> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.sahntejeanweekly.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # USC Turns Beyoncé’s Career Into Coursework - URL: https://www.sahntejeanweekly.com/usc-turns-beyonces-career-into-coursework/ - Published: 2026-11-04T11:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-12T03:22:17.000Z - Description: Beyoncé’s career is becoming a business school case study. - Author: Contributor - Tags: Headlines, Culture - The University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business will offer “The Business of Beyoncé” to MBA students beginning in January 2027. - Developed by professor Shaun Harper, the 15-week course will examine business strategies across music, film, fashion, philanthropy and other creative industries. - Students will study brand management, ownership, creative risk and talent development, applying lessons from Beyoncé’s career to entertainment industry decisions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/41/16/4116beae-763c-4284-ae2d-df10b90a5a36/content/images/2026/11/image-3.png) SOURCE: Public domain ### Beyond the stage Beyoncé’s career is becoming a business school case study. The University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business will offer “The Business of Beyoncé” to MBA students beginning in January 2027\. Professor Shaun Harper developed the course to examine strategies spanning music, film, fashion, philanthropy and other creative industries. The focus is strategy, not celebrity worship. “I love Beyoncé, but this is far more than a fan appreciation gesture,” Harper explained. Students will examine talent development, brand management, creative risk, ownership and the decisions behind an entertainment enterprise that continues to evolve. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/41/16/4116beae-763c-4284-ae2d-df10b90a5a36/content/images/2026/10/image-89.png) SOURCE: J.ébey, CC BY-SA 4.0 ### From stage to boardroom Assignments will translate lessons into practical guidance for future artist managers, marketers, Hollywood executives, performers and parents of child celebrities. Students will compare Beyoncé with other performers who began as children and singers who moved from groups into solo careers. Topics include reputational risk, privacy, collaborations, emerging technologies and profitable artist-led ventures. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/41/16/4116beae-763c-4284-ae2d-df10b90a5a36/content/images/2026/10/image-90.png) SOURCE: J.ébey, CC BY-SA 4.0 ### The figures behind the course The course runs 15 weeks, according to the announcement. Classes begin in January 2027, with meetings scheduled for Mondays, according to the announcement. 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 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/41/16/4116beae-763c-4284-ae2d-df10b90a5a36/content/images/2026/10/image-92.png) SOURCE: Jen Keys, Public domain ### A school with industry connections Marshall’s Los Angeles location places it within a center for business, technology, media and entertainment. Its undergraduate, graduate and executive education offerings emphasize entrepreneurship, innovation, experiential learning and global business. The school connects students with opportunities through industry relationships and its worldwide alumni network, positioning the course within that broader educational mission. Its stated strengths connect classroom preparation with industries navigating a rapidly changing global economy. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/41/16/4116beae-763c-4284-ae2d-df10b90a5a36/content/images/2026/10/image-95.png) SEEJCC, CC BY-SA 4.0 ### Experience meets application Harper holds USC’s Clifford and Betty Allen Chair in Urban Leadership and tenured appointments in business, public policy and education. His professional work includes entertainment, sports and technology organizations. He says students will trace Beyoncé’s evolution from Destiny’s Child to visual albums, tours, film, fashion and brand partnerships, applying those lessons to consequential industry decisions. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/41/16/4116beae-763c-4284-ae2d-df10b90a5a36/content/images/2026/10/image-94.png) SOURCE: Pete Sekesan, CC BY 2.0 ### The bigger question As students weigh higher education’s cost, how should they judge whether specialized coursework delivers transferable skills, meaningful career opportunities and lasting value sufficient to justify their investment in celebrity-focused courses? ## The stats - $579.8 million: Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour grossed that amount in 2023, according to Billboard Boxscore. The figure represents reported tour revenue, not her personal earnings or profit. [billboard](https://www.billboard.com/pro/beyonce-renaissance-world-tour-earnings-billboard-boxscore-ranking/?ref=sahntejeanweekly.com) - 2.8 million tickets: The Renaissance tour sold approximately that many tickets across 56 shows in North America and Europe, according to Billboard. [billboard](https://www.billboard.com/pro/beyonce-renaissance-world-tour-earnings-billboard-boxscore-ranking/?ref=sahntejeanweekly.com) - 15 weeks: USC’s “The Business of Beyoncé” course will meet on Mondays beginning in January 2027, according to the course announcement. ## Additional courses These U.S. university courses offer comparable celebrity-focused study - [Yale: Beyoncé Makes History](https://apnews.com/article/beyonce-yale-college-class-music-politics-60ed2a72ea8975b95586119337607f9c?ref=sahntejeanweekly.com) — Examines Beyoncé’s work through Black intellectual history, culture and politics. - [Harvard: Taylor Swift and Her World](https://english.fas.harvard.edu/english-183ts-taylor-swift-and-her-world?ref=sahntejeanweekly.com) — Connects songwriting with literature, celebrity and fan culture. [english.fas.harvard](https://english.fas.harvard.edu/english-183ts-taylor-swift-and-her-world?ref=sahntejeanweekly.com) - [University of Kansas: The Economics of Taylor Swift](https://ipsr.ku.edu/taylor-swift-ku?ref=sahntejeanweekly.com) — Uses Swift’s influence to explore economics, public affairs and other disciplines. - [University of Kansas: Decoding Taylor Swift](https://ipsr.ku.edu/taylor-swift-ku?ref=sahntejeanweekly.com) — Studies songcraft, storytelling, branding and entertainment marketing. - [San Diego State: Bad Bunny](https://psfa.sdsu.edu/news/2025/sdsu-to-offer-new-class-on-bad-bunnys-cultural-and-political-impact?ref=sahntejeanweekly.com) — Explores performance, media, identity and pop culture politics.