The University of Southern California’s (USC) Marshall School of Business in the United States is set to introduce a new course examining Beyoncé’s career and how she transformed her success in the music industry into a multi-million-dollar business empire.
Titled ‘The Business of Beyoncé’, the course will be offered to graduate students pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, beginning in January 2027.
According to the Los Angeles Times, enrolment places for the course were quickly filled after registration opened earlier this month.
The 16-week course will examine Beyoncé’s journey from performing as a child and rising to fame with the girl group Destiny’s Child to establishing a successful solo career and expanding into various business ventures.
It aims to equip students with insights into entrepreneurship in the entertainment industry, artist management, marketing, and brand development.
Professor Shaun Harper, who developed the course, said it would go beyond discussions about the singer’s personal life and musical achievements.
“My class will not just consist of conversations about Beyoncé,” Harper said.
Students will examine how she has turned her global popularity into commercial success, how her businesses operate, and the role of social media in building and maintaining her brand.
Among the ventures to be studied are Parkwood Entertainment, her haircare brand Cécred, SirDavis whiskey, and her music business.
The course will run for 16 weeks, with classes held every Monday afternoon for approximately three hours.
One of the assignments, titled ‘BeyEssay’, will require each student to select a Beyoncé song they feel best represents them and explain their choice.
Students will also write a 700-to-1,000-word paper outlining business advice they would offer the singer, as though the recommendations were to be presented directly to her.
The course will further explore Beyoncé’s expansion into different musical genres, including her album Cowboy Carter, which earned her first Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2025, as well as her role in the 2006 film Dreamgirls.
Harper said the course would also provide an opportunity to study the business achievements of a successful Black woman, noting that business school case studies have traditionally focused heavily on white male entrepreneurs and executives.
This is not the first time Beyoncé’s business decisions have been examined in an academic setting.
In 2014, Harvard Business School studied her decision to release her self-titled album unexpectedly in December 2013, without a traditional promotional campaign ahead of its release.
The case explored how the unconventional strategy challenged established music-industry marketing practices and demonstrated alternative ways of launching and promoting a major album.