In this blog post by Mr. Eger, he discusses the new Music Entrepreneurship and Business Degree Program that is offered by San Diego State University. The program is a partnership between SDSU’s College of Profession STudies and Fine Arts and the College of Business Administration. On top of the usual curriculum, students have to take 15 credits worth of entrepreneurship related courses as well as business course electives. The dual program allows graduates to be much more well rounded since they are incorporating their creativity and the business savvy mindset.
The stereotype around fine arts students is that image of the “starving artist”. In Ontario, bachelor degree graduates of 2008 were earning an average salary of $49,469, which was similar to what graduates of 2005 made. However, for Fine Arts graduates, they saw a drop in their average salaries to $34,460, which is $2,500 less than the average from 2005. Also, application for Fine Arts programs in Ontario has dropped 4.7% in 2011, even though the overall number of applicants rose 2%. (Macleans). With declining interest and much lower starting salaries, I believe that incorporating Fine Arts with business would be much more beneficial for potential arts students. Not only can they learn about what they wanted to initially, they could also be taught how to apply it in the business world and turn their passion into profits.
Blog that is being referenced:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-m-eger/merging-art-and-business_b_5666135.html
Addition Sources:
http://www.macleans.ca/work/jobs/its-a-rough-time-to-be-a-bachelor-of-fine-arts/
http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2014-08-10-BusinessofArtLogo.jpg