Creative students choose Columbia because they want to make a career, a living, and a life doing what they love. Columbia College Chicago is an international leader and recognized pioneer in arts and media education.
Our creative learning environment in the heart of Chicago allows students to practice their craft from day one, develop an authentic voice, and launch successful careers in the visual, performing, and media arts.
With over 120 years of deep experience teaching creative students to develop authentic voices and meaningful skills, Columbia graduates are fully prepared to launch sustainable careers in the visual, performing, media, and communication arts. Columbia College Chicago's educational philosophy is rooted in the essential wedding of theory with practice. Students are immerse in a creative learning environment designed to give them ample opportunity to test and perfect their art, craft, or practice, while grounding them in a rigorous academic curriculum that provides broad context and the intellectual, analytical, and creative capacity to succeed in their chosen fields.
Undergraduate programs include: Art and Design, Art and Materials Conservation, American Sign Language - English Interpretation, Audio Arts and Acoustics, Business & Entrepreneurship, Cinema Art + Science, Creative Writing, Cultural Studies, Dance, Early Childhood Education, Fashion Studies, Interactive Arts and Media, Multimedia Journalism, Music, Photography, Radio, Television, and Theatre.
Graduate programs include: Cinema Art + Science - Directing (MFA), Cinema Art + Science - Creative Producing (MFA), Creative Writing -Fiction (MFA), Creative Writing - Nonfiction (MFA), Creative Writing - Poetry (MFA), Dance Movement Therapy and Counseling (MA), Interdisciplinary Arts (MA), Interdisciplinary Arts & Media (MFA), Interdisciplinary Book & Paper Arts (MFA), Journalism (MA), Business & Entrepreneurship (MAM), Education (MAT), Music Composition for the Screen (MFA), and Photography (MFA).