Columbia College Chicago Announces Two New Online Graduate Programs: Screenwriting and Development and Global Beauty Management
Columbia College Chicago introduces new online graduate programs in Screenwriting and Development and Global Beauty Management.CHICAGO (February 17, 2026) — College Chicago announces the launch of two new online graduate programs: the Master of Arts in Screenwriting and Development in the School of Film and Television and the Master of Arts in Global Beauty Management in the School of Fashion. Designed for working professionals and entrepreneurs, both programs combine creative rigor, industry access, and a flexible online format built for ambitious, career-focused students.
Screenwriting and Development
The Screenwriting and Development MA prepares writers to create and develop original and adapted screenplays for film, television, and digital platforms. Delivered online, with an optional immersive January session in Los Angeles, the program blends individual craft with collaborative development in simulated writers’ rooms. Students explore narrative structure, genre, voice, adaptation, and cross-platform storytelling while building a professional portfolio of feature scripts, television pilots, and series bibles.
Courses are taught by Columbia’s accomplished faculty — award-winning writers, producers, and storytellers — alongside working industry professionals in major media hubs. Graduates are prepared for careers as film screenwriters, television writers, development executives, story editors, script consultants, and digital content creators.
Global Beauty Management
The Global Beauty Management MA responds to one of the world’s fastest growing and most influential industries. Valued between $200 and $500 billion globally, the beauty sector continues to reshape consumer markets, and Columbia is one of the only colleges in the country offering a graduate-level degree dedicated specifically to beauty management.
Designed for working professionals and entrepreneurs seeking leadership roles in the global beauty and personal care industries, the program centers sustainability, inclusivity, innovation, and global market strategy. Students engage with an international network of beauty professionals, analyze emerging and established markets, and may participate in optional short-term global residencies ranging from seven to 14 days.
The curriculum includes courses such as Global Beauty Trends, Sustainable Organizational Management, Beauty Media and Communication, and Marketing Beauty Brands.
Columbia also offers two graduate certificates — Inclusive Beauty Management and Sustainable Beauty Management — which may be completed as standalone credentials or stacked toward the Master of Arts in Global Beauty Management. These certificates provide targeted pathways into a high-growth global industry while offering a flexible entry point into the full degree.
Graduates are prepared for roles such as beauty brand managers, product development managers, sustainability managers, corporate social responsibility leaders, and inclusive marketing consultants.
Both programs emphasize career readiness through Columbia’s Career Center, alumni network, and industry partnerships, supporting students as they build portfolios, expand professional networks, and advance in competitive creative industries.
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About Columbia College Chicago: Creative Careers Start Here.
A destination for innovators for more than 135 years and located in the heart of downtown Chicago’s Cultural Mile, Columbia College Chicago is a private, non-profit school for creatives that offers a distinctive curriculum that blends creative and media arts, liberal arts, and business in 40 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Columbia students graduate career-ready, with creative and critical thinking skills, real-world problem-solving abilities, standout bodies of work, and industry connections to fuel their professional journeys and the creative economy. Find Columbia College Chicago on social media at @ColumbiaChi on Instagram, on Facebook on LinkedIn, and on X.
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