The University of Southern California’s (USC) Marshall School of Business will study Beyoncé’s business empire.
The Los Angeles Times reports that a master’s-level course titled “The Business of Beyoncé” is designed to prepare students for careers in entertainment, music management, and branding. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, outside of music, Beyoncé’s portfolio includes the whiskey brand Sir Davis, which she became the sole owner of in 2026 after Moët Hennessy sold its stake. She also founded CÉCRED, a science-backed haircare brand available in Ulta stores nationwide and in 90 Space NK retail stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland, Cosmetics Business reports.
Beyoncé self-funded the venture after investors did not align with the budget allocation for research and development, her mother, Tina Knowles, said during an episode of “Fortune Daily.”
“They wanted us to put more money into marketing and less into the product…,” Knowles shared during Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit. “[Beyoncé] decided, ‘I’m just going to fund it myself,’ which is crazy expensive. And I was like, ‘You know, do you know what you’re getting into?’ She said ‘Yes, because I don’t want anybody telling me that I can’t put the money into research and development. Everything would have to be approved.’ The whole game changed when it was time to sign the paperwork.”
Tina Knowles reveals in a new interview that Beyoncé had wanted to launch a haircare line for years, but didn’t have the time. Beyoncé also turned down investors who wanted to prioritise marketing over product development. Beyoncé ultimately decided to fund CÉCRED herself. https://t.co/HwaQ0XPVjg
— IChooseViolence (@ourhermitage) October 28, 2026
Beyoncé also owns her music career through Parkwood Entertainment — a production, management, and entertainment company. In the early 2000s, she owned a fashion house with Knowles as well, called House of Deréon, which was later discontinued.
That is just a snapshot of her portfolio, which Forbes estimates has contributed to her $1 billion net worth.
Beyoncé MBA Course At USC
According to Shaun Harper, a university professor and provost professor of education, business, and public policy at USC, students will learn how Beyoncé has turned attention into business and how social media has shaped her brand. Assignments will include creating a business guidance document as if it were being “delivered directly” to the Houston-born and “Cowboy Carter” artist.
“My class is not going to be just a set of conversations about Beyoncé,” Harper told the Los Angeles Times.
Among the students enrolled is 30-year-old Kendall Ferguson, president of USC’s Graduate Marketing Association. She has human resources experience in London and aspires to work in brand management for a retail or beauty company. Maddie Gissler, who previously worked at EY, an accounting and consulting firm, has also enrolled and hopes to pursue a career in entertainment marketing, branding, or strategy.
Students will gather over a 16-week spring semester, meeting every Monday for about three hours.
They will also learn about other artists and music groups, including the Supremes and Black artists on the Motown record label.