In order to reflect new opportunities available to students, the former Music Industry Management program has been changed to the Music and Entertainment Business program.
“I’m a big believer in creating opportunities for students, and this degree offers a lot of pathways,” Ferris Music and Entertainment Business program director Paul Kwant said.
General education classes have been reduced to make room for students to create their concentration within their degree and will give them the opportunity for a dedicated minor, certificate or an adviser-approved concentration, according to Kwant.
The previous program will continue to exist for six years, but new students will no longer be accepted. Sophomores and juniors wanting
to switch to the new curriculum will not face delayed graduation, and seniors may add additional credits to their existing studies.
“The strong sell for this program is not only is that it’s a cool thing to be in… but it is a four-year Bachelor of Science and business degree,” Kwant said.
The new program totals 120 credits. Freshmen must have a grade point average of at least 2.5 and meet SAT requirement minimums for acceptance.
Ferris music and entertainment business senior Sarah Millen said through this change, students can now pursue their specific interests with more depth.
“I think it’s been beneficial because now we get to hone in on exactly what we’re interested in rather than just kind of a general overview,”
Millen said. “We’ve been able to break off and find those students who maybe are more interested in marketing and PR, journalism,
photography… it’s been able to get a little more specific.”
Kwant said that the original Music Industry Management Program was started in 1995 by Harry Dempsey with only one student enrolled. Today, the new Music and Entertainment Business program has experienced a massive increase in numbers and diversity, and is around 60
percent female.
Ferris music and entertainment business senior Kim Hoholik encouraged students to explore their interests.
“Try to do a little bit of everything to gauge your interests and figure out where you think you belong in the industry, and there’s plenty of opportunities,” Hoholik said.
The primary goal of the switch was to build on the existing success of the original program and provide a unique new experience.
“The program has a great legacy. It’s been around 22 years,” Kwant said. “My job is to not only value the program—where it has been, where it is now and where we’re going—I really feel like we have to pay homage to what was created because they’ve done a great job.”