MIAP Application Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in the Moving Image Archiving and Preservation (MIAP) Master of Arts (MA) program in the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts!

Applications open in early September and are accepted until January 15th of each year for Fall admission. 

Applications for Fall 2025 are now closed. Applications for Fall 2026 will open in September 2025.

APPLY 

Please email tisch.preservation@nyu.edu if you have any questions about the MIAP program.

Application Components:

The required application components are listed below and should be submitted through the online application system. Please note that standardized test scores, such as those from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), are not required.

1. The General Graduate Application to Tisch School of the Arts. 
2. A professional résumé listing academic background, work experience, honors, affiliations with professional organizations, papers presented at conferences, published work, language ability, etc.
3. A statement of purpose (two to three double-spaced pages) outlining your academic and professional background, goals, and what you hope to gain from the program. MIAP applicants should demonstrate an interest in the history and preservation of the moving image. In your statement of purpose, please clearly state and explain why you are interested in our program.
4. A writing sample (15-20 double-spaced pages) that reflects your ability to carry out sustained critical, theoretical, and/or historical thinking on film, television, video, and/or new media. In the absence of a moving image-related topic, a piece of writing on a subject in the arts or humanities is acceptable. At the end of your writing sample, include an alphabetized list of references and/or works cited.
5. Letters of recommendation. Contact two recommenders and ask each to submit a letter on your behalf through the online application system. MIAP applicants may ask a third recommender to submit a letter, but this neither required nor expected. Submitting a MIAP application with two rather than three letters will not be viewed negatively.
6. Transcript(s). Gather all academic transcripts, scan them, and attach them to the online application in the specified section.
7. Along with the above requirements, international students also must follow the requirements as outlined in Tisch's International Application Requirements page.

There is a $65 application fee paid at the end of the general application. The fee can be paid by credit card or e-check. Applicants for whom the application fee poses a hardship can request a waiver by sending an email to Director of Graduate Admissions Joseph Miserendino (jm7@nyu.edu). In your email be prepared to explain the nature of the hardship and provide evidence supporting your request for a waiver.