The Communication Arts combined B.F.A./M.A. program allows students to achieve a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Arts and a Master of Arts in Communication Arts in five (5) years.

The five-year program creates a fast track to our master’s degree by allowing accomplished communication arts students to complete a total of 109 undergraduate credits, and then move into the 36-credit Master of Arts Program. This combined degree is intended for students who wish to be recognized as graduates of a highly competitive and unique program. It also offers students an opportunity to gain an “edge” in the marketplace while incurring less time and expense.

Admissions: Entering freshmen who wish to apply for admission to the combined B.F.A./M.A. program must have a minimum combined SAT score of 1100 and/or a 90 (3.5) average in high school. Students in the regular undergraduate degree program who demonstrate academic success as evidenced by their academic performance (3.0 GPA or better) may request consideration for transfer into the five-year program at the beginning of their second academic year, or completion of 30 credits. Communication arts majors from other institutions may transfer into this program provided that they have a 3.0 GPA and transfer in no more than 30 credits.

Two letters of recommendation are also required of all applicants to the five-year program. The applicants will also be interviewed by the chairperson and members of the graduate committee of the communication arts department in order to ascertain their ability to meet the challenges of the program they are about to undertake. Students who apply for admission but are not accepted into the combined B.F.A./M.A. program will automatically be considered for admission into the four-year B.F.A. program in communication arts.

Annual Reevaluation: All students in this combined program will be reviewed at the end of each of the first three academic years in order to monitor their performance. Students whose grade point averages fall below 3.0 will be notified that their standing in the program is in jeopardy and they will be reevaluated at the end of the following semester.

Progression to the M.A.: Students will progress to the graduate phase of the combined degree program after completing all 109 undergraduate credits with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0.

For additional information, please consult our Course Catalog.

(*) A student’s graduate work would begin in the 8th semester at NYIT. At the graduate level, students will take 4 core courses (12 CR) spread out over the three semesters of graduate work. Students will also select 24 CR of graduate level courses from those listed in our Graduate Catalog. Students should continue to consult with faculty advisors to select electives that will form one of four graduate tracks.