Dual Degrees | MBA/MFA

Program Structure
Admission to the MBA/MFA Program
Tuition & Financial Aid
Career Services
Student Life

The program is a partnership between NYU Stern and the Kanbar Institute of Film & Television at the Tisch School of the Arts. Designed to be the most comprehensive of its kind, harnessing the top faculty and resources of each school, the dual degree program produces highly employable individuals sought by major film studios, independent production companies and major television studios and networks.

The MBA/MFA program is designed to be completed over the course of three years, instead of the approximately four years that it would take to complete the MBA and MFA degrees independently. The first year of the program is spent at NYU Stern, the second year is spent at Kanbar and the third year is split between the two programs.

The MBA/MFA program takes three years to complete, including two summers. Students spend the first year at Stern, the second year at Kanbar and the third year is split between the two schools. Both summers are spent completing degree requirements at Kanbar. To view a sample schedule, visit the MBA Academic Affairs website.

MBA/MFA students register with either Kanbar or NYU Stern depending on where they are taking the majority of their credits in a particular semester.

For the 2025 NYU Stern Dual Degree application, please visit the Dual Degree Application page.

To apply for the MBA/MFA program, candidates must complete NYU Stern’s dual degree application as well as an application for Kanbar. While no additional admissions standards are applied to applications at either school, students qualify for the MBA/MFA program only upon admission to both schools. Please note that candidates will only be considered for the MBA/MFA dual degree program if they receive an invitation to interview from Kanbar.

Students who are already enrolled at NYU Stern may apply to the MBA/MFA program and will be considered on a space-available basis. Availability depends on the number of admitted students from the year prior who choose to enroll and remain in the MBA/MFA dual degree program. Interested first-year MBA students should contact admissions.gradfilm@nyu.edu to inquire about space availability. To apply, first-year MBA students must submit a complete application to Kanbar during their first semester.

MBA/MFA dual degree applicants must use NYU Stern’s dual degree application. They cannot apply using the Consortium application or NYU Stern’s MBA application.

MBA/MFA students pay full tuition and fees at the school through which they are registered each semester. If a student exceeds the maximum number of per-semester credits and/or courses permitted by the program in which she/he is registered, the tuition and fees for the additional credits must be paid to that program.

All applicants admitted to Stern are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships. Scholarships to the Kanbar Institute are awarded on a competitive basis and may reflect academic merit as well as demonstrated financial need.

View information on Stern MBA financial aid and Tisch financial aid.

Students are encouraged to take advantage of all career counseling and placement services at both NYU Stern and Tisch throughout the dual degree program. However, please note that students pursuing careers in the entertainment sector typically follow a primarily self-directed career search, as media and entertainment firms have not traditionally recruited on campus.

In their first year, MBA/MFA students have access to Stern's Ignite program. Ignite consists of required and optional workshops, panel discussions, mini-courses, Q&A sessions, mock interviews, resume critiques and functionally-specific strategy groups. In the second year, students have access to career counseling and online tools at Stern. In their third year, students can participate in the on-campus recruiting program at Stern. It should be noted that since both summers are spent completing academic requirements at Kanbar, MBA/MFA students are not expected to pursue a summer internship.

Learn more about career resources at Stern and Tisch.

MBA/MFA students are encouraged to become active in campus life at both schools. There are dozens of student clubs and organizations at both Stern and the Tisch School of the Arts.