Master of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Arts at Duke University

Programme overview

The MFA is a terminal degree offered by three units: Art, Art History and Visual Studies; the Center for Documentary Studies; and Cinematic Arts. It combines documentary practice with experimental work in analog, digital and computational media and encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration. Entering classes are 12-15 students; part-time study is not available.

Faculty: Duke University Graduate School | Department: Art, Art History & Visual Studies; Center for Documentary Studies; Cinematic Arts | Intake: Fall | Study mode: full-time | Location: Durham, NC, United States

What you will study

Documentary practice combined with experimental work across analog, digital and computational media, aimed at applicants with an established practice in documentary arts, film/video, new media or experimental technology.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Graduate School application: Letters of recommendation: 3 Required; Statement of purpose: Required; GRE: Not required; English test: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test required for applicants whose first language is not English. Unofficial transcripts required with the application. Application deadline: January 28.

Graduate School master's programmes list application deadlines for fall 2027 entry; Fuqua online MSQM programmes start September 2026, the MQM and MMS Foundations of Business start July 2026, the Daytime MBA starts August 2026 and the Weekend Executive MBA starts May 2027.

The Occupational Therapy Doctorate starts in August for applicants admitted in both the fall and spring rounds.

Fall 2027 Graduate School master's deadlines: Analytical Political Economy 01/28/2027; Applied Ethics & Policy 03/18/2027; Biomedical Engineering 02/01/2027; Civil and Environmental Engineering 01/10/2027; Computer Science 02/01/2027; Critical Asian and Middle Eastern Humanities 02/17/2027; Dance (MFA) 12/17/2026; Digital Art History/Computational Media 01/28/2027; East Asian Studies 01/31/2027; Economics 01/14/2027; Economics and Computation 02/01/2027; Electrical and Computer Engineering 01/16/2027; Experimental and Documentary Arts 01/28/2027; Global Health 02/26/2027; Graduate Liberal Studies 06/01/2027; Humanities 03/15/2027; Interdisciplinary Data Science 01/28/2027; Master of Arts in Teaching 01/29/2027; Materials Science and Engineering 03/15/2027; Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science 01/19/2027; Medical Physics 01/08/2027; Political Science 02/16/2027; Population Health Sciences 01/15/2027; Religious Studies 02/01/2027; Slavic and Eurasian Studies 02/01/2027; Statistical Science 01/05/2027. History and Quantitative Financial Economics are not accepting applications for 2027 enrollment.

Occupational Therapy Doctorate 2026-27 application deadlines: Fall round Thursday, October 8, 2026; Spring round Tuesday, January 12, 2027 (applications through OTCAS). Fall applicants are notified the first week of December 2026 and spring applicants the first week of March 2027.

Apply through the official page: https://gradschool.duke.edu/admissions/

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