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The College

Columbia College Chicago is the nations largest and most diverse visual, performing, media, and communication arts college. The foundation of a Columbia education features small class sizes that ensure close interaction with a faculty of working professionals, abundant internship opportunities with major employers in the Chicago and national marketplaces, and outstanding professional facilities that foster learning by doing. All students are encouraged to begin course work in their chosen fields during their freshman year, allowing them four full years in which to master their craft and build professional portfolios, audition tapes, resumes, and clip books. The College provides a strong liberal arts background for the developing artist or communicator and supports student employment goals through a full range of career services.

Columbias enrollment of more than 12,000 students is drawn from Chicago and its suburbs, the Midwest, across the United States, and more than forty-six other countries. The student body is almost equally divided between men and women. Creative students who enjoy a supportive but challenging environment thrive at Columbia.

Columbia College Chicagos six residence halls extend the supportive philosophy of the College. There are a variety of available housing options with a variety of amenities that may include: computer and study rooms, drawing and painting studio space, music practice space, fitness rooms, an indoor heated pool, lake views, and a laundry room. Apartments, suites, and rooms are fully furnished. All facilities are conveniently located steps from the main campus buildings and close to public transportation, all in the heart of downtown Chicago. Students have access to services such as a student health center, counseling, and a broad host of artistic and academic events. Columbia College students are immersed in a creative environment both in and out of the classroom.

Outside the classroom, students participate in activities that include the Colleges award-winning student newspaper, radio station, electronic newsletter, two student magazines, cable television soap opera, three theaters, dance center, photography and art museums, and film and video festival. Many of the more than 75 student clubs on campus are linked to an academic discipline and offer opportunities to expand social and professional networking experiences. Several gallery/caf environments allow students to relax or study between classes. These centers feature a variety of activities, including art exhibits, film screenings, lectures, and live performances of music, comedy, readings, or dance.

At the graduate level, Columbia awards the Master of Arts (M.A.) in creative writing and writing instruction, dance/movement therapy and counseling (as well as the Graduate Laban Certificate in Movement Analysis, GLCMA), interdisciplinary arts, and journalism. The College awards the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in architectural studies, creative writing-fiction, creative writing-poetry, creative writing and writing instruction, film and video, interdisciplinary arts and media, interdisciplinary book and paper arts, interior architecture, music composition for the screen, and photography. The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) is offered in art education and elementary education (K9). The Master of Art Management (M.A.M.) is offered in arts entrepreneurship and small business management, arts in youth and community development (AYCD), media management, music business, performing arts management, and visual arts management.

Location

Columbias campus is set in Chicagos dynamic South Loop neighborhood, across from Grant Park and Lake Michigan. Close to the Art Institute, Navy Pier, the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum, the Chicago Symphony, and several other colleges and universities. Columbias faculty members and students utilize the city of Chicago as a social, educational, and professional resource. Convenient public transportation makes all cultural and educational opportunities easily accessible.

Majors and Degrees

Columbia College grants the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degrees and the Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degree in composition.

The School of Fine and Performing Arts offers majors in art and design (advertising art direction, art history, fashion design, fine arts, graphic design, illustration, interior architecture, and product design); arts, entertainment, and media management (small business/arts entrepreneurship, fashion/retail merchandising, media management, music business, performing arts management, sports management, and visual arts management); dance; fiction writing; music (composition; contemporary, urban, and popular music; instrumental jazz; instrumental performance; music composition; vocal jazz; and vocal performance); photography; and theater (acting, directing, musical theater performance, technical theater, and theater design).

The School of Media Arts offers majors in audio arts and acoustics (acoustics, audio for visual media, sound contracting, and sound reinforcement), film and video (alternative forms, audio for visual media, cinematography, computer animation, critical studies, directing, documentary, editing, producing, screenwriting, and traditional animation), game design, interactive arts and media, interdisciplinary (self-designed major), journalism (broadcast, magazine writing and editing, news reporting and writing, and reporting on health, science, and the environment), marketing communication (advertising, creative sports marketing, marketing, and public relations), radio (business, broadcast journalism, and talent/production), and television (broadcast journalism, directing/production, effects/postproduction, interactive television, and writing/producing).

The School of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers majors in American Sign LanguageEnglish interpretation, cultural studies, early childhood education, nonfiction, and poetry.

Academic Programs

Columbia supports creative and integrated approaches to education and encourages interdisciplinary study. The B.A. degree is awarded to students who successfully complete 120 semester hours, and the B.F.A. degree is awarded to students who successfully complete 128 semester hours of study in designated programs. Of the required 120 hours toward the completion of the B.A., 48 (36 for B.F.A. candidates) are distributed among courses in the humanities and literature, science and mathematics, English composition, oral communications, social sciences, and computer applications.

The College continues to expand its extensive internship program. Columbias location allows students to intern with major employers in Chicago. Chicago provides professional settings, classrooms, and internship opportunities for Columbia students.

Columbia College Chicagos Portfolio Center is uniquely geared to provide students with professional-grade portfolio development. The Portfolio Center links industry professionals and alumni with current students through workshops, portfolio development sessions, and networking events. The center also maintains an online Portfolio Archive that serves as an invaluable resource and inspiration for students.

Off-Campus Programs

Columbia has an affiliation agreement with the American Institute for Foreign Study, which enables students to participate in study-abroad programs in numerous countries. Columbia also sponsors and participates in a variety of its own study-abroad programs through individual academic departments. These programs include semesters spent through the Cultural Studies department at the University of East London, a semester exchange with students of the University of East London and Newham Sixth Form College through the Theater Department, and a semesters trip of study to Florence through the Art and Design departmentjust to name a few. Columbia also offers a number of professional training programs off campus but still within the United States. Comedy studies is a full semesters worth of immersive study in comedic literature, history, writing, and performance under the direction of the experts in comedy at Chicagos Second City. Open to all Columbia students, the Semester in LosAngeles program is a five-week immersion program in which the student maintains full-time status while gaining invaluable real-world experience. Located in Bungalow 25 on the CBS Studio Lot in Culver City, Columbia is the only institution of higher learning to be permanently located on a studio lot. Students are given lot ID badges and enter the gates of the lot every day, just like working producers, directors, stars, and craft personnel.

Academic Facilities

Columbia College consists of nineteen campus buildings that are located primarily in the historic South Loop neighborhood of downtown Chicago. Advanced facilities for radio, television, art, computer graphics, photography, interactive arts and media, fashion design, and film are state-of-the-industry and include professionally equipped color and black-and-white darkrooms, digital imaging computer facilities, photography and film stages, film and video editing suites, and studios for painting, drawing, and 3-D design. The campus also includes the Museum of Contemporary Photography, one of only a few such facilities in the United States, and the Audio Technology Center, a recording production and research facility. In addition, Columbia has extensive computer facilities that are used by basic computer classes as well as dedicated computer facilities that are utilized by the departments. The centers for dance, music, and theater are separate but conveniently located and are designed for their specific performance needs, including individual and group rehearsal and specialized performance spaces.

The Colleges 200,000-volume library and instructional service center provides comprehensive information and study facilities. Reading/study rooms and special audiovisual equipment are available for use in individual projects and research. As a member of a statewide online computer catalog and resource-sharing network, Columbias library provides students with access to the resources of forty-five academic institutions in Illinois, effectively creating an information base of several million volumes. The library also houses special collections, such as the George S. Lurie Memorial Collection of books and resource materials on art, photography, and film; the Black Music Resource Center of books and sound recordings; the Screenwriters Collection of film and television manuscripts; the History of Photography microfilm collection of books and periodicals; and a nonprint collection of 100,000 slides and more than 7,300 videotapes and films. The latest addition to the library is the Albert P. Weisman Center for the Study of Contemporary Issues in Chicago Journalism. The center includes a print and audiovisual collection and a learning center that explores the development of Chicagos political and social history.

Costs

For the 200809 academic year, full tuition (12 to 16 credit hours) is $8975 for each fifteen-week semester, or $17,950 per year. Part-time tuition (up to 11 credit hours) is $621 per credit hour. Summer school tuition is $484 per credit hour. Some courses require additional service or laboratory fees.

To enroll at Columbia College Chicago, applicants are required to confirm their decision by submitting a $250 tuition deposit (nonrefundable after May1, 2008). Required nonrefundable fees that are charged each semester include the registration fee, $50; the student activity fee, $75 ($40 for part-time students); the U-Pass, $90 (for unlimited access to the public transportation system); and a health center fee, $35 ($20 for part-time students). There is also a one-time $30 library deposit that is refunded when the student leaves the College.

Financial Aid

Columbia College makes every effort to help students obtain financial assistance, including grants, on-campus work, and loans. The Office of Student Financial Services administers federal and state grant and loan programs. The College also provides information for students seeking part-time employment both on and off campus. On-campus jobs are available in technical, clerical, secretarial, and food service areas. Columbia offers institution-based scholarships, such as Presidential Scholarships for freshmen, scholarships for transfer students, academic excellence awards, leadership awards, and housing grants. The Fischetti Scholarships support the efforts of outstanding Columbia journalism students, and the Weisman Scholarships support special communication-related projects. Appropriate scholarship and applications forms for financial aid are available through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Faculty

Many of Columbias 1,540 full- and part-time faculty members are working professionals (artists, writers, filmmakers, dancers, etc.) with national reputations. The College is constantly seeking individuals who are both gifted teachers and talented professionals. Many faculty members work nearby in the disciplines in which they teach and share practical expertise with students in informal workshop settings and in the classroom. Interaction with faculty members who are practicing professionals provides students with invaluable access to the latest information in their fields. Students also begin developing their own professional network as faculty members share contacts and information on how to break into the market.

Student Government

Through the Student Government Association (SGA) and the Student Organization Council (SOC), students are able to address College-wide and departmental issues and sponsor services and activities. SGA and SOC work closely with the Office of Student Affairs and serve as liaisons to the administration and academic departments. The ninety campus clubs and organizations reflect the interests and the diversity of Columbias student body. Film screenings, student-produced television shows, dance recitals, poetry readings, plays, campus radio, music concerts, and a national awardwinning newspaper are just some of the campus events and activities that are available to students.

Admission Requirements

Columbia College invites applications from all students with creative ability in or inclination to study the arts, media, and communication disciplines in which the College specializes. To apply for admission, students must submit high school transcripts, college transcripts (if applicable), a letter of recommendation, a personal essay, and a $35 application fee. ACT or SAT scores are not required but are strongly encouraged. Graduation from high school or an earned GED certificate is required prior to enrollment. Freshman applicants whose application materials suggest they are likely to be underprepared to meet the Colleges standards are required to successfully complete the Bridge Program to be admitted to the College. Columbia has a liberal transfer policy.

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