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Fowler School of Law

» JD/MFA in Film & Television Producing

Located in the heart of Southern California and its thriving entertainment industry, Chapman University Fowler School of Law, in conjunction with Chapman's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, is proud to offer the first and fully integrated JD/MFA in Producing program in the country.

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 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 as VH1, SpikeTV, 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
  • Securing rights to creative material
  • Film and television financing
  • Organizing, budgeting and scheduling productions
  • Marketing, distribution and exhibition

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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).

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