Gain insight into the legal workings of the entertainment industry from experienced legal professionals whose combined work includes representing and advising major motion picture companies, drafting music industry contracts and executive producing feature films.
Become an expert in understanding intellectual property rights, conducting entertainment contract negotiations and navigating the intricacies of licensing.
Earn experience through the Entertainment Contracts Law Clinic, where you will work directly with low-budget independent filmmakers and serve as production legal counsel for a feature-length motion picture.
Participate in externships which take you to the legal departments of industry powerhouses such Warner Brothers, Summit Entertainment or the Screen Actors Guild.
Study the fundamentals of film production, (including writing, directing, cinematography, post-production and sound) that culminates into an MFA thesis film or media production that you produce.
Learn from working professionals with a combined filmography of more than 150 feature films.
Master the business end of the entertainment industry, including:
- Development process of film and television production
- Securing rights to creative material
- Film and television financing
- Organizing, budgeting and scheduling productions
- Marketing, distribution and exhibition
The JD/MFA Joint Degree in Detail
Program Requirements
Offered to full-time students, the program requires four years of study and acceptance to both the Chapman University Fowler School of Law and Dodge College.
The dual degree program requires the completion of 124 total credits (as opposed to 136 credits if the two degrees are sought separately and outside the joint program).
- The School of Law accepts up to 12 selected credits from the MFA in Film and Television Producing toward completion of its 88-credit requirement; thus students must complete 76 credits from the JD program (54-56 units of required courses and 20-22 units of electives).
- The Dodge College of Film and Media Arts accepts up to six credits from the JD program.
The program is intentionally designed to be a joint degree rather than a dual-degree program; that is, two separate transcripts will be maintained for each student – one in Law and one in the MFA. Cumulative GPAs will not be co-mingled. Work transferred into the JD from the MFA will be treated as Pass/No Pass for the purposes of arriving at a law school GPA. Degrees from each School will be awarded upon successful completion of all requirements for each degree. The degrees conferred are to be reflected on both transcripts (i.e., the Law transcript would reflect both the JD and the MFA, and vice versa).
Admission Requirements
Students interested in the joint degree must meet all admission requirements for each school and must submit separate applications to each school. Students normally apply to the MFA program during their first year in the Fowler School of Law. Years two, three and four will be a combination of both law and MFA courses. Students should follow the sample curriculum at the end of this sub-section. All students must earn a cumulative law GPA of at least 2.6 after completing the first-year law curriculum in order to continue in the JD/MFA combined curriculum.
Students must complete an “Intent to Enroll” form for the joint program upon application to each program. Students should consult Dodge College about current requirements for the MFA admissions application.
The Law School has, in addition to completion of a certain number of credits and specific required courses, a residency requirement: Law students must complete six units of residency. The JD/MFA program allows students to meet their residency requirements, but students are cautioned that deviations could result in difficulty meeting residency requirements.
For more information, please feel free to contact our admissions office.
Curriculum
The dual degree program requires the completion of 124 total credits (as opposed to
136 credits if the two degrees are sought separately and outside the joint program).
The Fowler School of Law would accept up to twelve selected credits from the MFA in
Film and Television Producing toward completion of its 88-credit requirement; thus
students must complete 76 credits from the JD program (54-56 units of required courses
and 20-22 units of electives). The Dodge College of Film and Media Arts would accept
up to six credits from the JD program. Students must earn a cumulative GPA of 2.6
or above upon completion of the first-year law curriculum in order to proceed into
the second year JD/MFA combined curriculum.
Cross-listed Courses
MFA in Film and Television Producing Courses eligible for credit towards JD Degree:
| FTV 560 | Overview of Producing | 3 |
| FTV 562 | Development Process of Film and Television | 3 |
| FTV 564 | Film and Television Financing | 3 |
| FTV 661 | Marketing/Distribution/Exhibition | 3 |
| FTV 674 | Entertainment Law | 3 |
Students must earn a grade of 3.0 or better in each of these courses, but will be
assigned a grade of “P” or “NP” in the Fowler School of Law.
JD Courses eligible for credit towards the JD/MFA in Film & Television (limit of six
credits applied towards MFA)
| LAW 7538 | Entertainment Law | 3 |
| LAW 7600 | Entertainment Contracts & Negotiations | 3 |
| LAW 7347 | Film & Television Law | 3 |
| LAW 7348 | International Entertainment Law | 3 |
| LAW 7830 | Negotiating and Drafting Media Industry Transactions | 3 |
| LAW 7843 | New Media and the Entertainment Industry | 3 |
Students in the JD/MFA program will be administratively assigned to the Law School. They will register for coursework with the Law School’s Registrar. However, each program will appoint an advisor for these students, and that advisor will counsel students on progress to the respective degrees, as well as changes or updates within each school.
Students in the JD/MFA program should meet with the Financial Aid Director at the Law School to discuss tuition and scholarship arrangements.
Note: should a student abandon either the JD or the MFA, such student will pay the tuition for the program in which he/she continues.
JD/MFA Example Curriculum
JD/MFA – Sample Curriculum
Requirements for the Degree (Total Credits: 124)
First Year
Fall/Spring: LAW 1L curriculum (2 LAW residence units [2 total residence units])
Summer: 2 LAW electives (6 cr.) (0.5 LAW residence units [2.5])
Second Year
Fall (12 cr.) (0.25 LAW residence units [2.75])
FTV 502 Evolution of Narrative Film I (3)
FTV 531 Production Workshop I (3)
FTV 534A Production & Set Management for Producers (3)
FTV 560 Overview of Producing (3*)
Spring (12 cr.) (0 LAW residence units [2.75])
FTV 527 Fundamentals of Screenwriting (3)
FTV 566 Story for Producers (3)
FTV 567 Independent Feature Filmmaking (3)
FTV 631A Production Workshop IV for Producers (3)
Summer (3 cr.) (0 LAW residence units [2.75])
FTV 690 Independent Internship (3)
Third Year
Fall (9 cr.) (0.25 LAW residence units [3])
FTV 667 Thesis in Producing I (6)
LAW 7538 Entertainment Law (3)
Spring (12 cr.) (0.75 LAW residence units [3.75])
FTV 562 Development Process of Film and Television (3*)
FTV 564 Film and Television Financing (3*)
FTV 668 Thesis in Producing II (3)
LAW 7600 Entertainment Contracts and Negotiations (3)
Summer (6 cr.) (0.5 LAW residence units [4.25])
LAW Elective (3)
LAW 7653 Externship Entertainment Law (3)
Fourth Year
Fall/Spring: Remaining LAW required and elective courses (2 LAW residence units [6.25])
*FTV cross-list counting for LAW credit