School of Audio and Music

Expand and refine your talent — whether it's creating sound for film and games, writing and performing songs, or running a mixing console — and earn a degree at the School of Audio and Music. At Columbia, you’ll develop the skills and make connections to pursue careers in sound engineering, live and recorded music production, music composition, sound design, and audio system installation. In our music programs, you’ll study with the professional musicians who are our faculty and learn through intensive work with renowned visiting artists-in-residence. In our audio programs, you can translate your love of sound to better understand the science and technology behind making it all. Whatever direction you pursue, at Columbia, you can become part of the vibrant Chicago music and entertainment scene, with the city’s abundance of performance and behind-the-scenes work opportunities at your fingertips.

Undergraduate Programs

Audio Arts Bachelor's Degree (BA) Concentrations
- Audio and Sound Design
- Audiovisual Systems Integration (AVSI)
- Live Sound Reinforcement
- Music Recording
- General Audio Arts
Music Production Bachelor's Degree (BA)
Music Technology Bachelor's Degree (BS)
Performance and Songwriting Bachelor's Degree (BMus)
Music Composition for Media Bachelor's Degree (BA)
Sound Design for Media and Stage Bachelor's Degree (BA)

Graduate Degrees

Music Composition for the Screen Master's Degree (MFA)

Minors

Contemporary Music
Drawing on influences from contemporary, jazz and popular music, the Contemporary Music minor is designed to offer non-music majors an opportunity to study music at the college level.
Vocal Performance
The Vocal Performance Minor offers students the opportunity to pursue a study path with a particular focus on developing the singing voice in conjunction with another major area of study.

VIEW ALL MINORS

Faculty

The School of Audio and Music's award-winning faculty of working artists represents an extraordinary diversity of experience, wisdom and innovative approaches to our "hands-on, minds-on" curriculum. Our outstanding Artist in Residence program also brings top professionals into classrooms, ensembles and student ensemble performances.

Faculty by Instrument

The Music faculty at Columbia College Chicago have a breadth of talent and skills that they share with their students.

Facilities

Columbia College Chicago offers top-notch facilities designed to help students explore their ideas, work on projects and collaborate with each other.

smiling student wearing cap and gown at commencement ceremony

Alumni

Hands-on experience, internships, performances and production experience mean that our graduates are prepared for the professional world as soon as they get their degrees. Alumni enjoy careers as composers, musicians, performers, teachers and artists, and work throughout various industries.