The Art of Business
The Business of Creative Enterprises major is among the first of its kind in the country. Our students are driven by a passion for arts and communication and interested in leading and managing businesses in the creative economy.
The program focuses on the interconnection between business strategy, creative thinking, and ideas, helping students learn about and adapt to an ever-changing economy. BCE prepares students to become executives, managers, and innovators in new or existing creative enterprises in the arts and entertainment, communication, media, and publishing sectors.
The program is designed to help students:
- Redefine existing business strategies and establish new practices in the creative economy
- Develop the skill-set needed to adapt and lead in changing and evolving fields
- Identify emerging trends, communicate ideas, build communities, and connect to new markets
- Create, analyze, interpret, and evaluate financial statements
- Analyze risk and create action plans to support enterprise goals
The program draws its faculty and courses from Emerson’s departments of Marketing Communication, Visual & Media Arts, Performing Arts, Communication Studies, and Writing, Literature & Publishing. In addition to real-world training in communication and the arts, students will work with industry leaders to develop a unique creative voice and business acumen in a collaborative and supportive environment.
The Creative Economy
The creative economy contains an exciting cross-section of enterprises and individuals working together to redefine existing business strategies and establish new practices in:
- Film/TV
- Music
- Event Production
- Development
- Marketing
- Publishing
- Visual Arts
- Gaming and Esports
- Architecture
- Design
- Community Engagement
Opportunities
Global AA and BA in Business of Creative Enterprises—Franklin University Switzerland
Gain an international perspective on the world of creative industries in this dual associate and bachelor of arts degree program. Gaining two separate degrees, you’ll spend the first two years of your undergraduate experience in Lugano at Franklin University Switzerland taking liberal arts and foundation courses and your final two years at Emerson completing a professional major in the Business of Creative Enterprises.
Learn more about the Global AA and BA BCE program with Franklin University Switzerland.
Global BA in Business of Creative Enterprises—Sydney
In partnership with the International College of Management, Sydney in Australia, Emerson is offering a BCE-inspired program that is eminently global and takes full advantage of the resources and premium locations offered by both institutions. Through this program, you will be able to spend full semesters and summers in Sydney, Boston, and Los Angeles, taking classes with top faculty in business, management, and the creative industries, while becoming immersed in the life of companies and organizations from Australia and the US through intensive internship programs.
Learn more about the Global BA BCE program with the International College of Management, Sydney.
Curriculum
Number | Course | Credits |
---|---|---|
BC 101 | Introduction to the Creative Economy | 4 |
BC 111 | Creative Collaboration Seminar | 4 |
BC 205 | Business Fundamentals for the Creative Enterprise | 4 |
BC 210 | Developing an Aesthetic Sensibility through Creative and Critical Thinking | 4 |
BC 310 | Marketing the Creative Enterprise | 4 |
BC 311 | Strategic Management & Analytical Decision Making | 4 |
EC 204 | Cultural Economics | 4 |
MB 310 | Finance and Accounting | 4 |
Elective Courses
Number | Course | Credits |
---|---|---|
CC 203 | Intercultural Communication | 4 |
CC 221 | Global Political Communication | 4 |
CC 235 | Sports Communication | 4 |
CC 236 | Sports Public Relations | 4 |
CC 250 | Introduction to Public Relations | 4 |
CC 262 | Professional Communication | 4 |
CC 263 | Argument and Advocacy | 4 |
CC 266 | Conflict and Negotiation | 4 |
CC 303 | Public Opinion Polling | 4 |
CC 315 | Introduction to Nonprofit Communication | 4 |
CC 316 | Nonprofit Fundraising Campaigns | 4 |
CC 330 | Management and Communication | 4 |
CC 345 | Public Affairs Matrix | 4 |
CC 350 | Media Broadcast Presentations | 4 |
CC 256 | Crisis Communication | 4 |
CC 361 | Public Diplomacy and Grassroots Activism | 4 |
CC 362 | Guerilla PR | 4 |
MK 334 | Online Behavior and Web Analytics | 4 |
MK 346 | The Corporate Communications Function and Social Responsibility | 4 |
MK 352 | Creative Concept and Storytelling | 4 |
MK 355 | Sales Promotion and Events Management | 4 |
MB 300 | Managing Business Operations | 4 |
MB 400 | Business Policy and Strategy | 4 |
Number | Course | Credits |
---|---|---|
TH 101 | Languages of the Stage | 4 |
TH 275 | Arts Management I | 4 |
TH 375 | Arts Management II | 4 |
TH 479 | The Business of Acting | 4 |
Number | Course | Credits |
---|---|---|
VM 140 | Introduction to Video Production for Non-Majors | 4 |
VM 244 | Introduction to Producing | 4 |
VM 260 | Introduction to Interactive Media | 4 |
VM 332 | Production Management | 4 |
VM 370 | The Business of Film | 4 |
VM 380 | Media Copyright and Content | 4 |
VM 442 | Studios and Independents | 4 |
VM 457 | Recording Industry as a Business | 4 |
VM 475 | Creative Producing for Film | 4 |
Number | Course | Credits |
---|---|---|
PB 203 | Intro to Electronic Publishing | 4 |
PB 303 | Web Development | 4 |
PB 320 | Publishing Management and Innovation | 4 |
PB 380 | Magazine Publishing Overview | 4 |
PB 383 | Book Publishing Overview | 4 |
PB 395 | Applications for Print Publishing | 4 |
The Senior Residency
As the capstone of the BCE program, the Senior Residency is designed to reconnect the entirety of skills students have refined, accumulated, and workshopped since entering the program. Collaboration, aesthetic sensibility, organizational structure, and finance will be combined with lessons learned from students’ various electives and put to work in this class. The class will contain elements of both a traditional capstone and an internship but with more academic rigor and analysis, as well as collaboration with fellow students, professors, advisors, and clients.
Students, organized in groups, will spend a semester analyzing various business in the creative industry. Specifically, examining the following areas of the respective businesses.
The class will be organized via modules where groups will examine different creative enterprises through the BCE lens. The focus of said analysis will be:
- Revenue and Monetization
- Marketing Strategy
- Hierarchy and Collaboration
- Ethics and Culture
Faculty
- Wes Jackson, Executive-in-Residence and Director of the Business of Creative Enterprises Program
- P Carl, Distinguished Artist-in-Residence
- Ioana Jucan, Assistant Professor
- Robert Lyons, Affiliated Faculty
- Brenna McCormick, Executive-in-Residence
- Stanley Miller, Executive-in-Residence
- Tylor Orme, Assistant Professor