The Media Design School at Strayer ("MDS at Strayer") is located at 715 Peachtree Street NE in Atlanta's Midtown, occupying the first two floors of the building. The campus features a state-of-the-art facility and composer lab, and houses all MDS at Strayer classes. Classes for the MFA program begin October 5, 2026.

Although Strayer University and MDS at Strayer do not provide or manage student housing in Atlanta, we can provide you with sources of information such as PROMOVE https://www.promove.com that assist students in finding affordable housing; the information will be provided to all accepted students via Strayer’s iCampus site. The new future campus is located in Atlanta’s Midtown commercial district, but there are residential areas with plenty of green spaces within a short distance. We urge you to begin your research early.

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Off-campus housing information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute endorsement or approval by the University or by MDS at Strayer. The University and MDS at Strayer do not inspect, verify, or control any housing options and make no representations regarding safety, quality, pricing, or availability. Students are responsible for independently evaluating and securing all housing arrangements.

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Yes. There is a MARTA stop at Peachtree Center Station, 216 Peachtree Street NE, and also at the North Avenue Station, which is only a seven-minute walk from campus.

Regular classes are scheduled Monday through Thursday, generally between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m, with some exceptions for visiting artists and lecturers. Writing assignments will increase in complexity as the session progresses, so we offer a three-day weekend for composing.

We will use reasonable efforts to provide after-hours access to the MFA lab, as we know this is where many students will do their writing. These hours will be necessarily limited by the building’s security requirements, and by scheduling of Strayer evening classes, but we will attempt to make them as generous as we can. It is recommended that you also keep a MIDI keyboard and basic writing setup in your living space.

Yes, there is a cafe in the building lobby just outside our facility. Students will have access to a kitchenette area which includes two microwaves, two under-counter refrigerators, two Keurig coffee makers, and one counter top water filter/dispenser as well as lounge space for eating, reading or relaxing between classes. There is also a rock-climbing gym on the lower level of the building. There are many restaurants and cafes in the lively Midtown area.

Special pricing is available through Apple’s Education Store. Once you have received your letter of acceptance, you can contact the Apple Education Store at https://www.apple.com/us-edu/store.

MDS at Strayer will provide all required software and subscriptions for utilities such as EastWest ComposerCloud+, Musio+ Complete, Kontakt 8, Dorico 6 notation software, and Pro Tools Studio, as well as required texts in eBook format. The cost of these will be covered by your resource kit fees.

The Resource Kit is $100 at the course level and covers a broad range of technology resources. Students are generally only able to opt out of textbook requirements.

The MFA in Screen Scoring & Music Design includes two required travel experiences as part of the curriculum: a domestic recording trip to Nashville (SoundTrek I in MFA 516) and an international capstone experience (SoundTrek III in MFA 536). The total estimated program travel costs, for which students are responsible, are currently estimated to be $4,000 per student, which covers lodging in Nashville, and airfare and lodging for the international trip. This figure is used for federal financial aid cost-of-attendance calculations and is subject to change without notice.All other costs (except as noted below as being included in the program tuition), including, but not limited to, meals, incidentals, transportation within the recording studio cities, travel-related expenses and other non-University fees, costs and expenses associated with travel, for both trips are also the responsibility of each student and are not included in the $4,000 estimate.

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‍Nashville Recording Trip (SoundTrek I – in MFA 516)
‍Transportation to and from Nashville is included in the program tuition and will be arranged on behalf of all students. MDS at Strayer will provide students with available accommodation options near the venue in advance of the trip so students can plan and book their accommodation accordingly. MDS at Strayer is working with a third-party travel partner to coordinate group logistics and will use reasonable efforts to seek discounted, group, or preferred rates, when available, through coordinated travel arrangements; however, the University does not guarantee the availability of such rates or any resulting savings.

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‍International Capstone (SoundTrek III in MFA 536)
‍The SoundTrek III capstone experience includes 3–4 nights abroad and is an integral part of the program curriculum. MDS at Strayer is working with a third-party travel partner to coordinate group logistics and will use reasonable efforts to seek discounted, group, or preferred rates on airfare and accommodations, when available, through coordinated travel arrangements; however, the University does not guarantee the availability of such rates or any resulting savings.

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‍Recording Sessions
‍Recording sessions — including professional musicians, crew, mixer, Pro Tools session with surround mixes and stems, video footage, and printed scores and parts — are included as part of your program tuition. No additional fees are required for these sessions.

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‍All travel figures and logistics are estimates and subject to confirmation and change without notice. Further details on travel logistics will be shared with enrolled students well in advance of each trip for students to make their final arrangements.

You own the original musical compositions you create as part of the program, including the copyright in the underlying musical work, subject to any pre-existing or third-party materials used in it. Any master recording of your original music composition (including audio, video, mix, master, stems, or session files) created using University facilities, equipment, personnel, or funding, will be owned by Strayer University. Your ownership of the original musical composition itself is not affected. Strayer grants you a license to use these master recordings for your personal and professional use, provided the use does not imply University endorsement. In addition, you may grant or assign a non-exclusive commercial sublicense for synchronization with a third-party audiovisual work, advertisement, trailer, video game, or commercial release.