What began in 1990 as the ‘Audiovisual Media’ diploma programme with 25 students has now become an internationally oriented, interdisciplinary course of study: Media Arts at the KHM.

This is where art, film, media, design, programming and research come together. Students can set their own areas of focus, develop one’s own artistic language, combine disciplines and fields of study, and put their ideas to the test directly in projects.

The spectrum ranges from animation, cinematography and experimental film, through sound, photography, video, performance and public art, to computing, net art, queer studies, multispecies storytelling, creative writing, and screenwriting and directing for documentaries and feature films.

The ‘Media Arts’ programme can be completed in nine semesters (Diploma 1) or in four semesters (Diploma 2). Both qualifications are equivalent internationally to a Master of Fine Arts (MFA). The programme is complemented by a PhD programme leading to a Dr. phil.

Around 400 people are currently studying at the KHM, of whom at least 40 per cent come from abroad. Approximately 75 new applicants are admitted each winter semester.

The KHM is firmly established within the canon of German art and film academies. It also thrives on interdisciplinary exchange. Collaborations with universities, museums, festivals, exhibition venues and the film and media industry forge links far beyond the institution’s walls.

Many graduates go on to work as artists, filmmakers, designers, programmers, writers or producers, either in collectives, their own companies or at universities. Numerous awards and international invitations – from the Venice Biennale to the Student Oscar – demonstrate the visibility of work produced at the KHM.