Business of the Creative Industries

The creative industries, encompassing film, television, music, publishing, games, design, fashion and the performing arts, are among the fastest-growing sectors in the global economy and a major source of employment and cultural influence. Understanding how these industries work as businesses, while also developing the skills to contribute to creative production, is a combination that opens doors across the sector. Business of the creative industries as a degree addresses both sides of this equation, preparing you for leadership and management roles within one of the most dynamic and competitive areas of professional life.

At the University of York, this three-year degree combines advanced business knowledge with practical production skills, as the university's own description summarises. You will study the economics and strategy of creative businesses, intellectual property law, marketing and audience development, project management, entrepreneurship and the international dimensions of creative industries trade. Alongside these business frameworks you will develop practical understanding of how creative projects are developed and produced, giving you credibility and insight that purely commercial management training does not provide.

The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad and work placements, offering multiple structured opportunities to develop professional experience and an international perspective before you graduate.

York's combination of rigorous academic analysis with a clear professional focus means you graduate with both the conceptual tools to understand the sector and the practical capability to work in it. The ability to move between creative and commercial thinking is particularly valued in industries where project leadership often requires both.

Graduates go on to careers in production companies, record labels, publishers, studios, festivals, arts organisations, talent agencies, marketing firms and start-ups across the creative sector. Roles include project manager, producer, business development manager, marketing and audience specialist, and entrepreneur. Further study in creative industries management, cultural policy or arts administration is also a natural route.