Strayer University Launches Master of Fine Arts in Screen Scoring & Music Design in Atlanta

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03/24/2026 - 07:02 AM

Media Design School at Strayer expected to open mid-town campus and award up to 20 full‑tuition scholarships to inaugural cohort

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, the Media Design School at Strayer (MDS), a leading global school for creative and digital technology, announced the launch of its Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Screen Scoring & Music Design. The program is currently only approved at Strayer’s Chamblee, Georgia campus, which is expected to move to a new location in mid-town Atlanta in late June 2026, subject to regulatory approval. Courses will be offered in person.

“Launching MDS in the U.S. is a milestone for Strayer and a tremendous moment for emerging composers,” said Rick Kaplan, Senior Vice President, MDS. “Atlanta’s global influence in music and entertainment makes it the ideal home to launch our MFA program. By offering full-tuition scholarships to our inaugural class, we’re investing directly in the next generation of screen composers, storytellers, and innovators.”

The program opened applications on February 25, 2026, with classes slated to start in July. To celebrate the launch, MDS will award up to 20 full-tuition scholarships to its inaugural cohort, expanding access to creative arts education and training in one of the world’s most vibrant entertainment capitals.

“The launch of the MFA in screen scoring and music design marks an important milestone for Strayer University and a new chapter for MDS in the United States,” said Dr. Toni Farmer-Thompson, President of Strayer University. “For more than 130 years, Strayer has expanded access to rigorous, career-focused education. We are proud to extend that legacy to the next generation of screen composers and music designers who will shape the future of entertainment.”

The 15-month MFA immerses students in orchestral composition, electronic music production, sound design, and scoring for film, television, games, and emerging media platforms. Students will study in Atlanta’s rapidly growing entertainment ecosystem that is home to major film studios, music labels, and a globally-influential music scene. Students will learn from esteemed faculty who bring decades of professional experience in screen scoring and music design.

The MFA program will be led by renowned screen scoring educator Andy Hill, who brings a notable history as music producer and supervisor that includes a Grammy Award and a twenty year stint in Hollywood that began with his oversight of music production during the Disney Renaissance. His acclaimed textbook, Scoring The Screen: The Secret Language of Music for Film and Contemporary Media, will see its second edition published in May by Bloomsbury Academic.

“After over nearly four decades of producing, supervising and midwifing music for the screen, as well as designing and directing four graduate-level degree programs from the ground up, I have learned which elements of training truly prepare artists for long term success in a very tough business,” said Andy Hill, Executive Dean of Screen Scoring and Music Design, MDS. “This MFA will be different from the others because it is designed for a world in which the rules of creative engagement are changing week by week, and creators are needing to be agile. We will teach students the craft, but we will also immerse them in the professional realities of the industry. This program is designed to nurture bold, original voices and guide them toward people and places that will value them.”

A New Zealand Legacy Arrives in Atlanta

Founded in Auckland, New Zealand in 1998, MDS has become a global leader in creative industry education, recognized for award winning programs in animation, VFX, gaming, design, and contemporary music arts.

“The launch of this MFA represents a significant evolution of the academic portfolio and global footprint of MDS,” said Steve Dorner, Managing Director, MDS. “For more than 25 years, MDS has championed creative innovation and helped emerging talent build careers on the world stage. Expanding into the United States allows us to bring our legacy to a city alive with artistic energy and mark an exciting new chapter for our global community.”

Global Talent Spotlight: Live at the Forum Finalists

The announcement follows the success of Live at the Forum: “An Anthem for a New Era,” a global call for original 1:30-2:00 minute screen scores. Five composers were selected from around the globe to record their compositions in January of this year with the acclaimed Forum Studios orchestra in Rome.

Applications Opened February 25

Interested prospective students can find application details, program curriculum, and scholarship information at: https://bit.ly/4smTBzT.

About Strayer University

Founded in 1892, Strayer University is an institution of higher learning for working adult students. It offers flexible and affordable undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business administration (including the Jack Welch Management Institute MBA), accounting, information technology, education, health services, public administration and criminal justice, as well as non-degree web and mobile application development courses through Hackbright Academy and Devmountain, and industry-aligned courses in 3D animation and VFX, gaming, and other visual arts through Media Design School at Strayer.

Strayer University is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), www.msche.org. Strayer University’s accreditation status is Accreditation Reaffirmed. MSCHE most recent action on the institution’s accreditation status on June 22, 2017 was to reaffirm accreditation. MSCHE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation and pre-accreditation (candidate status) activities for institutions of higher education including distance, correspondence education, and direct assessment programs offered at those institutions. The Commission’s geographic area of accrediting activities is throughout the United States. Media Design School at Strayer (“MDS”) is a registered and accredited Private Training Establishment (PTE) under the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). Strayer is not a “University” for the purposes of the Education and Training Act 2020 (New Zealand) (“NZ Act”) or for New Zealand law purposes. The MFA in Screen Scoring & Music Design is not currently offered in New Zealand and is not approved by NZQA.