Billboard Names Berklee College of Music and Berklee Valencia to Its 2024 Top Music Business Schools List
Image by Kelly Davidson
Billboard has recognized Berklee College of Music and Berklee Valencia as two of its Top Music Business Schools of 2024.
At the college, the publication recognized the Bachelor of Music in music business/management and the Bachelor of Arts in music industry leadership and innovation as offering “ample guest speakers, industry partnerships, on-campus events, and networking opportunities.” It also noted the music industry trends and special topics course, as well as Berklee Popular Music Institute (BPMI) Live, as standouts.
"It's always an honor to have our program mentioned as one of Billboard's Top Music Business Schools," says Tonya Butler, chair of the Music Business/Management Department. "Year after year the focus has been on our Bachelor of Music in Music Business/Management, but this time, I was pleased to see them spotlight our Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Leadership and Innovation."
"The students participating in this program are phenomenal! Their level of engagement with everything Berklee has to offer gets better and stronger with each semester. I am extremely proud of what we've done to make this option available to non-musicians interested in becoming the music industry leaders of tomorrow," she adds. "In the fall of 2025 we will be welcoming our fourth cohort, with the first class graduating in the spring of 2026. Whatever success we've had—and will continue to have—I owe to our world-class faculty and to the fantastic students that have trusted us to provide them with a one-of-a-kind learning experience . . . which it definitely is!"
It’s Berklee Valencia’s fourth year in a row on Billboard’s list, highlighting the Master of Arts in global entertainment and music business, citing the “real-life projects” students work on, plus the annual Berklee Global Career Summit.
A concert hosted by Berklee Valencia.
Courtesy of Berklee Valencia
Simone Pilon, executive director of the Valencia campus, says she’s excited for the inclusion again this year. “This intensive one-year master's brings together students from all over the world who want to prepare for rich and meaningful careers and leadership roles in the music industry. Our alumni are our best testament to the success of the program and we look forward to seeing what this year's students will do in the future!”
The publication chose 42 schools in total for the unranked list, using “industry recommendations, alumni information provided by honorees from [its] multiple power lists, information requested from each school, and nearly a decade of reporting on these programs.”