The Arts, Entertainment and Media Management (AEMM) Department has a four-year program that was established to help meet the need for proficient arts administrators, managers and entrepreneurs. Successful arts management is critical to the continued vitality of modern cultural institutions, creative enterprises, and arts organizations. If the public is to benefit, skilled arts managers must facilitate the work of artists.

To achieve this end, capable managers combine aesthetic sensibilities and business acumen. Their financial, legal and organizational decisions help make it possible for artists to realize their vision and to share it with the public. In short, talented arts managers are partners in a collaborative process. The training of such partners is the goal of the AEMM Department.

AEMM students study the management methods and skills needed in today’s cultural institutions and businesses. AEMM students learn to appreciate the value of the arts; to understand the economic, social and political climate in which they operate; and to anticipate the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Full and part-time faculty as well as visiting guest lecturers are professional practitioners from the arts, entertainment and media fields. The AEMM Department is staffed by full-time and part-time faculty who are working within the field that they teach.

The AEMM Department includes the following concentrations:

The Media Management Concentration leads to professions in Broadcast Media, Related Electronic Media/Film and Print Media among other specialty areas in the media industry. Students may take specialty courses in film, video, interactive television, graphic design, animation and radio at the Columbia College Chicago's state-of-the-art Film/Video/TV, Radio/Sound and Interactive Arts and Media departments to supplement their AEMM courses.

The Music Business Concentration leads to professions in the recording arts and sciences, music publishing, talent management, new media and entrepreneurship. Students may take electives and additional specialty courses in other departments to supplement the required AEMM courses.

The Performing Arts Management Concentration leads to professions in legitimate and musical theater, symphonic and chamber orchestras, other music events, opera and dance companies, and concert productions.

The Visual Arts Management Concentration leads to professions in museum, gallery and artist management.

The Arts Entrepreneurship/Small Business Concentration
This concentration integrates the creative interest of students with the skill sets needed to start out and grow their own business.

The Fashion/Retail Management Concentration leads to professions in retail management, merchandising, and marketing. Students may focus in one of these areas or blend all three in the curriculum. Internships, practicums, and focused studies are offered to prepare students for specific careers such as retail buying, retail store management, inventory control and planning, personal selling, product development and resourcing, visual merchandising, special event promotions, marketing, public relations, trend forecasting, fashion styling, wardrobe consultation, manufacturers' representative/merchandiser, fashion journalism, costume supervision, and entrepreneurship.

The Sports Management Concentration leads to professions in the Sports Industry in the fields of audience building, box office management, special events, facilities management, career and talent development, broadcasting and media management, and merchandising. This unique to Chicago region concentration offers a comprehensive curriculum that emphasizes specifics of Sports Entertainment Management while providing knowledge and skills applicable to other areas of entertainment management.

Course Offerings in E-Business and New Media Management
As the internet continues to change the way businesses and arts organizations operate, knowledge of e-business is more important than ever. The courses in the E-Business and New Media Management program will provide arts managers with the skills necessary for success in the new millennium.