Ithaca College’s new B.A. in Creative Industries builds on the foundation of Theatre Administration, broadening opportunities for students interested in leadership, management, entrepreneurship, communications, and other careers across the creative sector. While the college will no longer enroll new students in the B.S. in Theatre Administration, the education at the heart of that program is not being cut. Creative Industries carries that foundation forward through a broader, interdisciplinary program that draws on expertise from across Ithaca College.
Academic programs evolve over time to reflect changes in their fields and the opportunities available to students, and this program is no exception. Theatre Administration has evolved before, including in its shift from Theatre Arts Management to Theatre Administration, while maintaining its focus on preparing students for careers in arts leadership and management. As Ithaca College reviews and updates its academic programs, that work is informed by insights and feedback from alumni and professionals in relevant industries. The development of Creative Industries followed that same approach, drawing on those perspectives to reflect the ways careers and opportunities across the creative sector are evolving.
Professor Angela Branneman, who has taught in and led the Theatre Arts Management/Theatre Administration program since 2007, helped develop the Creative Industries curriculum and is leading its implementation. The new program carries forward an emphasis on applied learning, professional practice, organizational leadership, and arts advocacy while creating opportunities for students to draw on coursework and expertise from across the college.
Creative Industries brings together areas including the arts, business, communications, media, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Its interdisciplinary structure is designed to prepare students for a creative economy in which careers increasingly cross traditional industry boundaries, while extending access to management and leadership education to students with interests across the creative sector.
Current Theatre Administration students may choose to complete their existing degrees with full advising and curricular support or transition to the new Creative Industries program. Management and leadership education will also remain part of the theatre curriculum, with additional opportunities under development in areas including production management and producing.
The evolution of Theatre Administration to Creative Industries is unrelated to Ithaca College’s new academic offerings in artificial intelligence. The college is not cutting arts education in favor of AI. These are separate academic initiatives developed independently to create new opportunities for students.