Communications, Media Arts & Theatre and English, World Languages & Literatures

Words Are Power. Learn to Wield Them.

At Chicago State’s Department of Communications, Media Arts and Theatre, you’ll turn your creativity into a career through the exploration of media, language, literature, communication, and the performing arts.

Our Communications, Media Arts & Theatre (CMAT) programs are where creativity meets career preparation. Students write scripts, shoot films, perform onstage, produce live sports and news broadcasts, create public relations campaigns, and develop audio content and podcasts, preparing them for careers in filmmaking, theatre, journalism, public relations, and corporate communications. As skilled storytellers in today’s evolving media landscape, our students don't just study media. They create, perform, and shape it.

Our English, World Languages & Literatures programs offer students cutting-edge preparation for exciting careers in writing, performance poetry, teaching languages, law, librarianship, diplomacy, translation, and more. Our faculty are accomplished scholars and published authors who present their work at national and international conferences and venues.

A CSU theatre stage performance scene featuring a young man in a yellow long-sleeve shirt in the foreground, with two other performers behind him in colorful outfits.

Explore our programs

Explore programs in communication, media, theatre and world languages designed to help you develop your voice, sharpen your skills and prepare for a range of careers.

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Why choose to study with us?

State-of-the-art equipment: get hands-on experience in a TV studio, our black box theater, and with an ARRI Alexa camera—one of only two in the State of Illinois’s college campuses.
Experiential learning opportunities: specialized courses with leading advertising agencies and workshops that connect communication skills to real-world applications.
Career opportunities across media, literature and entertainment: alumni work as journalists, radio personalities, news anchors, actors and editors.

Just ask our students

Hear what our students love about CMAT below and explore more of our program and career highlights.

Career pathways for students

Our programs prepare students for careers such as:

Digital Filmmaker
Actor
Producer
Audio Engineer
Social Media Content Creator
Podcaster
Screenwriter/Playwright
Novelist/Writer
Author
Editor
English Teacher
Interpreter/Translator

Additional career paths include working in publishing, journalism, copywriting, technical writing, public relations, corporate communications, law, non-profit organizations, diplomacy, sports media, digital marketing, and community news reporting.

Compare career outcomes by major

Have you ever wondered how your major might help you after you graduate? See this academic major report for the state of Illinois! This tool contains useful data on how graduates from different majors are doing in the labor market, so you can explore questions like: