Business and Entertainment (BS)
Offered by the Kogod School of Business and unique to American University, the Business and Entertainment (BS) is a four-year program for students with strong interests in business and the business of entertainment. The program offers a substantial, exciting, and integrated curriculum that prepares students for a career in the entertainment sector. Students learn about the business of entertainment by completing Kogod's AACSB-accredited core business program, an entertainment core, and an entertainment specialization track.
The Business and Entertainment program gives students a strong foundation of academic and hands-on coursework. The business core provides a broad array of basic business knowledge and skills in areas such as accounting, finance, management, marketing, operations management, information technology, and business strategy. The entertainment core focuses on economic, legal, and business aspects of the entertainment industry itself, preparing students for work in this challenging area. In completing the entertainment specialization track, students learn more about a particular sector or field of interest within the general entertainment industry. Specialization areas include agency, audio technology, and music performance. In consultation with the Business and Entertainment Program Director, students may also create self-designed specializations. Finally, students may leverage their academic experience with a for-credit internship, membership in the Business and Entertainment Club, and numerous co-curricular experiences.
,Admission to the Program
Freshman applicants should have demonstrated above average performance in their college preparatory courses in secondary school. Scores on the SAT or ACT should indicate that the applicant has the potential for success in a rigorous university degree program. Due to the quantitative emphasis of the business administration curriculum, it is strongly recommended that applicants take the SAT II Math test for placement purposes.
In addition to university requirements for transfer admission, transfer applicants (including non-degree and degree seeking from other academic units) to KSB should have a minimum 2.75 GPA (on a 4.00 scale). All transfer students are required to take MGMT-458 and at least 18 upper-level credit hours toward their major requirements in residence. Transfer credits for business courses at or above 300-level are subject to validation by the appropriate department chair and may be conditional on successful completion of a more advanced course at American University.
- 120 credit hours with minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 2)
- Completion of all requirements for a major (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 9)
AU Core Requirements
- Completion of AU Core foundation requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.2-8.6)
- Completion of AU Core Habits of Mind requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.7)
- Completion of AU Core integrative course requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.8-8.11)
For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum.
Major Requirements
- 69-73 credit hours with grades of C or better, including 37 credit hours at or above 300-level and at least 50 percent of the credit hours earned at American University
- No more than 66 of 120 total credit hours may be completed within the Kogod School of Business
- No more than 3 credit hours of internship may be counted toward the 120 credit hours graduation requirement
- Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA required to enroll in business courses
Course Requirements
Students are responsible for fulfilling university and school requirements following a prescribed sequence. Students work closely with their academic advisor in Kogod to ensure appropriate course sequencing. However, it is the student's responsibility to consult course descriptions to identify course prerequisites and to determine when courses are offered.
Economics (3 credit hours)
Business Math (7-8 credit hours)
Analytics
Statistics
Complete 4-5 credit hours from the following:
- STAT-204 Introduction to Business Statistics (4)
- ITEC-210 Data Analysis for Business (1) and STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) / STAT-203 Basic Statistics with Calculus (4) (Available only to students who transferred statistics from another institution or completed STAT-202 or STAT-203 prior to enrollment in Kogod)
Business Core (34 credit hours)
AT = analytical tool emphasis; provides a strong foundation in business analytical software
C = case analysis emphasis; provides growth opportunities for students to evaluate cases
O = oral communication emphasis; assists in the development of oral presentation skills
T = teamwork emphasis; focuses on teamwork and the importance of interpersonal relationships and communication
W = written communication emphasis; develops business writing skills, written assignments account for a significant part of the course grade
Note: Students not taking KSB-100 in their freshman year take a 300- or 400-level business course in its place.
- ACCT-240 Principles of Financial Accounting (3)
- ACCT-241 Principles of Managerial Accounting (3) (AT)
- ACCT-245 Business Law (3)
- FIN-365 Business Finance (3) (AT)
- IBUS-300 Fundamentals of International Business (3) (C)
- ITEC-200 The Edge of Information Technology (3) (AT)
- ITEC-355 Operations Management (3) (AT/C)
- KSB-100 Business 1.0 (3)
- KSB-101 Business Professionalism (1)
- MGMT-353 Management and Organizational Behavior (3) (T)
- MGMT-458 Strategic Management (3) (C/O/T/W)
- MKTG-300 Principles of Marketing (3) (W)
Entertainment Core (13 credit hours)
Required
- MGMT-301 The Entertainment Industry: Structure and Business Models (3)
- MGMT-302 Entertainment Law (3)
Internship
Complete 1 credit hour from the following or another approved internship:
- KSB-391 Internship (1-6) (1 credit hour required)
Content Management
Complete 6 credit hours from the following:
Specialization (12-15 credit hours)
Complete one of the following entertainment specializations with the assistance and approval of the Business and Entertainment Program Director:
Agency (12 credit hours)
- ACCT-443 Federal Income Taxation of Individuals (3)
- COMM-301 Public Relations (3)
- MGMT-403 Representing Talent (3)
- MGMT-465 Negotiation (3)
Audio Technology (13 credit hours)
Required
- ATEC-101 Fundamentals of Audio Technology (3)
- ATEC-225 Digital Audio Workstations I (3)
- ATEC-415 Sound Studio Techniques I (4)
Elective
- 3 credit hours of ATEC coursework at or above 300-level
Film (15 credit hours)
- COMM-105 Visual Literacy FA1 (3)
- COMM-200 Writing for Communication (3)
- COMM-282 Writing for Visual Media (3)
- COMM-331 Film and Video Production I (3)
- COMM-434 Film and Video Production II (3)
Music Performance (12 credit hours)
Music Theory
Private Study
Complete 4 credit hours from the following:
Performance Ensembles
Complete 2 credit hours from the following:
- PERF-142 University Chorus (1)
- PERF-143 University Chamber Singers (1)
- PERF-144 University Orchestra (1)
- PERF-145 Chamber Ensembles (1)
- PERF-146 Jazz Orchestra (1)
- PERF-147 Symphonic Band (1)
- PERF-161 Gospel Choir (1)
- PERF-542 University Chorus (1)
- PERF-543 University Chamber Singers (1)
- PERF-544 University Orchestra (1)
- PERF-545 Chamber Ensembles (1)
- PERF-546 Jazz Orchestra (1)
- PERF-561 Gospel Choir (1)
Music History
Complete 3 credit hours from the following:
Self-Designed (12 credit hours)
Note: When declaring a self-designed specialization, a student must provide the four courses and specialization title to the academic advisor.
- 12 credit hours at or above 300-level from four courses, with no more than 3 credit hours from independent study
Combined Bachelor's and Master's Degrees
American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor's/master's programs. Advanced undergraduates admitted to a combined degree program that includes a master's degree from Kogod are eligible to take graduate-level courses and may apply up to 9 graduate credit hours earned as an undergraduate toward the requirements for both degrees. See Combined Bachelor's and Kogod School of Business Master's Programs for more information.