Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business

Mission Statement
Goals
Progression Requirements
Songwriting Major Admissions

Brittany Schaffer, Dean
Sarita Stewart, Senior Associate Dean

James Elliott - Co-Chair, Songwriting Program

Drew Ramsey - Co-Chair, Songwriting Program
Amy Smith - Chair, Music Business Program
David Schreiber - Chair, Media and Entertainment Program
Michael Janas - Chair, Audio Engineering Technology Program
John Lloyd Miller - Chair, Motion Pictures Program

Ted Peetz - Chair, Sport Administration Program

Mission Statement:

The Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business strives to combine academic experience with real world applications and seeks to achieve its mission by implementing innovative courses of study in the entertainment and music industries.

Goals:

The Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business has the following goals:

To provide a personalized, career-oriented and practical education that emphasizes leadership, innovation, private enterprise and entrepreneurship.
To equip students with the tools to think critically, communicate effectively, accept responsibility, make successful decisions, and prosper in diverse work environments.
To emphasize quality classroom instruction within the parameters of ethical Christian principles.

The Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business offers three undergraduate degrees (B.A., B.S., & B.B.A.) and ten (10) areas of study: audio engineering, audio video production, entertainment industry studies, journalism, mass communication, multimedia production, music business, publishing, songwriting, and video production. The college also maintains post-graduate elective specialization courses in entertainment and music business within the Masters of Business Administration degree (M.B.A.). *

Audio Engineering Technology (AET)

The AET program is designed to study, investigate, and contribute to the art, science, and practical application of audio engineering. Students of the AET program complete the B.S. or B.A. curriculum with a major in audio engineering technology and a minor in a career related discipline.

By graduation, Audio Engineering Technology students will have:

an ability to apply knowledge, techniques, skills and modern tools of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology to solve audio engineering problems.
an ability to design systems, components, or processes meeting specified needs for audio engineering problems.
an ability to apply written, oral, and graphical communication in broadly-defined technical and non-technical environments; and an ability to identify and use appropriate technical literature.
an ability to conduct standard tests, measurements, and experiments and to analyze and interpret the results to improve processes.
an ability to function effectively as a member as well as a leader on technical teams.

The Audio Engineering Technology program is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org/.

Creative & Entertainment Industries (CEI)

This program is designed to prepare the future leaders of the creative and entertainment industries (CEI) by providing the guiding principles & practices of various sectors including, film, music, television, radio, sports, video games, books and fashion. Attention is given to current concepts, industry frameworks, business models and organizational structures that drive the production of cultural and symbolic goods.

Students of the program will complete either the B.S. or B.A. curriculum with a major in the creative & entertainment industries and a minor in a related discipline (this may include a function of business the student is interested in such as marketing, management or public relations OR a specific industry of focus such as sports administration, music business or theater). In lieu of declaring a minor, students may also elect to double major in an area that compliments their area of study or professional goals (Sports Administration, Video Production, Motion Pictures, Publishing, Art, etc.).

By graduation, CEI students will have:

Recognized and evaluated trends and prominent issues in the methods of marketing and promotion, economic and financial principles that drive the global leisure and entertainment industries.
Explained and analyzed copyright laws and acquired broad-based knowledge of entertainment law and licensing practices.
Explored management and leadership principles that aid in building high functioning teams and strong organizational culture.
Applied and integrated program knowledge toward a career in the entertainment industries and formed short- and long-term plans for a career that are reflective of personal and professional ambitions.

Music Business (MBU)

The MBU program is designed around the core fundamentals of modern business administration. Music Business students complete the B.B.A. curriculum with a major in Business Administration**, a concentration in Music Business, and an emphasis focused in either the music industry or music production.

Upon successful completion of the Business Administration Tool & Core students will have:

Acquired broad-based knowledge of the principles of global business practices including the fundamentals of accounting, economics, marketing, management, finance, business law, and ethics.

Upon successful completion of the Music Business Core students will have:

Recognized and described the structure and business practices of the music industry.
Explained and analyzed copyright laws as they apply to the music industry.
Demonstrated a basic understanding of audio recording technology.
Formed short- and long-term plans for a career that are reflective of personal and professional ambitions.

Upon successful completion of the Music Business Emphasis, students will have:

Recognized and applied traditional, contemporary, and emerging business practices common to the music industry in the classroom.

Upon successful completion of the Music Production Emphasis, students will have:

Explored and acquired broad-based knowledge of audio engineering technology and demonstrated proficiency in the application of basic critical listening and practical audio engineering skills.

Songwriting (SNG)

The SNG program is focused on the artistic craft and business aspects of professional songwriting. Students in the songwriting program complete either the B.S. or B.A. curriculum with a major in Songwriting and a minor in a career related discipline. The objective of the Songwriting program is to help the student develop his or her artistic craft while gaining a practical understanding of the business aspects of a songwriting career. By graduation, Songwriting students will have:

Acquired a broad-based knowledge of music theory and commercial song development.
Demonstrated familiarity with the history and function of recording technology and proficiency in the application of practical song demo production.
Created commercially viable songs through the exploration of melody and lyric in the context of popular song structure.
Demonstrated an understanding of music publishing in the global entertainment economy.
Formed short-term and long-term plans for a career that are reflective of personal and professional ambitions.

* In cooperation with the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business Administration.
** In cooperation with the Undergraduate School of Business Administration. AACSB International accredited.

Progression Requirements

The following requirements apply to students pursuing the Audio Engineering Technology (AET), Creative & Entertainment Industries (CEI), Songwriting (SNG), and the Music Business (MBU) majors:

“A maximum of six (6) credit hours of Internship (MBU/AET/SNG/CEI 3000) may apply towards the ‘major’ area electives. If the student exceeds these 6 hours of internship, then any additional internship hours taken beyond 6 credits will apply towards ‘free’ electives.”
With regard to “double-majors” or the pursuit of multiple degrees, individual course credit may not be applied to more than one major or concentration. With regard to transfer classes, individual course credit is not guaranteed and credit toward major and concentration requirements will be applied only after successful completion of the appropriate placement test(s).
Unless otherwise specified, all study abroad courses will be credited on a Pass/Fail (P/F) basis. Final decisions on issuance of grade credit for study abroad will be at the discretion of the University Registrar.
Creative & Entertainment Industries (CEI), Audio Engineering Technology (AET), and Songwriting (SNG) majors must maintain at least a 2.00 GPA in their major area of study. Music Business (MBU) majors must maintain at least a 2.00 GPA in the business administration courses (tool and core) required within the Bachelor of Business Administration degree.

All CEMB students must complete a minimum of 50% of their coursework in residence at Belmont University.

Songwriting Major Admissions

The following requirement applies to students pursuing admission to the major in Songwriting.

Admission to the Songwriting program is competitive and requires supplemental application materials in addition to university requirements. Applicants are required to submit a portfolio of 3-4 songs, including demonstration recordings with lyric sheets and must answer the appropriate questions on the Academic Program Supplement. Portfolio submission details and timelines for review are published at http://www.belmont.edu/cemb/songwriting.