DOCUMENTARY FILM
The School of Journalism and Strategic Media offers a concentration in Documentary Film in its Master’s of Arts program. This degree prepares graduates to work as documentary filmmakers, in independent and academic jobs, with study and practicum in the field of long-form, non-fiction storytelling. The degree is also useful for graduates planning to work in corporate and non-profit video production, by developing skills in writing, videography, editing, producing and directing.
Students in the documentary track complete 24 hours of graduate coursework, and 6
hours of thesis credit. The coursework should be 18 hours of journalism courses and
6 hours from another area of concentration. First year students take Journalism Theory,
Research Methods, and Documentary Production I and II, where a documentary short film
is produced.
DOCUMENTARY THESIS OPTION | EXAMPLES
Thesis Films
The Jim Lindsey Story (2013)
Producer: Clint Fullen (Trailer: 1:07)
Temple of Peace (2010)
Producer: Hayot Tuychiev (Promo: 4:25)
Witch Hazel Advent: The Story of an Ozark Poet (2013)
Producer: Sarah Moore Chyrchell (Trailer: 1:49)
Faculty Films
The Art of Crystal Bridges (2012)
Larry Foley, Hayot Tuychiev, Dale Carpenter (Promo: 1:59)
A New Island (2007)
Dale Carpenter (Promo: 0:41)
Up Among the Hills (2012)
Larry Foley and Hayot Tuychiev (Promo: 1:42)
Meet the Faculty
Meet Our Graduates
Jesse Abdenour
Jesse Abdenour is an Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication. Abdenour worked in television news for eight years as a reporter and anchor. He received his bachelor’s degree from Ohio University, his master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Arkansas, and his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His MA thesis film won a regional Emmy award while he was a student at the University of Arkansas.
Clint Fullen
Clint Fullen (WRITER, DIRECTOR & EDITOR) was raised on the Razorbacks. Attending the University of Arkansas, the young filmmaker received degrees in broadcast journalism and creative writing. In 2013, he was awarded a master’s in documentary filmmaking. Throughout his academic career, Fullen freelanced as a commercial and documentary director. His short films have toured more than one–hundred locations across the United States, and his work has been broadcast nationally through “PBS Frontline” and “PBS Planet Forward.” “The Jim Lindsey Story” is Fullen’s largest and most ambitious project to date.
University of Arkansas
205 Kimpel Hall
Fayetteville AR 72701