The MFA in Creative Producing at Columbia College Chicago is an immersive, 48-credit degree designed to develop enterprising creative leaders with the skills to deliver successful media projects from conception to distribution. The program teaches the creative aspects of seeking new material, anticipating and adapting to the industry, collaborating with directors and crew, and driving content development with the technology of all phases of production. Students attend their final courses in Los Angeles on a studio lot in direct contact with executives and craftspeople at every level of the Hollywood industry. Coursework includes classes on acquisitions and development, line producing, business and legal, history and aesthetics, and marketing and distribution as preparation for their long-form narrative package thesis and short film thesis, which they may complete during or after their coursework.

As a result of successfully completing program requirements, students should be able to:

• demonstrate management skills through the successful deployment of resources while guiding projects through development, preproduction, production, post-production, and exhibition;
• analyze the potential, including strengths and weaknesses, of stories to become viable film projects;
• collaborate in meaningful and effective ways with directors, screenwriters, production department heads, producing team members, investors, vendors, and executives and/or administrators;
• develop tools for identifying, researching, and marketing to a chosen audience; and
• develop and articulate a personal vision of cinematic storytelling through collaborative processes.