School of Film and Television

Bring your creative ideas to life on screens big and small while mastering media production skills at the School of Film and Television. Ranked among the best by Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and MovieMaker, Columbia offers hands-on learning in producing, screenwriting, directing, production design, cinematography, editing, and sound on location and on both physical and virtual production sets. Collaborate with Columbia's community of actors, writers, and game designers to make movie magic, and take advantage of the Semester in LA program to gain entertainment industry experience and make connections through internships and networking events.

Undergraduate Programs

Film and Television Bachelor's Degree (BA) Concentrations
- Screenwriting and Producing
- Production
- Editing and Sound Postproduction
Film and Television Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (BFA) Concentrations
- Cinematography
- Directing

Graduate Degrees

Minors

Cinema and Television Studies
Cinema and Television Studies minors will analyze the new screen culture of the 21st century. In particular, you'll closely analyze cinema and television texts; write different kinds of critical, analytical, and research essays; study global and historical trends in cinema and television; read major theorists and philosophers of the disciplines; and explore the aesthetic and cultural convergence between television and cinema.
Video Production
Today’s video-centric, web-driven culture creates demand for content creation and editing skills in many arenas besides television and film. Video production skills can support your work in virtually any major and enhance your employability at graduation.
Writing for Television
Television is flourishing on networks, cable channels, and especially online, and it needs stories—tons of them. Columbia’s Writing for Television minor prepares you to become a scriptwriter who can focus on a career in television or create story content as part of a broader production, artistic, or communications career.

VIEW ALL MINORS

Learn what makes film and television education at Columbia stand out.

��Ƶ students lit up State Street during the city’s annual Arts in the Dark Parade, showcasing creativity across music, dance, design, and performance.

Columbia Lights Up State Street at Chicago’s Arts in the Dark Parade

Oct 28, 2025

��Ƶ students brought light, sound, and imagination to the city’s annual Arts in the Dark parade on State Street.

Upcoming Events

All are welcome to celebrate MFA filmmakers screening their Thesis films made in the School of Film and Television program. These shorts show off collaboration, creativity and the challenges of filmmaking. Red Carpet Arrivals 6:00PM Introductions and Screening 6:30PM Q&A with the filmmakers follows the screening. GROWING CRACKS directed by Songming Cai THE ONES LEFT BEHIND directed by ......
RSVP for a special master class with Robert Townsend, the Chicago-born director, actor, and producer. Director of Hollywood Shuffle, The Five Heartbeats, The Meteor Man, and the actor of Emmy Award–winning series The Bear, Townsend’s career has spanned decades of pioneering work in film and television, opening doors for Black actors and independent filmmakers and...

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