The Kogod School of Business unveiled a new degree program March 31 that will allow for students to follow a career path into the music business, according to Jesse Boeding, director of undergraduate programs in Kogod.
After meeting with administrators from both Kogod and the College of Arts and Sciences, the accredited business and music programs combined into one curriculum - the Bachelor of Science in Business and Music - that will allow a student to graduate in four years, study abroad and have internships, Boeding said.
Interdisciplinary studies programs are the future of academics, according to Nancy Snider, music program director for CAS.
"[Business and music] really brings [interdisciplinary studies] to life," Snider said. "Teaching to the whole student is critical."
However, one of the most important things coordinators needed to do was make sure they did not water down the curriculum of the combined major, Snider said.
"The program needed to be substantive, in both curricular and philosophical terms," Snider said.
The entire process took about nine months to develop, Boeding said.
"The process of creating this program was inspiring," Snider said. "It was like making music."
The business and music program has gotten a fair amount of student attention over the past few days. There has been interest from incoming freshmen, people looking to teach courses and from upperclassmen looking to minor. Over the past week, there were over one hundred inquiries about the program, Boeding said.
"It's amazing how the program has taken off," she said.
Katie Lock, a sophomore in CAS, said that combining these degrees could help students explore different aspects of their creativity.
"It's probably the most practical way to pursue something that is both practical and artistic," Lock said. "[Business and Music] shouldn't have to be mutually exclusive."
Musicians and business people are more similar than they may seem, according to Snider.
"Every great musician has a business person inside, and every great business person has a musician," she said.
The program requires students to intern in both the arts and business fields, Snider said. Students can also study abroad, and still manage to graduate within four years, Snider said.
There was only one class that was created specifically for this degree - the Business and Music Capstone class, which is a requirement for seniors in the program. No other new courses were created, she said. However, as the degree goes through its first few years, other courses may be added, Snider said.
The courses put students on track to work in the for-profit music sector, but students will be diversified enough to go into the non-profit realm, according to Boeding.
Katie Caruso, a freshman in Kogod, said the degree may be too specific for an undergraduate degree.
"I think it's a great idea, but I'm not really sure how practical it could be after college," she said. "Personally, I'd be better off just sticking to the basics, but if you're passionate about music, then I don't see why not"
