Welcome All, The Visual Communications Building, completed in 1983, is home to the Media & Theatre Arts Department and a state of the art Black Box Theater.

Both offer excellent laboratories, studios, and state-of-the-art equipment. The department normally presents four stage productions a year in the Strand Union Theatre, which has compete construction and paint shops, as well as a costume department.

Montana State University has several distinct advantages for students. Its study option in motion picture production is one of the few in the nation offering a full curriculum in film. The photography major is unique in a five-state area. The Media and Theatre Arts Department offers students the opportunity to intern with KUSM, Montana Public Television, as well as other organizations in the area. We are also home to the renowned Shakespeare in the Parks, a professional theatre company, which performs live stage productions throughout Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho each summer.

It is our goal to create a challenging and positive atmosphere for educating men and women who desire to become professionals in film, photography, television, theatre and video. The department works to promote friendly and supportive relationships between students, faculty and staff, while maintaining and striving for high academic standards. Throughout the United States, graduates from our department pursue successful careers in their chosen area of specialization. We keep close contact with our graduates.

All MTA students are subject to “academic gates,” which specify minimum grade point averages (GPA’s) on required MTA courses. In the event a student has AP credits for a required freshman course such as ENGL 121, the student is not required to take the course at MSU. In this case, a student’s GPA will be calculated by averaging the grades in the remaining required courses. If you have earned college credits elsewhere and will be entering our department as a transfer student, please note that MPVT courses are tightly structured and all of them numbered 222 and above call for specific pre-requisites. You should not expect to enroll in any of these courses during your first semester at Montana State University. As a student, being aware of university deadlines and departmental procedures, as well as utilizing all opportunities available to you, proves helpful in registering for desired courses.

Again, welcome to MSU and the Department of Media and Theatre Arts.

Sincerely,

Walter Metz
MTA Interim Department Head

Return to regular view	Text-only	Updated: 7/14/08