graduate studies in entertainment, design & creative enterprise

stackable certificates
master’s of fine arts

mike fernandez, dean, george shinn college of entertainment and the arts
steve taylor, director, school of theatre and cinematic arts
melissa forte, director, graduate studies in entertainment, design & creative enterprise

core faculty

steve taylor, director school of theatre & cinematic arts, assistant professor of film
melissa forte, chair cinematic arts, associate professor of film
mike nawrocki, associate professor of film
brinn daniels, assistant professor of film
larry brown, professor of theatre
matt huesmann, professor of film
in addition to core faculty, distinguished practitioners with expertise in the field will teach selected classes.

the entertainment, design & creative enterprise stackable graduate certificates program is designed for artists by artists, with all the important elements of a graduate program; online learning, feedback and community. individuals who hold a bachelors degree in any field may choose to enter an online certificate program to begin new skills or build on previous skills in several different areas of the creative arts. they also have the choice to apply for the full mfa program through completion of three certificates and an mfa thesis project.

any one certificate completion requires 18hrs of course work. three certificates can be stacked and combined with a thesis project to earn the terminal mfa degree. the mfa thesis course is variable credit for 3 - 6 hours depending on the proposed project. the total hours required for the mfa will be between 57 - 60 hrs. our current mfa program is a 62 credit hour program.

the flexibility of this program allows students to acquire broad knowledge across the arts and entertainment business. while we will be starting the certificates this year in writing and animation, we will be adding certificates next year in the entertainment business area as well as ui & ux and then in following years we will add certificates in film post production and visual effects, film music, songwriting and fashion.

classes are held online with most of them being synchronous. there are several short term travel course options to encourage networking and collaborations among students and industry professionals.

applicants to graduate programs must submit the following:

application form. each applicant must complete an application form. the application form is available at gradstudies.lipscomb.edu/, then click on admissions, then “apply today.” the application can be completed online or downloaded in a pdf version.
application fee. each application should be accompanied by a $50 nonrefundable application fee.
official transcript(s). each applicant must submit an official transcript, showing degree conferral when appropriate, from all schools attended.
health form.* each applicant must submit a completed health form signed by a health care provider. (to print a copy of the health form, visit www.fellaworld.com/healthcenter/forms.)
ferpa.* the family educational rights and privacy act affords students certain rights of access to educational records; even if you are independent of your parents, you must submit this form prior to enrollment.
resume. a resume detailing the applicant’s work and academic experience is required.
toefl. the test of english as a foreign language is required for international students. (see section titled international students for more information.)
animation portfolio for certificates in animation. the website keeps an updated list of portfolio items.
sample writing. for students wishing to advanced beyond a foundational screenwriting or television writing course they may submit a script sample showing excellent screenplay and teleplay formatting based on the hollywood standard.

transfer of courses

although all graduate credit hours may be transferred from another accredited institution, a maximum of nine hours will be counted toward any one certificate. the director or appropriate faculty member of the graduate program will evaluate the course(s) being proposed for transfer and make a determination of suitability. no course with a grade below a “b” will be considered for transfer. see “special consideration ” in front of catalog.

advanced standing

students coming from an approved undergrad program may qualify for advanced standing credit on up to nine hours worth of credit in one certificate program. the following courses are eligible for advance standing credit:

writer’s in development

2d animation principles

producing i

determination factors include a grade of ‘a’ in the undergrad equivalent. decisions on these requests will be made by the chair of film & creative media.

documentation

students are required to provide satisfactory documentation of personal identification for off-site learning experiences required in many programs of graduate study at 世界杯2022预选赛录像回放 . failure to provide proper credentials will result in failure to complete the desired course of study. for complete policy, see section required documentation for off-site learning experiences in the opening section of this catalog.

student classifications

students are admitted to graduate courses in one of five categories:

graduate student: one who has satisfied all admissions requirements. (average of 3.0 on undergraduate work, acceptable standardized exam scores.) a student with an incomplete admission file will be accepted to the program at the discretion of the program director but will be placed on an academic hold which will prevent registration for the following semester. once the proper admissions documents have been received, the hold will be removed and the student will be allowed to register for the following semester.
conditionally admitted student: one who has been admitted conditionally, at the discretion of the program director, without satisfying all admission requirements. students admitted with the following criteria may be required to complete a minimum of nine hours of graduate work with a grade of “b” or above.
1. from an unaccredited school or with a substandard gpa or standardized test score.
2. a transfer student with a graduate gpa between 2.50 and 2.99. the transfer student must be in good standing at the previous institution attended.
3. as a student who has not completed a bachelor’s degree program. the transfer student must be in good standing at the previous institution attended.
non-degree student: one who has been admitted to graduate studies and has met all admission requirements except gpa or standardized exam score. the student may take up to nine semester hours for graduate credit. those hours may be applied toward a master’s degree if the student makes a grade of “b” or better in the courses taken for credit and if all admission requirements (gpa and entrance test score) are met and the student is formally admitted to a graduate program as a degree-seeking student.
visiting student: one who is currently enrolled as a student in good standing at the post-bachelor’s level at another graduate school, wishes to take courses at lipscomb and desires to have transcript evidence of course work done at lipscomb provided for the school of primary enrollment.
probationary student: one who has been readmitted to a graduate program following academic suspension from the program.

admission to a program does not imply admission to candidacy for the master’s degree. only those students who meet the requirements for “graduate student” described above are eligible for candidacy.

academic policies

course load

a student enrolled for six hours per block is considered a full-time student. a student enrolled for less than six hours is considered a part-time student. no student will be permitted to enroll for more than 12 hours per block without special approval from the director of the graduate program.

academic standing

see graduate academic standing policy.

degree completion requirements

guidelines for stackable certificates

minimum standards for stackable certificates
1. all coursework used to satisfy a particular certificate’s requirements must be completed within a 3 year period with a grade of “c” or higher.
2. after completing three stackable certificates a student can earn an mfa through an approved thesis project and by taking the thesis course for credit between 3 - 6 hours. the student has five years to complete the thesis project and earn the mfa.
  1. thesis projects must be approved by and overseen by the graduate certificate committee which consists of faculty from each discipline withing the cea.
3. students must earn a grade point average of at least 3.0 in all courses used to satisfy any certificate program.
4. substitutions on course requirements can only be given with the approval of the director of the entertainment, design & creative enterprise program.
the maximum professional credit that can be given in any one certificate is nine hours per certificate.

statute of limitations

all requirements for the m.a. or m.f.a. in film and creative media degree must be completed within a five-year period from the time of initial matriculation.

candidacy

admission to a program does not imply admission to candidacy for the master’s degree. during the course of pursuing m.f.a. degree or any one certificate program, the student must be admitted to “candidacy.” for admission to candidacy the student must satisfy the following:

complete all required undergraduate deficiencies if admitted on condition.
complete at least 12 hours of graduate work.
maintain a 3.00 gpa on all courses taken toward the requirements for the degree with no incomplete grades.
file a degree plan/application for candidacy in the graduate program office which meets all requirements and is approved by the administrator of the graduate program and the dean of the college. the degree plan must be filed during the second semester of graduate work in the program.

after admission to candidacy and approval of the degree plan, any changes in the degree plan must be approved by the administrator of the graduate program and the dean of the college. the application for candidacy must be filed before the beginning of the student’s last semester in the program. no student will be allowed to graduate in the same semester in which the application for candidacy is filed.

minimum credits

the entertainment, design & creative enterprise mfa degree requires a minimum of 3 certificate completion hours equaling 54 hours plus 3 - 6 hours for the completion of a thesis project that has been approved by the thesis committee. each certificate within the entertainment, design & creative enterprise program requires 18hours of coursework.

minimum gpa

the minimum cumulative grade-point average for all programs is 3.00 for all graduate courses taken for graduate credit while pursuing the degree. no grade below a “c” is acceptable. such grades will not apply toward degree completion.

graduation

students who do not file their intent to graduate form in the registrar’s office by the announced application deadline may be delayed in graduating. to be eligible to graduate, all coursework required for the degree must be completed prior to the degree conferral date.

graduate students receiving degrees are hooded during the may and december commencement exercises.

appeals

any exceptions to the above stated requirements would require approval by the associate provost for research and graduate studies in collaboration with the dean of the college and the program director.

tuition and fees for 2024-25

tuition
tuition per credit hour	$1,090
tuition to audit	50% of tuition

fees
application fee	$50
graduation fee	$250
returned payment fee	$30
payment plan enrollment fee (per semester)	$60

the tuition cost does not include program fees or equipment purchasing fees.

*program trip fee (see program information for details)*

program of study requirements

certificate

certificates do not imply professional certification but are intended to strengthen students’ qualifications and professional portfolios in specific areas.