Columbia University: How to Apply for 2026, Acceptance Rate, and What To Expect as a Columbia SOA Film Student

The Creative Producing MFA at Columbia University School of the Arts gives students a foothold into producing for small- and large-budget productions, a deep awareness of the evolution of the film marketplace, and a mix of creative insight and business acumen. Faculty include producers in film, television, and digital media. The head of Creative Producing is associate professor Mynette Louie, a Spirit Award-winning, Critics Choice-nominated producer ("Black Box," "Catch the Fair One").

Creative Producing MFA students share a first-year common curriculum with Writing for Film & Television and Screenwriting & Directing concentrations, preparing students to grow their professional network and gain exposure to other dimensions of filmmaking.

Take a look at the year-by-year program breakdown:

Year 1​

Spring—Fall​

In the fall, students begin chipping away at Columbia’s Core Curriculum. These courses are taken by all film MFA program students and explore the essential elements of directing, narrative storytelling, and production:

• Directing I
• Directing Actors I
• Fundamentals of Directing
• Elements of Dramatic Narrative
• Ethics & Inclusive Storytelling
• Practical Production I
• Screenwriting I

In the spring, students take the following courses:

• Directing II
• Directing Actors II
• Practical Production II
• Role of the Producer
• Screenwriting II
• Script to Screen
• Analysis of Film Language (recommended)

Summer​

Students complete an 8-12 minute film production.

History-Theory-Criticism (HTC) Requirement​

Students must take at least one course in Film Studies (generally referred to within the School as “HTC,” an abbreviation for History-Theory-Criticism) within the 60 credits required for the degree. Students planning to apply for teaching assistant positions should take more than one HTC course.

A representative list of HTC courses includes but is not limited to the following. The asterisked courses are specifically recommended for MFA students but any of these courses fulfills the HTC requirement:

• Analysis of Film Language
• Cinema History 1: beginnings to 1930
• Cinema History 2: 1930 - 60
• Cinema History 3: 1960 - 90
• Cinema History 4: after 1990
• Cinephilia: Theory and Practice of the Moving Image
• Documentary Tradition
• Film and Media Theory
• The Moving Image in the Museum
• Seeing Narrative
• Sound and Image Theory
• Topics in American Film (Horror, Comedy, Cult, Western, etc)
• Topics in World Cinema (Latin America, China, Arab and African)

Year 2​

Fall-spring​

Creative Producing students must take the following courses:

• The Business of Film
• Feature Film Development
• Feature Film Financing
• Post-Production Supervising
• Pre-Production of the Motion Picture
• Writing and Script Analysis for Producers

Electives include:

• The Business of Television
• Digital Storytelling I: History and Theory of Interactivity
• Digital Storytelling II: Building Storyworlds
• Digital Storytelling IV: World-Building
• Documentary Producing
• Entertainment Law
• Film Festivals: Theory & Practice
• First Features
• Visual Experiences
• Writing for the Screen

Summer​

Students collaborate on the D4 film, an ambitious short film directed by a Columbia SOA Directing student.

Years 3-5 (Research Arts)​

Years 3-5 are devoted to the thesis, also known as the Research Arts years. Creative Producing MFA students must take the following required course:

• Producing Thesis Advisement

Elective courses include:

• Digital Storytelling 3: Immersive Production
• How to Start Your Own Production Company
• Writing for the Screen – Research Arts

How to apply​

ALL applicants MUST submit the following in 12-point Courier font: as exactly outlined on Columbia's website:

1. Autobiographical essay: Four to six double-spaced pages. (Tell us something about yourself and your background, artistic experiences, creative influences, and professional objectives.)
2. Dramatic Writing Sample: A log line must be included. No more than 10 pages. Must be in screenplay format and must contain dialogue. This can be a complete short screenplay or the first ten pages of a screenplay. It must be original; it may not be an adaptation, except of your own work in another form. Please do not submit writing in prose form and no theatre plays. The story cannot be the same as the one in your feature film treatment or your optional video submission.
3. Film prompt: Read the following openings, choose one and imagine the scene that might follow it. The scene you write must include both dialogue and description. It should be no less than two and no more than three pages long. It should be written in screenplay format. These prompts change every year. The prompts listed below correspond to the Fall 2026 application. You may change the gender of any character in these prompts, but do not change ages or relationships.
   • INT. APARTMENT BUILDING HALLWAY - NIGHT
     Hours after the incident, the Older Woman stands- still shaking her head- at the “CRIME SCENE TAPE” covering an open door in the hallway of her building. Her best friend clomps up the steps, joins her, and both can’t help themselves from peering inside.
   • INT. DEPARTMENT STORE - DAY
     As the Teenager scans the clothing racks for something to buy, he’s startled to see what looks like someone hastily stuffing merchandise into their backpack. He looks for a salesperson or a security guard- but just then, the person slips away. He follows.
   • EXT. AMUSEMENT PARK - NIGHT
     Alone in the open cabin of a ferris wheel, the Young Woman is frightened to hear the entire ride screech, then slow to a complete stop. Voices from below shout assurances that the problem will be fixed in a few minutes, but things get even worse when she turns to see the person sitting in the cabin hanging opposite her own.
4. Feature film treatment: On one double-spaced page for a film you might wish to write, direct or produce based on your application concentration(depending upon the concentration you will be applying to). The treatment must concisely relate a complete dramatic story sufficient to sustain a feature-length film, including major characters and plot developments and a clear statement of the resolution. The story cannot be the same as the one in your dramatic writing sample or your optional video submission. You must state the genre of your treatment and a log line. A log line is one or two sentences that describe the protagonist(s) and the story of the film.
5. Visual Submission (optional):
   • Film/Video Work: All Film MFA applicants may submit up to 30 minutes of film/video work. It is advisable to put the best work at the beginning of your visual submission.
   • Visual Exercise: Applicants for Directing who have not shot prior visual material are encouraged to shoot and submit the following OPTIONAL VISUAL EXERCISE: Write and shoot a 2-person SILENT SCENE (no dialogue), between one and two minutes long, which deals with the idea of "COMING TOGETHER." It could be two strangers who make a connection, a fighting couple who then make amends, or two people who 'come together' in anger, physicality or any other dramatic situation you choose.
     • You may use subjects of any genders or ages, and any locations and props, etc. that you have available to you. Elaborate production expense is NOT the goal of this part of the application. You may shoot on any format.
     • Your visual submission should be uploaded to the Video Upload section of the online application and cannot be linked to a third-party such as YouTube or Vimeo.
6. Resume/CV: Creative Producing applicants must also submit a current resume/CV.

Filmschool.org admitted student perspective​

Filmschool.org member @thep2k2 says:

"Columbia was my strongest application and my favorite from the start. My two page script was based off of a conversation I had had at my Uncle’s wedding and the first ten pages of screenplay were based on a Western I wrote with my screenwriting friend from Chapman."

Learn more about their academic background.

Ready to apply?​

Click here to start your application.