Communication Associate: Public Relations | Lori Melton | lmelton@d.umn.edu | (218) 726-8830
June 17, 2013 Dr. Susan Maher | Dean | College of Liberal Arts | 218-726-8981 | smaher@d.umn.edu
Lori Melton | Communication Associate | External Affairs | 218-726-8830 | lmelton@d.umn.edu
UMD Announces New Major, First of its kind in the United States: Cultural Entrepreneurship
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents has approved a new major at UMD: Cultural Entrepreneurship. It will be offered by the College of Liberal Arts this fall.
UMD's Cultural Entrepreneurship program is the first of its kind in the United States. It's a response to the growth of the creative sector and the need for more cultural entrepreneurs in the workforce.
The program prepares students to fulfill this need by combining the traditional lessons of business schools with the creative thinking that is most often cultivated in the arts. "Students educated in this new program will become cultural entrepreneurs and innovators in the arts, culture, and media industry," says Dr. Susan Maher, dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
Examples of career fields where cultural entrepreneurs flourish include marketing, tourism, event management, advocacy and leadership, and international affairs.
Michael Mullins, Cultural Entrepreneurship's program director, says this major is being offered in answer to the question, "What do new graduates need to succeed in a global world?" Mullins believes that the answer is exactly what this program has to offer.
UMD's Cultural Entrepreneurship major requires training in foreign languages. "This will give students the key communication skills for a global economy," explains Maher. Students participating in the program are strongly encouraged to study abroad, furthering their global knowledge.
This is an interdisciplinary program that includes courses from all five collegiate units. Students also have the option of completing their B.A. and pursuing an M.B.A at UMD's Labovitz School of Business in five years.
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