Entertainment & Arts Management

What is Entertainment & Arts Management?

Drexel University’s Entertainment & Arts Management Bachelor of Science program provides an immersive learning environment centered on the creative industries, one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in the United States and around the world. Tremendous growth in media and the arts has created a need for professionals who can combine both management and leadership skills with a thorough understanding of art, entertainment, and media.

Drexel's highly regarded Entertainment & Arts Management program is recognized as one of the Top Colleges for Arts Management and part of one of the Best Design and Applied Arts Colleges in the United States.

Why Study Entertainment & Arts Management?

Drexel's Entertainment & Arts Management (EAM) program prepares students for challenges in the creative industries by providing both a specialized curriculum — through which students may choose an arts or media concentration — with a nationally-ranked cooperative education (co-op) component.

Students in Drexel’s EAM program choose concentrations in media management, performing arts management, or visual arts management. However, unlike other undergraduate programs in entertainment business management, students are not required to choose a nonprofit or for-profit focus. This allows Drexel students increased flexibility when choosing their career paths and a distinct professional advantage in today’s ever-changing arts and entertainment industries.

EAM majors will participate in Drexel’s Co-op program, which gives them the opportunity to earn up to six months of industry experience before graduation. Studies show that our graduates with co-op experience earn higher starting salaries and performance ratings. Additionally, students have access to Philadelphia’s thriving arts and entertainment community. Philadelphia boasts world-renowned museums, theaters, dance companies, music venues, and film festivals. Entertainment & Arts Management majors form connections in Philadelphia through co-op, curriculum, and our outstanding faculty—all top professionals in creative fields.

What Skills Will You Learn in the Entertainment & Arts Management Program at Drexel University?

The EAM program develops professionals who are equipped to thrive in the entertainment and art industries because they are sensitive to the needs of artists and creatives, but they also know how to navigate the complex business environments that exist in creative spaces. The industry needs professionals who understand the entertainment and art management workings of creative industries and can move effortlessly between commercial and nonprofit.

Key skills Entertainment & Arts Management students learn include:

• Community engagement
• Strategic planning
• Data literacy
• Fund development
• Entrepreneurship
• Financial management
• Marketing the arts
• Organizational management
• Legal and ethical environment for the arts
• Policy for the arts

Dual Degree Option in Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management

Qualified EAM students may choose to apply for a five-year accelerated program, graduating with a bachelor’s degree as well as a Master in Business Administration or Master of Science.

BS/MBA: This dual degree program combines study in the areas of entertainment and arts management with the MBA degree from the LeBow College of Business. The program is designed to allow students to complete both the bachelor's degree and the Master of Business Administration degree in five years. This program is ideal for students seeking to enter the creative industries with a commercial or for-profit focus.

Freshman applicants to the Entertainment & Arts Management program with a combined Math and Critical Reading SAT score of 1300 and a 3.5 GPA may apply for the BS/MBA program at the time of their freshman application. Entertainment management majors who are accepted into the accelerated program must maintain a 3.2 GPA as an EAM undergraduate and submit two letters of recommendation and meet minimum GMAT requirements at the time of application to the MBA program. Additional BS/MBA information can be found in Drexel’s Course Catalog.

BS/MS: Students who complete the EAM program may also choose to pursue a graduate degree at Drexel in Arts Administration & Museum Leadership. Students who apply for the graduate Arts Administration & Museum Leadership program and graduate with a 3.5 GPA in the last two years of the EAM degree program are automatically accepted into the graduate program. The BS/MS option is perfect for students looking to launch leadership careers in non-profit creative organizations.

Study EAM Abroad

EAM students have the opportunity to participate in a summer abroad intensive at the world’s largest arts festival (Guinness Book of World Records), the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. This internationally renowned festival is home to over 53,000 performances of over 3,300 different shows. Students are assigned to work on professional shows participating in the festival, learning hands-on experience and the chance to network with the world’s leading arts and festival producers. Students also attend classes, lectures, and workshops by experienced industry professionals and attend multiple theatre, dance and visual art shows.

The Drexel EAM Co-op Program: Experience Counts

Drexel University has long been known for its cooperative education program, through which students mix periods of full-time, career-related employment with their studies. All EAM majors complete co-op employment. The entertainment management degree is completed in four years, and students complete two, three-month co-op experiences, typically in the summer term of the second year and the summer term of the third year.

Many co-op opportunities exist in for-profit and nonprofit areas within the arts and entertainment industry.

Career Opportunities with an Arts and Entertainment Management Degree

The Drexel arts and entertainment management program prepares students for a variety of careers in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations, from creative, hands-on positions to administrative and management roles.

Given the large number of entertainment management organizations, the career possibilities in this field are extensive, ranging from small, independent production companies to major studios. Entertainment management majors from Drexel are well-prepared for a variety of careers, including the following:

• Artistic or creative director
• Concert producer
• Festival manager
• Venue manager
• Gallery manager/owner
• Stage manager
• Grant writer
• Marketing coordinator
• Promoter
• Publicist
• Talent agent

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