- What: Columbia College Chicago
- Where: Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Students: 12,000 combined graduate and undergraduate
- Academics: 120 Programs and majors in total, two music centered programs
Columbia College Chicago is the USA's largest private arts college and boasts an alumni pool of 70,000+ people, many of whom are employed in the arts or media. The school puts the thriving arts community of Chicago to great use in their degree programs, giving students tons of hands on experience that is especially crucial for those hoping to make a career of it in the music industry.
The school has two departments that are of interest for those looking for a music related education - the Arts, Entertainment and Media Management Department and the Music Department.
This deparment, also called AEMM, offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. There are seven different concentrations within this field of study, including the Music Management concentration, which trains students in skills designed to serve them in careers as varied as working for labels, artist management, and marketing. Also within this field is a sub concentration for music production.
Whereas the last department focuses on training people in the business side of the music industry, the music department is for the artists themselves. The Music Department prides itself on a "hands on, minds on" approach which encourages students to make us of the city to gain live performance experience. Students within this department are also able to dabble in nearly every other department in the college to expand their ability to manage their own post school professional career.
Prospective undergraduate and graduate students can apply via the Columbia College Chicago website. The admissions process is fairly standard for college - undergraduates will need to submit high school transcripts and SAT scores, along with a letter of recommendation that addresses the student's arts/media experience and ability. Graduate students need to submit their college records (a minumum 3.0 GPA is recommended). Different departments have different requirements for supplemental materials for graduate applicants, so check with your chosen department before applying (deadlines are set by department as well).
Columbia College Chicago is a private school, so tuition is a bit higher than your typical public state university. The school does offer financial aid assistance, however, and they have an office that can help you locate loans and grants to pay for your schooling. Federal financial aid is also available to USA based student - fill out the FAFSA.
