Minor in Creative Entrepreneurship

Berklee's Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship believes that every artist’s career is a startup and that creators are naturally entrepreneurial. We have entered an era of rapid technological and societal accelerations that will impact not just the music and creative industries, but also every single aspect of a student's life journey.

The creative entrepreneurship minor aims to prepare students for a professional life where constant change is the norm and where their own musical, creative, and entrepreneurial instincts will provide the best roadmap to agility, adaptability, and success. Students will learn to tap into their instincts as improvisers, collaborators, inventors, and listeners, and see how they can apply these abilities to a successful career in the entertainment industry and beyond.

Entrance Requirements

There are no entrance requirements for this minor.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, students will:

  • discover how to market and brand themselves as a musician;
  • learn how to launch their own venture, from tech startup to theater company;
  • make revenues from their songs and compositions;
  • envision the ways that current music and performing arts industries will be impacted through technology and innovation;
  • develop basic negotiation skills and an understanding of contract structures and concepts, including work for hire;
  • redefine what success looks like in the world of classical music;
  • understand how technology enables new creative tools for the digital era;
  • understand finance and accounting such as managing debt, basic equity structures, balance sheets, and income statements; and
  • develop concepts such as professional networking and cultivating relationships.
Curriculum and Courses

Five courses are needed for completion of the minor (at least 11 credits).

Core Courses (four courses; 9 credits):

  • ICE-125: The Mind: The Creative Entrepreneur Mindset (2 credits)
  • ICE-225: The Blueprint: Foundations of Entrepreneurship (2 credits)
  • ICE-325: The Startup of You (2 credits)
  • ICE-345: The Startup Lab I (3 credits)

Electives (choose one; 2 credits):

  • MB-435: Innovators' DNA (2 credits)
  • ICE-335: Music and Web3 (2 credits)