916 S. Wabash

916 S. Wabash primarily houses spaces dedicated to our Interactive Arts and Media Program, such as the Game Lab, Open Lab, Sound Studio, and Equipment Cave for equipment checkouts.

Media Gallery

Interactive Arts and Media

Facilities

Campus Resources and Support Services

⭐ Interactive Arts and Media

In the Interactive Arts and Media Department, you’ll work with new and emerging technologies to create the immersive experiences of the future. We’re at the forefront of creative tech—from video games and animation to virtual reality (VR) and app development. You'll cross-train with Columbia's talented faculty of user experience designers, animators, game developers, programmers, and visual effects artists who will become some of your best collaborators and help bring your ideas to life. With cutting-edge courses that keep pace with emerging technologies, you'll prepare for life as an immersive multimedia storyteller and be well-versed in new media industries.

Computer Animation (BFA)

Explore the world of 3D computer animation in Columbia College Chicago’s Computer Animation program. Learn technical and storytelling skills from a faculty of professional animators with decades of industry experience. The best artists constantly create. At Columbia, you’ll start animating in your first year. With practice you’ll become more comfortable with the tools of the trade and develop a keen eye for storytelling. As a senior, you’ll collaborate with peers to create an animated film. There’s a reason we’re consistently ranked among the top animation schools in the Midwest and beyond. Columbia animation students bring a unique voice and aesthetic to their work, and best of all, employers want our grads. You’ll find Columbia alums around the world working in major animation studios and showcasing their award-winning films at festivals.

Traditional Animation (BFA)

Explore the worlds of stop-motion and hand-drawn animation in Columbia College Chicago’s Traditional Animation BFA program. Learn technical and storytelling skills from a faculty of professional animators with tons of industry experience—because the best artists constantly create. At Columbia, you’ll start animating in your first year and choose a concentration in either hand-drawn or stop-motion animation. As a senior, you’ll collaborate with peers to create a 6-minute animated film. There’s a reason we’re consistently ranked among the top animation schools in the Midwest and beyond. Columbia animation students bring a unique voice and aesthetic to their work, and best of all, employers want our grads. You’ll find Columbia alums around the world working in major animation studios and showing films.

Interaction Design (BA)

The bachelor’s degree in Interaction Design at Columbia College Chicago trains you to be a technologically competent designer and a design-minded developer. You’ll learn a creative, art-driven approach to finding the best design solutions for users of electronic interfaces, from websites to voice-activated programs. You’ll learn how to design with users in mind and how to be an independent professional who relies not on narrow technical skills, but on best practices and theories of human-computer interaction. But we don’t ignore the “hard” skills. With required courses in programming and physical computing, combined with extensive coursework in user research and design, the program enables you to enter the workforce ready for careers in programming, user experience, interface or industrial design, product development, and web development. Interaction Design teaches you how to find solutions. You’ll be tested and challenged in this bachelor’s degree program, and through your successes—and mistakes—you’ll learn and grow as an artist, a student, and a professional.

Programming (BA | BS)

Create the code that drives games, simulations, and other interactive experiences. At Columbia College Chicago, we teach programming as an artistic practice that combines theory and practical application to bring ideas to life. Programming is an art form that takes practice. That’s why you’ll start making games and applications your first year and build your confidence and skills throughout your time at Columbia. You’ll work in team environments to develop your collaboration skills and create a portfolio of games and applications that can help you land a job as a programmer in a variety of fields. We offer a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Programming. You’ll take a number of scripting, programming, physical computing, and game development courses in both degrees, but BS students take additional mathematics courses. Within the BA or BS degree, choose from two concentrations: Application Programming and Game Programming.

Game Art (BA)

Game artists imagine the visuals that bring video games to life. From the game's environment—the hillsides, the dark caverns, the rooms—to the characters themselves, game art visually connects the gamer to the game. As a student in the Game Art BA program at Columbia College Chicago, you’ll create visually striking and compelling 3D art and learn how to implement those art pieces into a game engine. As a Game Art major, you’ll build games right away in your first semester and create many more throughout your time at Columbia. The software tools you’ll use in class are the same ones you’ll use as a professional game artist. And our curriculum mirrors the collaborative environment of the game industry. The Game Art program will give you the technical skills you'll need to compete for a job in the industry, and with experience working on a team, you’ll be a valuable candidate for employers.

Game Design (BA)

In the Game Design major at Columbia College Chicago, you’ll design games and simulations in terms of gameplay, narrative, and user experience. Mastering a creative skill takes a tremendous amount of practice. That’s why you’ll make games in nearly every gaming class at Columbia and build your skill set over time. And you’ll learn from some of the best—our talented faculty members are experienced professionals who bring their passion for games into the classroom. In your final year, you’ll develop an entire finished game product with other game-related majors in a capstone experience we’ve designed to mirror the professional game industry production model. Students in the Game Design major choose one of two concentrations: Game Development or Sound Design.

⭐ Facilities

Learn more about the facilities in this building.

Sound Studio

This room for advanced audio and mixing includes a sound booth mixer, surround sound, and software to edit and mix the recordings for games, animations, or other interactive pieces.

Equipment Cave

The Equipment Cave contains an extensive collection of equipment available on a check-out basis to Interactive Arts and Media students. Assets include: game consoles, augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) equipment, high-definition video cameras, digital SLR cameras, microphones, tripods, audio recorders, laptops, mobile devices, drawing tablets, and more.

Game Lab

This center for student-led game research includes PC- and console-gaming hardware, including both current generation consoles as well as an archived collection, a high-definition AV system, and a library of several hundred video game titles.

Open Lab

This major hub of student work and research includes three dozen computer workstations with superb hardware performance and the latest in high-end media production and application development software and game engines.

Cintiq Labs

In two classroom/lab locations you can use state-of-the-art Wacom Cintiq tablets to draw directly on the screen with a pressure-sensitive digital pen. These tablets, used by professional animators, have a pressure-sensitive digital stylus that allow you to export your work directly into applications like Photoshop, Toon Boon Harmony, and Toon Boon Storyboard Pro.

⭐ Campus Resources and Support Services

Learn more about the Campus Resources and/or Support Services located in this building..

Health Center

A physician or nurse practitioner is available to provide outpatient clinical evaluation, COVID-19 testing, treatment of minor illnesses, injuries, and also, evaluation and triage/referral for more serious illnesses or injuries.

Campus Security

Columbia College Chicago provides a comprehensive safety and security program on campus. Our 24-hour Security Command Center includes dispatching capabilities and a sophisticated video surveillance and emergency communications network staffed around the clock. We continuously review the latest technology to ensure we are providing optimal security services to the community. To complement our 24/7 campus security patrols, security officers use a marked security vehicle, Segways and bicycles to provide rapid response to incidents. Columbia has an after-hours Security Escort Program to help students and employees travel safely between campus locations and from campus locations to pre-designated mass transit stations. The Security Escort Program is available seven days a week from 6 p.m.–1 a.m. during the Fall and Spring semesters.