The Entertainment and Media Management Institute at the UCLA Anderson School of Management is offering two intensive certificate programs this summer for undergraduate students.
Though UCLA does not offer a business major oriented toward management, the upcoming summer programs at the Anderson School allow students to complete certified coursework.
One program will focus on entertainment and media management and the other on sports marketing and management, said Nelson Gayton, the executive director of the institute.
Gayton started the entertainment and sports marketing and management programs in San Diego. When he came to the Anderson School, he said he thought it would be an ideal place to start another program based in Los Angeles.
“We have got so many sports teams here, and it is the entertainment capital of the world,” Gayton said.
Instead of just learning curriculum in the classroom, Gayton said the programs are more based on practical experience gained from fieldwork, which is what most employers really look for. He added that the programs include visiting baseball stadiums and learning how they are run.
“It is much different from getting a textbook and going through it,” he said.
Classroom work includes graduate-level case studies tailored toward undergraduates, Gayton said.
Students in both programs will participate in a number of activities that allow them to experience the inner workings of management within the entertainment and sports industries, Gayton said.
The certificate programs will also have an internship component. Students working on one internship have the option to assist others in different internships.
For example, sports marketing and management program students can intern with a variety of sports teams in Los Angeles, including the Lakers and the Dodgers.
“These are not the internships where you are getting someone’s coffee and dry cleaning. These are high-level internships that let you work with people in the business,” Gayton said.
Alex Lawrence, a third-year economics student, is a work-study student and helped in the creation and publicizing of the certificate program.
He said he is planning on participating in the sports program because it is one of the few things at UCLA that explores the sports business more formally.
The certificate program will last six weeks and costs a little under $4,000. Students can apply for financial aid for the program through their home institutions, Gayton said.
However, he added that the programs are worth more than the price because students receive class credit, valuable experience and a certificate from one of the top business schools in the country.
Around 30 or 40 students will be accepted into each of the programs, Gayton said. It is a fairly competitive program, but he said he does not look for a student’s GPA or test scores.
Instead, he said he looks for “students who are passionate about the subject matter and would like to explore the possibility of a career in these areas.”
These industries have less to do with intellectual aptitude, but more with your desire to learn about the industry and be a leader in it, he added.
Allen Secretov, a third-year history student, said he helped Lawrence and Gayton in creating the sports management certificate.
He said he and Lawrence created the Sports and Entertainment Business Network on campus last fall as a similar program to help students gain similar experience, Secretov said.
While the program at the Anderson School is a certificate program, the club is mainly for networking purposes, Secretov said.
“Getting into the industry depends a lot on who you know,” he added.
Secretov said he will study abroad during the summer, but he plans to enroll in the second half of the program and help run it.
“We have a lot of work on our hands to make it a top-notch program,” Gayton said.