When one of the most decorated artists in music history becomes the syllabus, the classroom lessons extend far beyond fandom.
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, October 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business is launching a graduate-level course designed around the professional trajectory of the most-awarded artist in Grammy history. MBA students taking “The Business of Beyoncé” will spend the semester dissecting the strategic moves that have defined her dominance across music, film, fashion, philanthropy, and other creative sectors. The course is the brainchild of Shaun Harper, an award-winning professor who occupies the Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership at USC.
“I love Beyoncé, but this is far more than a fan appreciation gesture,” Harper said. “I have created a modern entertainment business class that gives MBA students a cool opportunity to examine, in one sustained case, how talent is developed, how a brand earns and maintains global excellence, how creative risks are evaluated, how ownership and influence expand and how one of the world’s biggest celebrities, a young Black woman, built a successful enterprise that continues to evolve and endure.”
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Over the 15-week term, graduate students will place Beyoncé’s path alongside other actors and musicians who launched their careers as child performers, as well as artists who made the leap from group acts to solo stardom. A series of projects will challenge students to craft actionable recommendations for parents of child celebrities, artist managers, entertainment industry strategists, marketers, Hollywood executives, and performers at various points in their careers.
Course topics include:
- Building, managing and evolving music groups and individual artist brands
- Navigating industry power, gender and race in the entertainment business
- Managing celebrity relationships, privacy and reputational risks
- Leveraging collaborations, visual innovations and emerging technologies
- Extending influence across genres, industries, philanthropy and activism
- Launching and sustaining profitable artist-led business ventures
- And more…
“In recent years, a handful of great courses at other top universities have examined the music, politics, and cultural significance of Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga and other celebrities” Harper added. “What distinguishes my course is its emphasis on the business strategies that have sustained Beyoncé’s success. USC Marshall students, future business leaders, will learn from the architecture and evolution of a one-of-a-kind career – from teen stardom and Destiny’s Child to visual albums, record-breaking global tours, film performances, fashion, brand partnerships, philanthropy and technological innovations. The goal is to develop business strategists who can apply what they learn to consequential decisions across the music, television and film industries.”
Harper brings substantial industry experience to the classroom, having consulted for more than 400 businesses, agencies, and institutions, including major players in entertainment, sports, and technology. He previously served as editor-at-large of TIME magazine and has written about Beyoncé for Forbes and Inside Higher Ed. His conference keynote addresses on her career span two decades. At USC, Harper holds tenured appointments across the business, public policy, and education schools.
The Business of Beyoncé is scheduled to convene on Mondays beginning in January 2027, offered through USC Marshall’s highly ranked MBA program.
Why it matters: As entertainment becomes an increasingly complex business of branding, ownership, and cross-industry expansion, this course signals how elite business schools are adapting their curricula to real-world cultural phenomena. Students won’t just study a pop icon—they’ll extract transferable lessons from a career that has repeatedly redefined how artists build and sustain commercial empires.
About the USC Marshall School of Business
The USC Marshall School of Business is a premier global business school at the University of Southern California. Founded in 1920 and located in Los Angeles, one of the world’s most dynamic centers for business, technology, media and entertainment, Marshall prepares students to lead in a rapidly changing global economy. The school offers a comprehensive portfolio of undergraduate, graduate, and executive education programs and is recognized for its strengths in experiential learning, entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, and global business. Marshall’s faculty includes leading scholars and practitioners whose research and expertise address consequential challenges facing business and society. Through its location in Los Angeles, extensive industry relationships, and worldwide alumni network, USC Marshall connects students to opportunities across industries and around the globe.
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University of Southern California
USC Marshall School of Business
