Minor in Creative Entrepreneurship
The Minor in Creative Entrepreneurship at Berklee College of Music is a transformative journey, designed to intertwine the skills and creative expression of an artist with the mindset of an entrepreneur. This program offers students a holistic approach, equipping them with both the foundational knowledge of entrepreneurship and the practical skills to bring innovative ideas to fruition.
At the heart of this minor, students are taught to recognize and ideate novel business opportunities, especially those addressing unmet market needs or complex problems. This recognition is enhanced by their unique artistic skills—be they listening, improvising, experimenting, performing, or others. With a structured balance of theoretical and experiential learning, students undergo the process of prototyping, testing, refining, and even navigating the challenging waters of failure, all while learning to adapt and iterate.
Throughout the minor, students are immersed in the core elements of business development. This includes crafting compelling pitches, designing robust business structures, and developing growth strategies. Beyond the hard skills, the program prioritizes the nurturing of essential soft skills, ensuring students are prepared to collaborate, lead, and succeed in the diverse world of entrepreneurship. By the program's conclusion, students are equipped to launch ventures in the creative industries, and are empowered to reshape industries, challenge the status quo, and act as beacons of inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs.
There are no entrance requirements for this minor.
- College students: Submit the Declaration of Major/Minor form to the Music Business/Management Department. See detailed instructions in the Registration Guide.
- Conservatory students: submit the Declaration of Minor form to the Registrar's Office.
- Application of Artistic Abilities: Utilize innate skills as creatives and artists—such as listening, improvising, experimenting, and performing—in entrepreneurial endeavors.
- Foundational Knowledge: Understand and articulate key concepts and vocabulary in entrepreneurship.
- Opportunity Recognition: Identify and ideate business opportunities for new products, services, or solutions, especially those addressing unmet needs or solving problems.
- Business Evaluation: Assess the desirability, feasibility, and viability of a business idea.
- Prototyping and Iteration: Develop prototypes for business ideas, test their validity, and refine based on feedback. Learn to navigate failure and adapt from mistakes.
- Structural Business Planning: Design the core elements of the business, including organizational structure, resources, team composition, brand proposition, marketing strategies, sales approaches, and financial planning.
- Pitching and Presentation: Craft and deliver compelling pitches to potential investors, partners, or stakeholders.
- Growth Strategies: Understand and implement strategies to scale and expand a business.
- Development of Soft Skills: Enhance and apply key interpersonal and managerial skills vital for success in entrepreneurship.
Required Courses (five courses; 10 credits):