BEYONCÉ TAKES CENTER STAGE IN NEW USC MARSHALL MBA COURSE

The Business of Beyoncé will use the global megastar’s successful career to teach aspiring music and entertainment industry leaders

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, October 23, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California is offering a new graduate course that turns the career of the most-awarded artist in Grammy history into a semester-long case study. MBA students enrolled in "The Business of Beyoncé" will analyze extraordinarily effective strategies spanning music, film, fashion, philanthropy and other creative industries. The course was developed and will be taught by Shaun Harper, an award-winning professor who holds 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.”

During the 15-week experience, graduate students will compare Beyoncé with other actors and musicians who also began performing as child stars, as well as singers who transitioned from music groups to solo artists. Through a range of assignments, they will develop practical guidance for parents of child celebrities, artist managers, entertainment industry strategists, marketers, Hollywood executives and performers at different career stages.

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 has worked with more than 400 businesses, agencies and institutions, including major organizations in entertainment, sports, technology and other industries. He previously served as editor-at-large of TIME magazine and has published articles about Beyoncé in Forbes and Inside Higher Ed. He has also delivered numerous keynote addresses about her at conferences over the past two decades. At USC, Harper’s tenured faculty appointments are in the business, public policy and education schools.

The Business of Beyoncé will meet on Mondays starting in January 2027. The course is offered through USC Marshall’s highly ranked MBA program.

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

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BEYONCÉ TAKES CENTER STAGE IN NEW USC MARSHALL MBA COURSE

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