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Business of Creative Enterprises (BA)

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Business of Creative Enterprises

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

Required Courses
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

Electives: Communication Enterprises
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

Electives: Arts and Entertainment Enterprises
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

Electives: Media Enterprises
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

Electives: Publishing Enterprises
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

Emerson Today