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Drawing on all the opportunities that New York City presents, this intimate, multidisciplinary Master of Fine Arts in performance and interactive media arts (PIMA) program features working artists at the top of their game. The program emphasizes the use of technology as a means of extending personal artistic practice and facilitating cross-disciplinary collaborations. Students receive practical experience staging and producing live performances and interactive engagement.
PIMA graduates have gone on to work on Broadway, the opera world, film, and live performance in a wide range of venues. They are media designers, production managers, and performers of acclaimed works. Their productions reflect the complex and diverse cultural needs of contemporary society. They are technologically savvy, well informed about the place of the arts in today’s world, and socially engaged.
The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2024–25 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.
PIMA is a four-semester full-time graduate degree program providing students with training in theoretical, technical, and practical experience in the conceptualization and production of collaborative, multi-disciplinary artworks presented in a performance setting. Students learn to use technology as a means of extending their personal artistic practice and facilitating cross-disciplinary artistic collaborations. Students with diverse academic, artistic, professional, and cultural backgrounds enter the program and work in collaborative groups throughout the course of study, with close mentoring by faculty members. Most students come to the program with an established career or career goal in an arts field and generally continue in that field after completing the PIMA degree, utilizing the degree for advancement, skills development, or as an entrée into academia. In the second year, a major collaborative thesis production is created and presented in a professional venue. The program is a cooperative effort of the departments of Art, Computer and Information Science, Film, Television, Radio & Emerging Media, and Theater, and the Conservatory of Music. The faculty is drawn from its contributing departments.
Applicants must offer a graduate or undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university completed with a grade point average of 3.00 or higher. Applicants must also offer a portfolio of creative work (which may consist of work in any medium including computer software), letters of recommendation, and TOEFL score of at least 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test or 79 on the internet-based test, if required. An interview with a member of the selection committee is strongly recommended.
Applicants must obtain and file an application form with the program director in addition to the regular college admission application; both are available online.
Selection of applicants will be based on a faculty committee review of the following: the applicant’s creative portfolio, evidence of the applicant’s interest in collaborative creative production, letters of reference indicating significant artistic promise, artistic background and experience, and the applicant’s interview (if conducted).
A committee chaired by the program director will review all applications and make admission decisions based on the criteria stated above.
Students should note additional requirements found in the sections “Graduate Admission” and “Academic Regulations and Procedures.”
Students pursuing the M.F.A. will complete a total of 46 credits and a significant thesis production, which is a collaboration with at least one other matriculated student.
The following courses are required:
PIMA 7010G, 7020G, 7030G, 7210G, 7220G, 7230G, 7240G, 7321G, 7322G, 7741G, 7742G.
Three additional credits of independent projects are required, taken under course numbers: PIMA 7110G, 7120G, 7130G.
Nine additional credits shall be chosen from selected PIMA elective courses offered by: the PIMA program; the departments of Art, Computer and Information Science, the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, Television, Radio & Emerging Media, Theater; and the Conservatory of Music. Permission of the PIMA director is required
To receive the Master of Fine Arts in performance and interactive media arts, students will be required to complete the program with a grade point average of 3.00 or better.
The programs in performance and interactive media arts provide students with training, theoretical and technical background, and practical experience in the conceptualization and production of collaborative, multi-disciplinary artworks. Working groups emerge from a cohesive community of artists made up of the students and faculty of the programs. Works are presented in a performance setting. Students learn to use technology as a means of extending their personal artistic practice and facilitating cross-disciplinary artistic collaborations. Students with diverse academic, artistic, professional, and cultural backgrounds enter the program, form a close-knit community, and work in collaborative groups throughout the course of study, with close mentoring by faculty members. In the second year, a major collaborative thesis production is created and presented in a professional venue.
Our goals are to provide:
Students will:
Submit the following documents to the Office of Graduate Admissions:
The same requirements apply to non-degree applicants.
Refer to the instructions at Graduate Admissions.
5307 Boylan Hall E: jmccoy@brooklyn.cuny.edu P: 718.951.5183
505s Whitehead Hall E: jannone@brooklyn.cuny.edu P: 718.951.5000, ext. 1188
Learn More About the PIMA Program
Or contact:
222 West Quad Center 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210 E: grads@brooklyn.cuny.edu P: 718.951.4536
Mondays–Fridays, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
To make an appointment with a graduate admissions counselor, visit:
BC Admissions Appointment Tool
Brooklyn College is an integral part of the cultural and artistic energy of New York City. Our faculty members in Performance & Interactive Media Arts offer incomparable expertise and tremendous talent, and each bring a unique perspective to their teaching and mentoring in and out of the classroom.
Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the PIMA M.F.A. program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:
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