Music Industry BS
Major: Music Industry
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science (BS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 188.0
Co-op Options: Two Co-ops (Four years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 50.1003
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 27-2041; 25-1121
About the Program
The degree in Music Industry offers the highly motivated student a program of study that combines education in music, music industry practices, and music technology with career preparation. Two concentrations are offered—Music Industry Business and Recording Arts (MIBU) and Music Production (RAMP)—providing hands-on experience and a strong academic foundation in relevant areas of this rapidly changing industry. The Music Industry curriculum is divided into four areas which are combined with cooperative experience: general education, music core, music industry core, and concentration requirements.
In an industry where the process of career building often begins with a few key contacts, the cooperative education program provides Drexel students the opportunity to meet industry professionals and network. The program prepares students for careers in the music industry in such diverse positions as recording engineer, music producer, sound designer, music lawyer, business manager, or music publisher. The co-op experience during the sophomore and junior year summer terms involves full-time, career-related employment during which students gain valuable insight into how the entertainment industry works.
About the Concentrations
The major offers two concentrations: Music Industry Business and Recording Arts (MIBU) and Music Production (RAMP):
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The Music Industry Business (MIBU) concentration provides a rigorous academic foundation complemented by a real-world, hands-on, highly intensive business experience. This mission is realized through the students' participation in the MAD Dragon Music Group, a group of student-run enterprises including MAD Dragon Records, MAD Dragon Live, MAD Dragon Publishing, and MAD Dragon Marketing.
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The Recording Arts and Music Production (RAMP) concentration focuses on the techniques and technologies of music and audio production. As well as providing the technology-oriented student with the necessary skills to perform as an audio engineer or record producer, the concentration teaches students a full range of industry functions including post-production audio, live sound engineering, and music and audio freelancing skills. The concentration encourages the technology student to interact with the students in the business concentration by recording, mixing, and mastering the music for MAD Dragon Music Group projects and engaging in live performance production.
All Music Industry students qualify to apply for a minor in Business Administration after completing their Music Industry core requirements. This emphasis on business courses as part of the core requirements is one of the foundations of the program.
Special Admissions Considerations
Students wishing to be admitted to the Music Industry major must meet or exceed the general requirements for admission to the University and the College of Media Arts and Design.
The program no longer accepts hard-copy portfolios; however, when applying to the Music Industry program, applicants are encouraged to use the portfolio portal provided on the Admissions Instructions webpage to upload electronic examples of pertinent activities (music and/or business and entrepreneurial), as well as a resume of music-industry-related experience.
In their major-specific essays, applicants should address their reasons for selecting the Music Industry major at Drexel and share their passion for this unique area of study.
Additional Information
For more information about this major, visit the College's Music Industry page.
Degree Requirements
All students take the same general education, music industry core, and business courses. Students choose their concentration at the time of admission; however it is possible to switch as late as the beginning of junior year.
Concentrations:
- Music Industry: Business (MIBU) Concentration
- Music Industry: Recording Arts & Music Production (RAMP) Concentration
Students are also able to take courses in any other concentration as long as they fulfill the prerequisite requirement(s) and there is room in the class to accommodate the student.
Requirements | ||
ENGL 101 | Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research | 3.0 |
or ENGL 111 | English Composition I | |
ENGL 102 | Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing | 3.0 |
or ENGL 112 | English Composition II | |
ENGL 103 | Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres | 3.0 |
or ENGL 113 | English Composition III | |
COM 230 | Techniques of Speaking | 3.0 |
MATH 101 | Introduction to Analysis I | 4.0 |
or MATH 121 | Calculus I | |
MATH 102 | Introduction to Analysis II | 4.0 |
or MATH 122 | Calculus II | |
CIVC 101 | Introduction to Civic Engagement | 1.0 |
COOP 101 | Career Management and Professional Development | 1.0 |
UNIV A101 | The Drexel Experience | 1.0 |
Required Arts and Humanities-students elect a minimum of 9 credits | 9.0 | |
Required Natural Science-students elect a minimum of 3 credits * | 3.0 | |
Required Social Science-students elect a minimum of 9 credits | 9.0 | |
Music core requirements | 15.0 | |
Music Industry core requirements | 63.0 | |
Concentration requirements | 33.0-34.0 | |
Concentration electives | 9.0 | |
Free electives ** | 24.0 | |
Total Credits | 188.0-189.0 |
Music Core Requirements | ||
MUSC 121 | Music Theory I | 3.0 |
or MUSC 122 | Music Theory II | |
MUSC 125 | Ear Training I | 1.0 |
MUSC 130 | Introduction to Music | 3.0 |
MUSC 190 | Class Piano I | 2.0 |
or MUSC 191 | Class Guitar I | |
MUSC 323 | Songwriting | 3.0 |
Music Elective (Select one) | 3.0 | |
European Classical Music History I | ||
European Classical Music History II | ||
The Beatles | ||
Rock Music Through the Mid-60s | ||
Rock Music Since the Mid-60s | ||
World Musics | ||
Afro-American Music USA | ||
History of Jazz | ||
American Popular Music | ||
Special Topics in Music | ||
Total Credits | 15.0 |
Music Industry Core Requirements | ||
ACCT 110 | Accounting for Professionals | 4.0 |
BLAW 201 | Business Law I | 4.0 |
ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4.0 |
ECON 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 4.0 |
FIN 301 | Introduction to Finance | 4.0 |
MIP 132 | Survey of the Recording Industry | 3.0 |
MIP 133 | Digital Audio Workstations I | 3.0 |
MIP 161 | Copyrights in the Music Industry | 3.0 |
MIP 179 | Introduction to Sound Recording | 2.0 |
MIP 227 | Listening Techniques | 1.0 |
MIP 270 | Live Music Industry | 3.0 |
MIP 293 [WI] | Survey of Music Production | 3.0 |
MIP 361 | Music Publishing | 3.0 |
MIP 374 | Entrepreneurship in the Music Industry | 3.0 |
MIP 375 [WI] | Marketing and Promo in Music Industry | 3.0 |
MIP 491 | Senior Project in Music Industry * | 9.0 |
STAT 201 | Introduction to Business Statistics | 4.0 |
WEST 100 | Introduction to Digital Design Tools | 3.0 |
Total Credits | 63.0 |
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Repeated over three terms.
Music Industry: Business Concentration Requirements | ||
MIP 276 | Sound Recording for Business Concentration * | 3.0 |
MIP 336 | Contracts and Legal Issues in the Music Industry | 3.0 |
MIP 366 | Music Supervision | 3.0 |
MIP 376 | MAD Dragon Music Group (Taken three terms) | 9.0 |
MIP 394 | Big Data In The Music Industry | 3.0 |
MIP 395 | Digital Revenue & Creative Destruction | 3.0 |
MIP 426 | Global Trends in the Music Industry | 3.0 |
MIP 467 | Artist Representation | 3.0 |
MIP 468 | Music Industry E-Commerce | 3.0 |
Select Three of the following Business Concentration Electives | 9.0 | |
Radio Management | ||
Media Promotion | ||
Music Merchandising | ||
Music Venues and Concerts | ||
Touring and Booking | ||
Artist Development | ||
Cities of Music and Culture | ||
Total Credits | 42.0 |
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MUSI Business Concentration Students who would like to continue taking more advanced recording studio and music production courses should take MIP 279 Sound Recording I instead of MIP 276 Sound Recording for Business Concentration. Take MIP 233 in Term 3 instead of MIP 276, which is a prerequisite to MIP 279, which you will take in Terms 5 or 6.
Music Industry: Recording Arts & Music Production (RAMP) Concentration Requirements | ||
MIP 233 | Digital Audio Workstations II | 3.0 |
MIP 279 | Sound Recording I | 3.0 |
MIP 333 | Digital Audio Workstations III | 3.0 |
MIP 338 | Audio Seminar | 2.0 |
MIP 379 | Sound Recording II | 3.0 |
MIP 381 | Audio for Video | 3.0 |
MIP 388 | Music and Audio Freelancing | 2.0 |
MIP 389 | Sound Reinforcement | 3.0 |
MIP 477 | Music Production | 3.0 |
MIP 481 | Mixing and Mastering | 3.0 |
MUSC 122 | Music Theory II | 3.0 |
MUSC 229 | Modern Arranging Techniques | 3.0 |
Select Three of the following RAMP Concentration electives: | 9.0 | |
Electronic Music Production | ||
Scoring to Picture | ||
Synthesis and Sampling | ||
Commercial Music Production | ||
Studio Maintenance | ||
Video Game Music and Audio | ||
Analog Recording | ||
Advanced Sound Reinforcement | ||
Digital Audio Workstations IV | ||
Total Credits | 43.0 |
Writing-Intensive Course Requirements
In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.
A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.
Sample Plans of Study
Music Industry: Recording Arts & Music Production Concentration
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | ACCT 110 | 4.0 | VACATION | |
MIP 132 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
MIP 179 | 2.0 | MIP 133 | 3.0 | MIP 233 | 3.0 | ||
MIP 227 | 1.0 | MIP 161 | 3.0 | MIP 270 | 3.0 | ||
MUSC 121 | 3.0 | MUSC 130 | 3.0 | MUSC 122 | 3.0 | ||
MUSC 190 or 191 | 2.0 | WEST 100 | 3.0 | MUSC 125 | 1.0 | ||
UNIV A101 | 1.0 | ||||||
15 | 16 | 17 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
COOP 101 | 1.0 | ECON 201 | 4.0 | BLAW 201 | 4.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | |
MATH 101 or 121 | 4.0 | MATH 102 or 122 | 4.0 | MIP 279** | 3.0 | ||
MIP 333 | 3.0 | MIP 279* | 3.0 | MUSC 229 | 3.0 | ||
MIP 361 | 3.0 | MIP 293 | 3.0 | MUSC 323 | 3.0 | ||
MIP 375 | 3.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | STAT 201 | 4.0 | ||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
17 | 17 | 17 | 0 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ECON 202 | 4.0 | MIP 374 | 3.0 | COM 230 | 3.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | |
FIN 301 | 4.0 | MIP 389 | 3.0 | PHYS 107*** | 3.0 | ||
MIP 379 | 3.0 | MIP 388 | 2.0 | MIP 338 | 2.0 | ||
MIP 381 | 3.0 | MIP 481 | 3.0 | MIP 477 | 3.0 | ||
Arts and Humanities Elective | 3.0 | Social Science Elective | 3.0 | Social Science Elective | 3.0 | ||
17 | 14 | 14 | 0 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
MIP 491 | 3.0 | MIP 491 | 3.0 | MIP 491 | 3.0 | ||
MIP RA&MP Concentration Elective | 3.0 | MIP RA&MP Concentration Elective | 3.0 | MIP RA&MP Concentration Elective | 3.0 | ||
Arts and Humanities Elective | 3.0 | Social Science Elective | 3.0 | Arts and Humanities Electives | 3.0 | ||
MUSC Elective | 3.0 | Free Electives | 6.0 | Free Elective | 6.0 | ||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
15 | 15 | 15 | |||||
Total Credits 189 |
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Can substitute with free elective.
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Can substitute with Natural Science elective
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Can substitute with Social Science elective
Music Industry: Business Concentration
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | ACCT 110 | 4.0 | VACATION | |
MIP 132 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
MIP 179 | 2.0 | MIP 133 | 3.0 | MIP 270 | 3.0 | ||
MIP 227 | 1.0 | MIP 161 | 3.0 | MIP 276** | 3.0 | ||
MUSC 121 | 3.0 | MUSC 130 | 3.0 | MUSC 125 | 1.0 | ||
MUSC 190 or 191 | 2.0 | WEST 100 | 3.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | ||
UNIV A101 | 1.0 | ||||||
15 | 16 | 17 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
COOP 101 | 1.0 | BLAW 201 | 4.0 | MIP 336 | 3.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | |
MATH 101 | 4.0 | ECON 201 | 4.0 | MIP 467 | 3.0 | ||
MIP 361 | 3.0 | MATH 102 | 4.0 | MUSC 323 | 3.0 | ||
MIP 375 | 3.0 | MIP 293 | 3.0 | STAT 201 | 4.0 | ||
Natural Science Elective | 3.0 | Social Science Elective | 3.0 | Social Science Elective | 3.0 | ||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
17 | 18 | 16 | 0 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ECON 202 | 4.0 | MIP 374 | 3.0 | COM 230 | 3.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | |
FIN 301 | 4.0 | MIP 376 | 3.0 | MIP 376 | 3.0 | ||
MIP 376 | 3.0 | MIP 394 | 3.0 | MIP 426 | 3.0 | ||
MIP 395 | 3.0 | Free Electives | 6.0 | MIP 468 | 3.0 | ||
MIP Business Concentration Elective | 3.0 | Arts and Humanities Elective | 3.0 | ||||
17 | 15 | 15 | 0 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
MIP 491 | 3.0 | MIP 491 | 3.0 | MIP 491 | 3.0 | ||
MIP 366 | 3.0 | MIP Business Concentration Elective | 3.0 | MIP Business Concentration Elective | 3.0 | ||
Arts and Humanities Elective | 3.0 | Social Science Elective | 3.0 | Arts and Humanities Elective | 3.0 | ||
MUSC Elective | 3.0 | Free Electives | 6.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | ||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
15 | 15 | 12 | |||||
Total Credits 188 |
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See degree requirements.
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MUSI Business Concentration Students who would like to continue taking more advanced recording studio and music production courses should take MIP 279 Sound Recording I instead of MIP 276 Sound Recording for Business Concentration. Take MIP 233 in Term 3 instead of MIP 276, which is a prerequisite to MIP 279, which you will take in Terms 5 or 6.