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Online Master of Professional Studies in Business for Creatives

Bridge the Gap Between Art and Business

Today’s creative professionals thrive when they augment their artistic talent with business skills. The online Master of Professional Studies in Business for Creatives from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is designed to accomplish that goal, empowering artists, designers and innovators to successfully launch and grow a creative career. In the M.P.S. in Business for Creatives program, you will learn how to create the ideas that create impact by learning essential skills, including developing business plans, conducting market research and creating financial forecasts. Whether building a portfolio or launching a new venture, you will gain the knowledge and confidence to take a creative idea from concept to market.

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Learn to build a successful career with a business degree designed for creatives

Program Benefits

Take advantage of a fully online program that fits seamlessly into your work and life schedule.
A streamlined, 15-minute Easy Apply application, with no need for an essay or letters of recommendation.
Earn 30 credit hours
in as few as 15 months.
Develop business skills you can implement immediately in your creative business venture.
Choose from three dynamic tracks—Brand & Luxury, Entrepreneurship & Venture, and Creative Leadership & Strategy—each designed to empower you with the specialized knowledge and practical skills to elevate your creative career. These tailored pathways offer focused, high-impact learning to help you make your mark in the creative economy.
Learn practical career strategies for launching your creative business or advancing your career.

What You Will Learn in the Business for Creatives Degree Program

A lack of business skills shouldn’t become a barrier to creative success. In the M.P.S. in Business for Creatives program, you will learn how to create the ideas that create impact by learning essential skills, including developing business plans, conducting market research and creating financial forecasts. You will also gain hands-on experience through practical coursework, case studies, projects and a capstone. 

Whether building a portfolio or launching a new venture, you will gain the knowledge and confidence to take a creative idea from concept to market.

Who Can Benefit From an Online Business Degree for Creatives?

Our graduate program can benefit you no matter what creative field you work in. You may work in the arts and entertainment industry and want to create your own business or product, or as a social media influencer. You may be a recent graduate from a creative discipline, or a graphic designer working in a corporate setting. Whatever the case, the M.P.S. in Business for Creatives can provide you with the skills and knowledge you need to take the next step in your creative career. 

Our program also provides important skills if you are a mid-career professional who wants to pivot into creative business management.

Unleash ideas and impact your world

Learn to move a creative venture from concept to market using innovative strategies, with the capstone course serving as a springboard for launching or growing your business venture.

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Curriculum Overview: Core Courses and Specialization Tracks

The MPS in Business for Creatives (BCR) is a 30-credit program that blends 16 credits of core coursework with 14 credits in a specialized track. This structure empowers students with the strategic knowledge, hands-on skills, and creative leadership to shape their own unique path in the evolving creative economy.

Students select one of three dynamic tracks: Brand & Luxury, Entrepreneurship & Venture, or Creative Leadership & Strategy. Each pathway delivers high-impact, focused learning designed to help students to make their mark in the creative economy.

The three tracks of study share a common set of six core courses totaling 16 credits. These foundational courses build essential skills in creative strategy, brand development, and real-world industry experience.
Required Core Courses (16 Credits):
  • Creative Ventures Strategy
  • Story, Brand & Voice for Creative Ventures
  • Brand Strategy and Audience Building
  • Industry Immersive
  • Venture Lab I: Research, Prototype, and Test
  • Venture Lab II: Launch, Fund & Scale

Explore the future of luxury through storytelling, innovation, sustainability, and global brand-building. This track is ideal for students pursuing careers in fashion, product design, experience design, and emerging luxury sectors. Designed for creatives who want to lead at the intersection of design, storytelling, and innovation, the track immerses students in the evolving landscape of luxury. Students build skills in brand strategy, cultural storytelling, and multisensory experience design to shape purposeful, future-facing brands.

Required Courses (14 Credits):

  • Luxury Reimagined: Ethics, Equity & Excellence
  • Global Markets, Local Stories: Positioning Brands for Impact
  • The Tactile Brand: Packaging, Craft, and Sensory Identity
  • Image + Influence: Art Direction for Promotion
  • Material Luxury: Sustainable Craft, Limited Editions + the Handmade
  • Exhibit & Experience: Spatial Storytelling for Luxury Brand
  • Digital Innovation: Virtual Goods + Experiential Futures
  • Speculative Design: Forecasting Futures + Trend Narratives

Build, fund, and grow your creative business. This track is designed for artists, product innovators, and cultural producers ready to launch new ventures. With an emphasis on business modeling, funding strategies, and market development, students gain the tools to bring original ideas to life and scale them within the creative economy.

Required Courses (14 Credits):

  • Financial Strategy for Creative Leaders
  • Operations for Creative Enterprise
  • Funding Creative Ventures
  • Business Modeling for Creative Enterprise
  • Product and Experience Innovation
  • Global Systems and Sourcing

Lead, scale, and innovate in the evolving creative economy. Designed for creative professionals and entrepreneurs leading teams or organizations, this track builds future-ready leaders with skills in organizational leadership, strategic planning, and financial literacy. Students develop a systems-thinking mindset to guide sustainable growth and long-term impact within existing or expanding creative enterprises.

Required Courses (14 Credits):

  • Financial Strategy for Creative Leaders
  • Operations for Creative Enterprise
  • Speculative Design: Forecasting Futures + Trend Narratives
  • Image + Influence: Art Direction for Promotion
  • Planning and Project Agility for Creative Ventures
  • Digital Innovation: Virtual Goods and Experiential Futures
  • Leadership for Creative Ventures

Why Choose MICA For an Online M.P.S. in Business for Creatives Program?

As the nation’s oldest continuously degree-granting college of art and design, the Maryland Institute College of Art is an epicenter of art and design education for creative leaders. Our fully online Master of Professional Studies in Business for Creatives program is designed for working professionals, providing flexibility without compromising rigor.

Learn from industry-experienced faculty and engage in practical coursework that bridges the gap between creativity and business acumen. Benefit from MICA’s extensive network of creative professionals and resources, including the Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship, dedicated to supporting your entrepreneurial journey. 

"This graduate program is a unique curriculum I wish had existed back when I first founded my studio many years ago. My studies not only reinforced what I had been practicing, but also expanded my professional knowledge as I learned how to diversify and scale my illustration business. I am confident that the education that I received at MICA will continue to allow me to grow as an artist and business owner."
Jennifer FairmanM.P.S. Graduate
“At MICA I learned about real life skills and situations that I am now experiencing myself as an entrepreneur. There truly is not a day I do not use skill sets I honed while at MICA. Growing my professional skills and knowledge as a double graduate from MICA has helped me build a growing business in less than two years, while having the skills to do most of the work myself.”
Hunter GroganM.P.S. Graduate
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The Ratcliffe Center for Creative Entrepreneurship (RCCE) is a hub of creative applied entrepreneurial support, resources and programming especially designed to help MICA students and Alumni be successful. Learn more about RCCE.

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