KSU music business school ranked in top 15
Billboard recently named the KSU music business school one of the top 15 in the country. Kennesaw State University‘s Joel A. Katz Music and Entertainment Business Program (MEBUS) was highlighted for inclusiveness, and for its relationship with Atlanta-area entertainment brands such as Live Nation, Coca-Cola Studios, and the Zac Brown Band. MEBUS is within the Michael J. Coles School of Business.
24-credit certificate program with a practical focus
According to the news release from KSU announcing the ranking, “MEBUS is a 24-credit certificate program offering three capstone courses in music & entertainment business as well as marketing, management, production, communication, and entrepreneurship courses that prepare students for successful careers in the entertainment industry. MEBUS is open to all KSU undergraduate majors with a desire to work in the entertainment industry in areas such as film and television production, audio and video technology, venue and artist management, and concert and event production.”
The ranking puts MEBUS in the company of schools such as Belmont University, Berklee College of Music, New York University, and Syracuse University.
“It’s a huge honor to be mentioned in conjunction with prominent schools like Belmont or Berklee that have been in existence longer than we have,” says MEBUS Director Keith Perissi for the news release. “It’s all validation of what we’ve been working very hard to achieve.”
Began in 2010
The program began in 2010, and students are required to complete three externships with major entertainment companies to earn their certificates. Perissi said in the news release, ” We are all about getting our students on the front lines. By the time they leave our program – and if they’ve done the hard work – their resumes look like a million bucks.”
A major focus of the program is to expose MEBUS students to industry professionals in the classroom.
“Among the faculty are veteran talent-buyer Tanner Smith, screenwriter Rhonda Baraka, film and television producer Dale Goldberg, and actor Beth Keener, who has appeared in multiple television series including The Vampire Diaries and The Walking Dead,” the news release states.
See the full Billboard 2018 Top Music Business Schools.