Bachelor of Arts - Cultural Entrepreneurship - Certificate of Business Administration

University of Minnesota Duluth's (UMD) Cultural Entrepreneurship program is an emerging discipline that examines how cultural products (such as art, theater, and literature) and cultural activities (like sports, music, food, and film events) have an impact on the growth of local, national, and global economies. The degree program is designed for Arts, Humanities, and Social Science students to develop the critical business, entrepreneurship, creativity and intercultural skills necessary to participate in the booming culture and creative economy. UMD does not expect all students with this degree to start new ventures. Instead, the major helps students with a unique and valued skill set and mindset that can be applied in intrapreneurial ways throughout their careers.

Certificate of Business Administration

After the successful completion of this sub-plan, students will receive a Certificate of Business Administration from LSBE. These courses are provided in an online format and can be taken in any order. See class search for variable start dates of courses (1st half, 2nd half or full-term). Up to two of the following courses may be substituted with equivalent classroom classes. For additional changes or course substitutions, students must meet with the CUE program director.

A "One-of-a-kind" Major: UMD is the only school in the United States offering an undergraduate major in Cultural Entrepreneurship. The creative economy is a growing industry in need of diverse talents. Cultural industries provide an exciting field of employment in creative startups, event management, cultural and agritourism, marketing, and citizen diplomacy-- just to name a few.

The Perfect Blend of Theory and Hands-on Practice: Students are active both on- and off-campus: launching their own projects, working for startups, and being leaders on campus. The major integrates knowledge from a variety of disciplines in order to enhance the value of cultural and creative activities at the individual, community, and organizational levels.

Students report finding their "fit" with us. With interests spanning the arts, humanities, business, and STEM, our students develop personal networks with diverse talents and interests who all share a common enterprising spirit.

A Major for a Global Society: Students learn about global cultures, perspectives, and languages. They are also encouraged to do short- or long-term study abroad programs that offer an orientation to the local culture and creative industry and foreign language learning opportunities.

Acquired Skills

Students in this interdisciplinary program:

• Develop an entrepreneurial mindset involving creative problem solving, risk-taking, action-orientation, and proactivity among others
• Acquire functional communication skills in world languages
• Receive in-depth training in design-thinking process and in using design-thinker’s toolkit
• Learn approaches useful for managing cultural organizations

Career Possibilities

Students pursue a wide range of careers, such as advertising, marketing, event management, environmental conservation projects, customer research, customer service, and designing back office processes. The major prepares students for careers across private, non-profit, and public sector organizations, but more importantly those in need of startup mindset calling for flexibility and leadership.