Wrapping up its inaugural semester, the Entertainment & Tourism Management (E&TM) program at Cal State Fullerton’s Mihaylo College of Business and Economics, California’s largest business school, will send off its first group of graduates Saturday, May 23, to make their mark on the entertainment industry. Students completing this one-of-a-kind undergraduate program are receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Entertainment and Tourism Management.
“The CSUF business school has already produced professionals that have achieved success in the entertainment world,” said Harold Fraser, former senior executive at Paramount Pictures who is now co-executive director of the E&TM program. “But this first class of graduates from E&TM becomes the anchor for a program we believe will gain a reputation for supplying well-prepared professionals for the entertainment industry.”
The E&TM coursework is specially designed for students interested in business careers within the broad scope of the entertainment industry. Careers in this field include finance, sales and marketing, sourcing, information systems, business affairs, operations, supply chain and logistics, human resources, customer service, project management and much more.
Helmed by Fraser and Kim Tarantino, a CSUF faculty member with ground-based entertainment expertise, the E&TM program also boasts an involved Advisory Board consisting of heavyweight industry executives from Paramount Pictures, Universal Music Group, Fox Home Entertainment, Walt Disney Studios and Parks & Resorts, Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Deluxe Entertainment Services and more. To further the quality of instruction, the school is linking with corporate entertainment partners.
“We have constructed a program that gives graduates a leg-up as they enter the world of entertainment,” Tarantino said. “Now, we are seeking organizations in all aspects of the entertainment industry willing to partner with us to further educate students.”
Advisory Board members are a key force behind the program. This group of industry executives lends vision and direction to the E&TM program, thus ensuring course content is current and relevant, and provides an essential link to an enhanced education.
“I know I speak for my fellow board members when I say we believe Cal State Fullerton’s Entertainment and Tourism Management program will produce our future top industry executives,” said Vincent Freda, Executive VP of Universal Music Group.
Along with fundamental coursework, students enroll in six classes focused on the unique business aspects of both media-based and ground-based/tourist-focused entertainment. These courses highlight entertainment’s distinctive characteristics in areas such as law, accounting and finance, human resources, process and project management, operations, and technology. Beyond the Fullerton campus, the program seeks to expand on several fronts to include industry access for academic research, accredited educational opportunities for industry members, and custom workforce solutions for firms.
For more information about the E&TM program at Cal State Fullerton, please visit http://business.fullerton.edu/undergraduate/E&T.
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