Billboard again names Rowan’s music industry program among world’s best

For the second consecutive year, Rowan University’s music industry program has earned a prestigious spot on Billboard’s Top Music Business Schools list, reaffirming its place among the world’s leading programs for aspiring music industry professionals.

The recognition, announced online Oct. 27, highlights Rowan’s continued excellence in preparing students for dynamic careers in the music business.

Housed in the College of the Arts, the Bachelor of Science in Music Industry enables students to choose between two concentrations – Music Technology and Music Business – and provides deep experience working in recording studios, concert production and interning with major industry players.

“Our B.S. in Music Industry is as much about sharing essential industry knowledge with the students as it is about building a bridge to opportunities,” said Mathieu Gendreau, associate professor and director of the program. “It is also about giving every learner the entrepreneurial tools needed to create their own success stories.”

Gendreau, a seasoned music producer and label owner whose credits include work with the bands Goldfrapp, New Order and Erasure, brings vast expertise to the classroom.

“Students can launch right away, and they do – with companies like Sony Music, Live Nation and Universal Music Group,” he said.

Steven Feinberg, a 1990 Rowan alumnus and teaching professor who serves as president of Red Oak Records, an in-house, indie label, echoed the program’s draw to serious students. Many, he said, come from out of state to attend.

“This program is crucial, and I wish I had it,” said Feinberg, whose entertainment career, including work with such legendary acts as Duran Duran, spans more than 25 years. “Unlike myself, who did it the hard way, our students learn all the basics of the music business before they graduate. If only I had known what contracts were and how lawyers work.”

College of the Arts Dean Rick Dammers emphasized the program’s immersive approach. “Students don’t come in and just sit in a classroom. They’re doing the things they’d do in a professional setting. Everything we do is steeped in the real world.”

Billboard does not rank music industry programs included on its best-of list and focuses on curricula at schools that are:

• Non-profit
• Degree-granting
• Campus based
• The alma mater of music industry executives
• Accredited