Syracuse University - S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Bandier Master's in Music Business
Syracuse, USA
Master degree
DURATION
18 months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
16 Jan 2027
EARLIEST START DATE
Jul 2027
TUITION FEES
USD 2,015 / per credit
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
About: Hands-on and industry-facing, the Bandier Master's in Music Business at The Newhouse School, Syracuse University combines the study of music business, media, marketing, and entrepreneurship with practical, project-based experience. Students develop skills in graphic design, video editing, business communication, strategic planning, and spend their summer and final semester at the Syracuse University Dick Clark Los Angeles Program.
Career Outcomes: The program emphasizes applied learning: you complete two internships, at least one in Los Angeles, and a capstone course requiring you to build a revenue-generating business. Graduates pursue careers in artist management, music marketing, entrepreneurship, media, publishing, and content production.
Hands-on and industry-facing, the Bandier music business master’s program gives you the skills, experiences, and network you need to build your dream career in the music business.
The program combines the study of the business of music, media, marketing, and entrepreneurship with hands-on experiences to prepare you for a successful career in the music industry.
Summer Session II – 6 credits (July)
Fall Semester – 13.5 credits
Benchmark Trip – 0 credits
Spring Semester – 12.5 credits
Summer Session II – Los Angeles – 1 credit
Fall Semester – Los Angeles – 9 credits
Classes in the music business graduate program will prepare you for your first job in the music industry.
Providing true multi-disciplinary education, the music business master’s program is run as a partnership between the Newhouse School and the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA). You will take a music theory course at VPA and business classes at the Whitman School of Management. You will learn skills such as graphic design and video editing from the leading minds at Newhouse, the nation’s top school of communications.
The Bandier music business program teaches the fundamental rights, royalties, and deal-making approaches of the modern music business, across the label, publishing, management, streaming, and live sectors, and across all genres. The core music business instruction will get you well-versed on the basics of everything from music law and copyright to the current social media and data tools being used by top companies today. You will be challenged to learn and embrace emerging technologies such as blockchain-backed distribution methods and artificial intelligence, two sectors with emerging career opportunities.
You will also develop the professional and social skills required to communicate and succeed in this industry.
Various scholarships and fellowships are awarded to incoming Newhouse students to help offset the cost of attendance. Since Newhouse does have limited funding to offer, the majority of these awards are partial. It is also a competitive process, and all awards are merit-based.
“Get your hands dirty” is a mantra in the Bandier program. Many students build their own businesses and side hustles to bring what they are learning in class to life. All students take the capstone course, which requires them to build a real-world business that generates revenue (from outside of their peer group). The practical skills you learn in the Bandier program, such as graphic design, video editing, and business communication, combined with your preparation in strategic thinking and planning, will prepare you for the capstone project. You will build your own real-world business in the capstone class, mastering strategic planning, sales and marketing, and ultimately, the general skill set of moving the needle on your chosen priorities.
Music business master’s students are required to complete two internships, at least one of which will happen during a semester in Los Angeles.
Once you have mastered the basics of the music business during your year in Syracuse, you will test your music education by moving to the music industry capital of the world: Los Angeles. Your summer and final semester of the program will be spent at the Syracuse University Dick Clark Los Angeles Program, which is the West Coast hub of the Newhouse School. There, you will take classes at night from music industry professionals and be embedded in the music industry during the day.
If you have good business sense and are passionate about music, this program will help you learn the skills to excel in a music industry career. The Bandier music business master’s program is not intended for students who have previously studied the music business. You do not need to be a musician or to have studied music to be in this program.
The Bandier music business master’s program will take you from zero to a music-industry insider in just 18 months. You will graduate with the skills, experience, and network you need to start your music industry career.