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We all have a creative side. At Chapman, you’ll be able to stay in touch with — and even hone — yours, whether your major is a creative one or not.

Here at Chapman, we value creative pursuits and the arts. We're situated at the heart of a vibrant creative scene, with connections to Los Angeles and Orange County art communities, as well as Hollywood. That means you will have plenty of opportunities to explore your creativity — whether it’s in a creative major or minor, or more casually in a creative club or student organization.

Academic Majors in the Arts

Thinking of majoring in a film program? Or maybe one of the visual or performing arts? Then you probably know that the element of the unexpected can make art an appealing — and rewarding — pursuit: that moment when inspiration strikes, or when you realize the way forward after a bout of artist’s block.

But as a student in a creative major at Chapman, here’s one thing you can expect: we’ll take your artistic pursuits seriously. What that means for you as a student is:

Industry-standard (or better) facilities, including:
- Performing arts spaces and venues, including the Musco Center for the Arts, one of the best university concert venues in the country.
- On-campus production studios, which are open 24/7 for our students and include the 76,000 square-foot Marion Knott Studios and a Digital Media Arts Center inspired by the spaces built for Pixar, Disney, Microsoft and Google.
- Visual-art studios which are also open 24/7 and include spaces for ceramics, drawing, graphic design, painting, photography and sculpture.
Professors and peers who will be there to support your development as an artist every step of the way, as well as:
- Mentorship from guest lecturers and master classes, like in our Filmmaker-in-Residence series.
- Faculty-led projects that you can take part in — these make great practice for your own creative pursuits.
Scholarships that you can earn for excellence in artistic fields.
Access to grants that will help fund your creative projects, and travel grants that will help you take your creativity worldwide and broaden your horizons.
Opportunities to present — and market — your work at large venues, such as film festivals and art shows.
Career services to help you find work in creative industries.

The Inside Scoop: Dodge College of Film & Media Arts

In the podcast, Dodge College Dean Stephen Galloway and a college alum, Caroline, talk about what makes Dodge a special place.

Dozens of Creative Minors

We get it: not everyone goes into a creative major. Even if you’re an artist, sometimes art isn’t the career path for you.

But at Chapman, you will always be able to make creativity a part of your college experience. We offer minors in the arts that will let you keep practicing yours and, better yet, use it alongside your major to bolster your skills and carve a unique path in traditionally non-creative roles and industries.

But don’t just take it from us. Take it from our students — including Fernando Silva ‘19, who uses his art minor to be a better scientist.

Fernando Silva ‘19

Environmental Science and Policy Major/Studio Arts Minor

“I see art as a tool to get the message out. Visual imagery can help to effectively present what we learn from our data.”

Creative Research Centers

Outside the classroom, you’ll find plenty of other opportunities to get involved in creative pursuits through our creative research centers, here to help you fuse your artistic interests with your academic career. Here are just a few of the on-campus research communities you can get join:

The John Fowles Center for Creative Writing, where you can hone your skills as — you guessed it — a creative writer, whether your focus is fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama or film.
Tabula Poetica, where we’re cultivating a culture of poetry.
The Escalette Collection of Art, our “museum without walls,” where we’re fostering a community of art appreciation, creation and research.

Your Path to a Creative Career

What’s one of the best ways to start a career in a creative industry? By interning in it first. Internships are a great way to get a foot in the door in competitive creative industries in the arts, and we’re dedicated to helping you every step of the way. Check out our internships page for the details, ways to find internships and more.

Explore Internships