program. It is not always a straightforward process, as you must hone, winnow and polish to clear away what is merely imitative and arrive at something truly original. This is what the industry demands. In intensive individual sessions, your work will be critiqued and shaped in order to bring out the gold of your own personal identity. Credits 2
In this course, you will work with indie game developers at the Media Design School and other selected locations to create music for these adaptive, interactive experiences. You will be involved, as most top game composers are, from concept to completion of short, model game projects for which you will write the music, record it in session, and then, as a music designer, implement it in middleware, and work with the team to integrate it with the game engine to produce a final integrated product. Just as in the earlier Screen Scoring modules, where the musical and dramatic challenges posed by individual short scenes or sequences served as exercises in development of your craft, you will work in short-form so that your finished work can furnish pieces for your portfolio. Credits 4.5 Prerequisites MFA 511
In this third and final in the technology sequence, the focus will be entirely on the emerging craft of music design, the integration and implementation of the linear musical elements provided by the game composer into the game engine via what is known as middleware. In-depth exploration of platforms such as Wwise and FMOD, as well as the vast creative possibilities for creating immersive experience in non-linear media. Credits 4.5
MFA 525Find Your Voice Tutorial: Directed Study II2
“Find your voice” is the imperative given to every student who enrolls in the Master of Fine Arts program. It is not always a straightforward process, as you must hone, winnow and polish to clear away what is merely imitative and arrive at something truly original. This is what the industry demands. In intensive individual sessions, your work will be critiqued and shaped in order to bring out the gold of your own personal identity. Credits 2
MFA 526SoundTrek II Live Recording Experience (Virtual)1
Material assigned in MFA521 Screen Scoring III to be recorded in remote/virtual recording sessions conducted in Europe but monitored by students and staff in Atlanta. Credits 1 Strayer University 2026-2027 Catalog 346
This advanced composition class will pair you with a group of young independent or advanced student filmmakers to collaborate on the scoring of a selected series of short films that are either festival-bound or have been featured on the festival circuit. From spotting to scoring and mixing, the course will model professional practice at every stage. The resulting scores will be professionally recorded in the capstone quarter on a selected European scoring stage with students in attendance. All sessions will be filmed and scores professionally mixed. Recording is expected to take place over an extended period in the designated country. Credits 4.5 Prerequisites MFA 521
Tools for AI-assisted music creation are currently in a formative state, but considering their rapid rate of advancement it is not unreasonable to expect that in the near future many lower budget projects and library catalogs will be at least partially scored with AI utilities. These are the same projects that today support the early careers of many composers. It is therefore essential that you become familiar with these tools, and that music creators find ways to become their masters rather than their servants. This course is a survey of existing AI technology and includes an analysis of current and future trends for AI-assisted music creation. You will also practice composition utilizing leading AI music platforms. Credits 3
MFA 535Find Your Voice Tutorial: Directed Study III2
“Find your voice” is the imperative given to every student who enrolls in the Master of Fine Arts program. It is not always a straightforward process, as you must hone, winnow and polish to clear away what is merely imitative and arrive at something truly original. This is what the industry demands. In intensive individual sessions, your work will be critiqued and shaped in order to bring out the gold of your own personal identity. Credits 2
MFA 536SoundTrek III Live Recording Experience (International)1
During this course, you will undertake to score complete live-action narrative, animated, or documentary short films to demonstrate mastery of the craft and prepare you for your thesis capstone project. You will write for varying large orchestral ensembles blended with electronic elements, and your work will be recorded in live session on a designated European scoring stage with full professional crew, complemented by cultural learning experiences. Note: Recording is anticipated to occur over a period of 1-2 weeks in the designated country. This SoundTrek occurs in the final quarter of the program, travel to a designated European studio location is required. Full participation in this exercise is required. All travel expenses (e.g., airfare/transportation, lodging, incidentals, and meals) are the responsibility of the student. Strayer will cover the studio reservation and recording fees. Students are responsible for securing their own visa, if needed. Credits 1 Strayer University 2026-2027 Catalog 347
Music editing, the assembly, recombination, processing and pre-mixing of all music elements in postproduction, is both a gateway profession for those wishing to compose and an alternative career path for those who opt for a more stable occupation that is nonetheless at the heart of the craft. The music editor is the composer’s most valuable ally and is present throughout the entire scoring and re-recording (dubbing) process. You will also learn about music supervision, which encompasses the entire range of services needed to satisfy a project’s music needs. This includes researching, selecting, clearing and licensing pre-existing music for either diegetic (“source”) or non-diegetic use; engaging songwriters, supervising their efforts, and serving as an executive music producer; and recommending and securing a composer for the score. Credits 4.5
The media composer who is also able to conduct his or her music will not only have an extra measure of creative control over the outcome of their recordings, but may become eligible for additional earnings as a hired studio conductor. In preparation for the capstone recording sessions in the EU in MFA 536, all students will undertake this workshop and thereby gain the competence and confidence to conduct your summative piece. Credits 3
