MATC Partners with Columbia College Chicago to offer MATC Students Four-Year Degrees in Video, Photography, and Graphic Design

Photo: Columbia image--Phil Dembinksi '08; Milwaukee Area Technical College image--courtesy MATC
New agreement to facilitate seamless transition for students from MATC into Columbia’s bachelor’s degree programs.

MILWAUKEE (July 30, 2018)—Milwaukee Area Technical College’s (MATC’s) students in highly regarded TV and video production, photography, and graphic design programs have a new path to earn a four-year degree in their fields at internationally recognized Columbia College Chicago.

The two colleges have signed five agreements connecting MATC associate degree programs with Columbia bachelor’s degree programs. Columbia is one of more than 35 four-year college and university partners that has similar academic programs as the MATC, providing students with a high-quality and less expensive path to a bachelor’s degree.

“This partnership will provide a smooth and cost-effective transition to students and give them seamless transfer options,” said Dr. Mohammad Dakwar, provost of MATC. “It will also help advance our colleges’ mutual mission of empowering students and enhancing the quality of life in our communities.”

Through the agreements, MATC TV and Video Production graduates can continue to study Television-Production/Directing, Television-Internet/Mobile or Television-Writing/Producing at Columbia. Photography and graphic design graduates from MATC can also continue their studies at Columbia within similar programs. Transfer guides are available on Columbia’s website to assist students with the planning process.

“We are delighted to offer MATC students the opportunity to complete their education at Columbia,” said Stanley Wearden, senior vice president and provost at Columbia. “Through this partnership, more students will be able to prepare for professional success in the creative and media industries.”

Columbia offers students the opportunity to study and work in Chicago, one of the nation’s largest media markets, and to spend a “Semester in LA” in one of the only year-round academic programs on a Hollywood production lot. Columbia’s Cinema and Television Arts Department has produced numerous Oscar, Emmy, and Spirit winners, including Lena Waithe '06, who recently won an Emmy for outstanding writing in a comedy series and currently produces the Showtime series The Chi.

MATC alumni play prominent roles at television stations and creative services firms in Milwaukee and across the region. An impressive 100 percent of TV/video and graphic design program graduates are working within six months of graduation.

The agreements are effective for the 2018-19 school year. MATC graduates interested in continuing at Columbia should contact 414-297-6836 or transfer@matc.edu. Students interested in MATC’s programs should visit matc.edu/apply.

Many of Columbia’s faculty members are active practitioners in various creative industries in Chicago and around the globe, who often help to connect students to career opportunities. Additionally, Columbia’s newly expanded curriculum—and investment in technology and new media platforms—aligns it with rapidly growing and changing trends in media arts and business.

MATC photography alumnus Jarob Ortiz beat out 4,000 other candidates to earn the coveted position of photographer for the National Park Service, a position once associated with Ansel Adams. For the second straight year, MATC students were among a select group invited by worldwide electronics giant Sony’s education team to attend the 2018 National Association of Broadcasters conference in Las Vegas.

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Columbia College Chicago is a private, nonprofit college offering a distinctive curriculum that blends creative and media arts, liberal arts, and business for nearly 7,500 students in more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Dedicated to academic excellence and long-term career success, Columbia College Chicago creates a dynamic, challenging, and collaborative space for students who experience the world through a creative lens. For more information, visit www.colum.edu.

MEDIA INQUIRIES

Virginia Gnadt

gnadtv@matc.edu
414-297-6770

Anjali Julka

ajulka@colum.edu
312-369-7016

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