Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business

Mission Statement
Goals
Progression Requirements
Songwriting Major Admissions

Douglas Howard, Dean
Cheryl Slay Carr, Associate Dean

James Elliott - Chair., Songwriting Program
Rush Hicks - Chair., Music Business Program
David Schreiber - Chair., Entertainment Industry Studies Program
Michael Janas - Chair., Audio Engineering Technology Program
Will Akers - Chair., Motion Pictures
Thompson Storey - Chair, Media Studies

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:

Explored and acquired broad-based knowledge of audio engineering technology and demonstrated proficiency in the application of critical listening and practical audio engineering skills.
Applied mathematics, physics, hearing science, and electronic engineering to the identification, analyses, and solving of theoretical and technical audio engineering problems through integrated and reflective learning.
Demonstrated organizational leadership skills with an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams.
Formed short- and long-term plans for a career that are reflective of personal and professional ambitions.

Entertainment Industry Studies (EIS)

The EIS program is a liberal arts oriented broad study of the diversity and interaction between society and entertainment-driven art, commerce, and technology. Students of the EIS program complete either the B.S. or B.A. curriculum with a major in entertainment industry studies and a minor in a career related discipline. Included in the EIS major are specialized courses in entertainment development and distribution, economics, law & licensing, and studies in creative, performance, production, writing, and mass media drawn from select liberal arts courses.

By graduation, Entertainment Industries Studies students will have:

Recognized and evaluated trends and prominent issues in the economics, technologies, channels of distribution, and methods of promotion in the global entertainment industry.
Explained and analyzed copyright laws and acquired broad-based knowledge of entertainment law and licensing practices.
Explored select entertainment and sociology related topics in literary and aesthetic studies and the creative arts.
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), Entertainment Industry Studies (EIS), Songwriting (SNG), and the Music Business (MBU) majors:

“A maximum of six (6) credit hours of Internship (MBU/AET/SNG/EIS 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.
Entertainment Industry Studies (EIS), 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.