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Studies & Degrees in Entertainment Industry

The entertainment industry covers film, television, music, live shows, games and the events around them. Studying it does not mean one single degree. Some programmes teach the business side: how projects are financed, produced, marketed and distributed. Others train the people who make the content, from actors to visual effects artists. A third group prepares the staff who organise and run live events.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) groups performers, producers, directors, musicians and sports professionals together as entertainment and sports occupations, whose workers perform and oversee artistic and athletic ventures. Producers and directors, for example, make the business and creative decisions about film, television, stage and other productions. A course in this field usually combines an understanding of how the industry works with practical projects and, in many cases, work placements.

Qualifications and levels

  • Management degrees. Carnegie Mellon University offers a Master of Entertainment Industry Management (MEIM), a two-year programme of four semesters taught in person. Students spend the first year on the Pittsburgh campus learning business, finance and management, and the second year in Los Angeles. The university says the programme covers development, marketing, production, distribution and strategy.
  • Bachelor's degrees in media and performance. In Spain, a bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits. The Grado en Comunicación Audiovisual at Universidad Europea de Madrid is an official four-year degree of 240 ECTS credits, taught in Villaviciosa de Odón with classes in Spanish or English; it prepares students for audiovisual projects in film, television, radio, video games and the internet. In England, the University of Northampton teaches a three-year BA (Hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen and a three-year BA (Hons) in Events and Hospitality Management, which can also be taken in four years with a foundation year.
  • Specialised art and technology schools. Gnomon, founded in 1997 in North Hollywood, California, specialises in computer graphics education for careers in the entertainment industry. It offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), a two-year certificate programme and individual courses, and its teaching is aimed at visual effects, games and animation.
  • Vocational training. In Spain, the higher-level vocational qualification Técnico Superior en Producción de Audiovisuales y Espectáculos is a 2,000-hour course. It leads to jobs such as production assistant in film, television or animation and production manager for live shows and events.
  • Short courses. Summer schools and workshops, for example in dance, last from one week to a few weeks and do not lead to a degree.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 6 active schools for this subject: 3 in the United States, 1 in Spain, 1 in the United Kingdom and 1 in Italy. The schools in the United States are Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and Gnomon in Los Angeles. In Spain the listed school is Universidad Europea de Madrid, in the United Kingdom the University of Northampton, and in Italy a summer dance school in Livorno.

Teaching is in English in the United States and the United Kingdom. At Universidad Europea de Madrid the audiovisual communication degree has classes in Spanish or English. When comparing programmes, check which part of the industry the course is aimed at, whether it includes placements or projects with companies, and how close the school is to the places where the industry works. Location matters in this field: the Carnegie Mellon master's moves its students to Los Angeles for the whole second year, and Gnomon has its campus in North Hollywood.

Careers

Graduates work in production companies, studios, broadcasters, streaming services, record labels, theatres, talent agencies and event companies. Typical roles are producer, production assistant, marketing or distribution executive, event manager, performer and digital artist.

According to the BLS, overall employment in entertainment and sports occupations in the United States is projected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations from 2025 to 2035, with about 91,100 openings a year. Producers and directors held about 181,000 jobs in 2025, and their employment is projected to grow 4 percent over the same period. These figures describe the United States only. Work is often organised by project: the BLS notes that assignments for producers and directors may be short, from one day to a few months.

Frequently asked questions

What can you study to work in the entertainment industry?

There are three main routes: management programmes about the business of entertainment, creative degrees such as audiovisual communication, acting or computer graphics, and vocational courses in production for audiovisuals and live shows.

How long does a master's in entertainment industry management take?

The Master of Entertainment Industry Management at Carnegie Mellon University takes two years, or four semesters. The first year is taught in Pittsburgh and the second in Los Angeles.

Can you study this subject in Spain?

Yes. Universidad Europea de Madrid teaches an official four-year degree in audiovisual communication with 240 ECTS credits, and vocational training includes a 2,000-hour higher-level course in production for audiovisuals and shows.

What are the job prospects?

In the United States, the BLS projects about 91,100 openings a year in entertainment and sports occupations from 2025 to 2035, with employment growing about as fast as the average for all occupations.