Music Industry Major

What is a Degree in Music Industry?

The Music Industry degree program at the Drexel University Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design is a four-year undergraduate program designed to prepare students for careers across the music and entertainment industries. Students choose between two concentrations: Music Business and Recording Arts & Music Production. All students in both concentrations graduate with a minor in Business Administration. The Music Industry program awards a Bachelor of Science degree. No music audition is required for admission.

The way music is recorded, produced, promoted, distributed, and monetized is constantly evolving. These rapid changes demand that industry professionals possess a well-rounded understanding of how the music and entertainment industries operate, the many career paths and professional roles within them, and how artists, companies, and industry professionals work together. In response, the Music Industry program prepares students by developing knowledge and skills across every area of the industry, including recording, mixing, and music production; artist development and management; live sound and live music; marketing and promotion; contracts and intellectual property; emerging technologies in immersive audio; and music distribution.

Why Pursue a Music Industry Degree at Drexel?

A comprehensive curriculum, experiential learning opportunities, and alumni success have earned Drexel Westphal’s Music Industry program recognition from Billboard as one of the top music business schools in the country since 2013. The program encourages and emphasizes learning through hands-on experience, collaboration, and opportunities for students to apply classroom knowledge to develop and execute their own ideas and projects. The Music Industry curriculum is built so students learn both sides of the industry: production concentration students graduate with real business fluency, and business concentration students understand how records are made and live shows come together. Students in either concentration may also choose to pursue an accelerated BS/MBA in partnership with Drexel’s LeBow College of Business.

At Drexel, students work in professional recording and production facilities, including seven recording studios and an immersive mixing room, and learn from faculty who are active industry professionals and scholars, among them Grammy Award-winning engineers and producers, songwriters, label founders, and marketing and live production leaders. Collectively, our faculty have worked with artists including Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Dolly Parton, Jill Scott, and Mitski, as well as brands, organizations, and events including Red Bull, Converse, and the Super Bowl halftime show. Meet our faculty.

Music Industry Curriculum

Regardless of concentration, all Music Industry students begin with foundational coursework in their first semester that provides a holistic overview of the music industry, introducing the sectors and functions that make up the contemporary music business. All students also study entertainment law through the Fundamentals of Law in Entertainment course, building an understanding of the legal considerations that shape the music and entertainment industries.

Through the Business Administration minor, students also complete coursework at Drexel’s LeBow College of Business, including Accounting, Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, Business Law, Management Information Systems, and Business Statistics.

The Music Production concentration prepares students for careers across the full range of audio professions, including music recording and production, mixing and mastering, live sound reinforcement, audio for film and television, game audio, and immersive audio. Hands-on work begins in the first year, as students build their skills through a core sequence in sound recording, audio production, live sound, mixing and mastering, and music production. In Sound Recording II, students engineer live sessions with professional touring musicians and artists, gaining real-world studio experience before they graduate. Electives allow students to dive deeper and specialize in areas of interest, with options including Synthesis and Sampling, Analog Recording, Studio Maintenance, Scoring for Media, and Advanced Audio for Media.

Students in the Music Business concentration develop a broad understanding of how music is developed, marketed, distributed, monetized, and experienced through courses including Record Label Operations, Marketing for Music & Entertainment, Live Music, Music Industry Entrepreneurship, Streaming and Radio Promotion, Artist Development, and Music Copyrights and Publishing. Electives allow students to further explore areas such as music supervision, merchandising, data analytics, marketing strategy, independent music culture, and the Philadelphia music industry.

In their senior year, all students complete a two-semester capstone, developing original production, entrepreneurial, research, or technology projects and presenting them to faculty and industry professionals. Music Business students may also elect to complete their capstone through MAD Dragon Music Group, the program’s student-run music company and home to MAD Dragon Records, Drexel’s student-run record label with more than 20 years of history.

Learn more about required courses, electives, and learning outcomes in the 2027-2028 Drexel University Semester Catalog.

Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Degree Requirements

Students in Drexel Westphal’s undergraduate Music Industry major must complete 121 credits to earn the degree, which includes humanities, natural science, and social science courses, along with Music Industry core requirements. Students may also choose to complete a six-month co-op through Drexel’s nationally recognized co-op program, gaining full-time professional experience in the music industry prior to graduation.

Music Industry students also earn a minor in Business Administration as part of their undergraduate requirements.

Additionally, Drexel’s Music Industry program offers an accelerated BS/MBA program to qualified students who apply for this option. The MBA is offered in Drexel's LeBow College of Business upon graduation with the Bachelor of Science degree in Music Industry.

Co-Op Opportunities in Music Industry

Through Drexel’s optional co-op program, Music Industry majors can gain six months of full-time professional experience in the music and entertainment industries prior to graduation. Students typically complete their co-op during their third year, allowing them to apply what they have learned in the classroom while developing professional skills, gaining firsthand industry experience, and building their professional networks.

Drexel’s co-op program is ranked #2 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, and provides students with a head start in the industry. 96% of Drexel undergraduates are working or enrolled in graduate school within one year of graduation, and more than one-third of Antoinette Westphal College graduates’ post-graduation employment comes directly from their co-op placements.

Students may pursue co-op opportunities in Philadelphia or choose to work in other cities across the United States and internationally, allowing them to tailor the experience to their individual interests and career goals. Throughout the co-op process, students receive professional development and guidance from both Music Industry program faculty and Drexel’s Steinbright Career Development Center as they prepare for and pursue co-op opportunities.

The following is a small sample of the many companies and organizations where Drexel Music Industry students have completed co-ops:

• Atlantic Records
• Big Hassle Media
• Crosby Studios
• Downtown Music Publishing
• Dubway Studios
• Electric Lady Studios
• Engine Room Audio
• Epic Records
• Headroom Studios
• Live Nation
• Manhattan Beach Studios
• Netflix
• NFL Films
• Platinum Sound Recording Studios
• Primary Wave
• Red Light Management
• Republic Records
• Roc Nation
• SiriusXM
• SoundExchange
• The Recording Academy
• Ticketmaster
• TuneCore
• Universal Music Group
• Warner Music Group
• West Valley Recording Studios
• Windmill Lane Recording Studios
• WME
• WXPN Radio

Resources and Facilities for Music Industry Students in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is one of America’s great music cities. It gave the world the “Sound of Philadelphia,” the lush soul and R&B crafted by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and the artists who recorded at Sigma Sound Studios, and it remains home to a thriving contemporary scene, from a deep bench of hip-hop, R&B, and indie artists to celebrated venues and one of the country’s most vibrant DIY house show scenes. New York City is about 90 minutes away by train. Outside the classroom, students build their careers and networks through involvement in local chapters of organizations including GRAMMY U, the Audio Engineering Society (AES), and Women in Music.

The Music Industry program maintains seven recording studios, among them a Dolby Atmos immersive mixing room, plus a dedicated rehearsal studio. Suite 20 at One Drexel Plaza serves as a hub for many of the Music Industry program’s premier recording and production facilities. The space includes Studio One, Studio F, an immersive audio mixing room, two computer labs for audio production, and the Drexel Audio Archives. Together, these facilities give students access to professional tools and environments for recording, mixing, immersive audio, music production, and archival research.

Studio One, which opened in 2018, is the program’s flagship recording studio and classroom, designed by the renowned architectural and acoustic firm Walters-Storyk Design Group. The 1,300 square-foot Studio One is outfitted with a Rupert Neve Designs 5088 console and professional recording equipment and software.

The Drexel Audio Archives houses the Sigma Sound Studios Collection, approximately 7,000 tapes documenting “The Sound of Philadelphia.” Through MAD Dragon Music Group, students have brought archival recordings to market, including The Nat Turner Rebellion’s Laugh to Keep From Crying and Choice 4 Inc.’s Clean Up Your Mind, gaining hands-on experience in licensing, marketing, distribution, and vinyl production while earning local and national media coverage.

Career Opportunities with a Degree in Music Industry

Drexel Music Industry graduates have built careers across nearly every sector of the music and entertainment industries. Notable alumni include Jon Low, a Grammy Award-winning audio engineer and producer whose credits include Taylor Swift and The National, and Eric Hahn, Chief Marketing Officer at Famehouse, a division of Universal Music Group.

Graduates work in areas including:

• Recording, production, and audio engineering
• Record labels and music distribution
• Live sound and concert production
• Artist management and A&R
• Audio for film, television, and post-production
• Marketing, publicity, and brand partnerships
• Game audio and immersive formats
• Live music, touring, and talent booking
• Music publishing, licensing, and synchronization
• Media, radio, and music programming
• Entrepreneurship and independent creative careers

Interested in learning more? Attend an upcoming open house to tour our studios and meet faculty and students, or request more information and our admissions team will be happy to answer your questions.

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UPDATED OCT2026 FOR 2027-2028 ACADEMIC YEAR (SEMESTERS)