Media, Arts, and Design
The Careers in Media, Arts, and Design program empowers students to channel their creativity into successful careers in these interdisciplinary and fast-changing fields.
The program offers several tracks to prepare students for the many diverse career paths in the arts and humanities, including:
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment: for students interested in artistic practice, cultural institutions, and both business and creative roles in the entertainment industry
Gaming and Creative Media: for students interested in careers at the intersection of the humanities and creative technology
Journalism and Creative Writing: for students interested in storytelling careers, including bookwriting, journalism, and publishing
Undergraduates of all majors and career interests are welcome!
Learn more about the many exciting career paths in the humanities!
Personalized Advising
Senior Program Director Benjamin Waltzer brings a wide range of professional experience to the role, and works closely with colleagues across the University, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, and institutions and practitioners worldwide to build a network of opportunities for students.
Associate Director Nely Rentas works with students interested in careers across the media, arts & design sectors including publishing, film, curatorial, and beyond. She has a professional background in campus recruiting, working with talent acquisition teams and recruiters from each of these industries. She knows what employers are looking for and can help put your best foot forward in your application!
In advising appointments, students may receive help with developing a portfolio, preparing resumes, composing effective cover letters, and discussing how to use program resources to achieve their unique pre-professional goals. The program can also help students find and secure internships, grants, and employment opportunities.
Students can request an appointment on UChicago Handshake.
Resources to Pursue Your Vision
Careers in Media, Arts, and Design provides a diverse range of resources – including advising, internships, and hands-on experiences – that allow students to grow as artists and creative thinkers, build a portfolio, and pursue opportunities in a wide variety of disciplines. The program also sponsors collaborative experiences that give students the opportunity to learn and work with leading practitioners on projects that advance their creative and professional goals.
Media, Arts, and Design Bridge Program
The Bridge Program provides career support for graduating seniors, offering strategic advising and tailored employer events with industry experts. Participating students will work with these experts until securing a summer post-graduate position. Employer partners include prestigious organizations such as the Metropolitan Opera, the Chicago History Museum, the New York Philharmonic, UChicago Press, and The Graham Foundation of Fine Arts, among others. Learn more about the application process here.
Workshops and Seminars: Media, Arts, and Design
Learn Your Craft and Find Mentors
Careers in Media, Arts, and Design hosts a variety of skill-building workshops throughout the year. Programs include panel discussions, lecture-demonstrations, and hands-on workshops with professionals in the fields of music, filmmaking, fine arts, arts entrepreneurship, digital media, and beyond. Panelists include practicing artists, arts administrators, critics, curators, art historians, and entrepreneurs. Recent guests have included President and COO of FX Networks, Chuck Saftler, co-creator of Halo, Alex Seropian, filmmakers Shayla Harris and Luchina Fisher, jazz drummer Matt Wilson, artist Simone Leigh, poet and journalist Ted Genoways and many more.
Career Treks
Treks give students an opportunity to meet potential employers in cities throughout the U.S. and around the world. Careers in Media, Arts, and Design organizes career treks in major arts and culture hubs, including an annual entertainment industry trek to Los Angeles.
Recent treks have taken students to leading organizations including Industrial Toys Gaming, Paramount Pictures, Disney, A24 Pictures, FX, Showtime, and 20th Century Fox Studios.
Literary Careers: Publishing, Writing, Editing, and Criticism
Build your writing and editing skills and meet leaders in the field at UChicago’s specialized professional development events! Launch your storytelling career by working closely with reporters, critics, published authors, freelance writers, and more. Learn more about our world-class career exploration events and skill-building workshops!
UChicago Game Jam
January 12-15 — Registration closes on January 7
All artists, composers, writers, game designers, and programmers are invited to join the UChicago Game Jam! Over the course of a single weekend, teams of students will immerse themselves in the design and development process and create an original, playable game. The Game Jam is judged by industry experts and cash prizes will be awarded to the top 3 teams and 2 honorable mentions. This event is open to undergraduate students of all experience levels!
There will be a networking event on January 22 at 7:00pm where students will showcase their skills and games for the UChicago gaming community and gaming employers! The UChicago Game Jam is presented by the UChicago Game Design RSO and Career Advancement.
Get Experience: Media, Arts, and Design
Internships
The Jeff Metcalf Internship Program is unique to the University of Chicago. It offers paid, substantive internships during the summer and the academic year exclusively to UChicago undergraduates.
Each year, the program offers internships with a highly diverse range of arts, culture, and entertainment organizations around the world. Past Metcalf recipients have interned at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Second City, and Paramount Pictures.
Grants
Careers in Media, Arts, and Design offers grants that are part of the Metcalf Program which fund hands-on opportunities for students. These grants can support student work with professionals and organizations that administer on-the-job mentoring and training. These grants are available for both academic year and summer opportunities.
Previous grant recipients have worked at Warner Brothers Records, LA Review of Books, the Guggenheim Museum, as well as opportunities to work with filmmakers, composers, graphic novelists and others.
Practitioner Program
Careers in Media, Arts, and Design maintains relationships with leading practitioners – screenwriters, artists, journalists, novelists, and beyond – who may need student assistants on current projects.
These roles are funded, and in the case a student self-secures an opportunity, they may apply for funding through the program’s granting application process.
Students have worked with novelist Nathaniel Rich, journalist Gideon Lewis-Krause, historian Eve Fairbanks, author Lawrence Wright, comedian Tami Sagher, and more.
Learn more about the Practitioner Program.
Early Engagement: Humanities UX
Humanities UX immerses students in career exploration at the intersection of media, design, and data. The program gives 1st year students the opportunity to discover and develop careers across an interdisciplinary range of paths including animation, game design, visual arts, and film. See more Information here.
Thank You to the Humanities UX Committee! We're deeply grateful to the committee of faculty and staff experts serving on the Humanities UX Committee.
Jas Brooks - Ph.D Student, Computer Science
Heidi Coleman - Senior Lecturer, Theater and Performance Studies
Patrick Jagoda - Professor of English and Cinema and Media Studies
Ashlyn Sparrow - Assistant Director, Weston Game Lab
Learn More
For more information, please contact Senior Program Director Ben Waltzer at waltzer@uchicago.edu and Associate Director Nely Rentas at nrentas@uchicago.edu.