My Life as a BCA Major: Sophomore Fall Edition
By: Kristen Adams ‘25
Last semester, I wrote a piece on my experiences as a freshman majoring in BCA, or the Business of Cinematic Arts. A year later, the BCA program has received a rebranding as well as a formal degree name (Business of Cinematic Arts vs. the former: Business Administration with an emphasis in Cinematic Arts). Whether you are a prospective student interested in learning more about the BCA program, or a USC student nosy about what our 50-student BCA cohort does on a daily basis, here are my experiences, insights, tips, and opinions about USC’s BCA program.
The Ups
USC is one of the only universities in the world to offer a program like BCA. While it is housed in the Marshall School of Business, it is now recognized as a joint degree between Marshall and the School of Cinematic Arts. The course load is approximately 70% business-focused and 30% cinematic arts-focused. As a BCA major, you’ll be taking all the same core business classes as Business Administration majors with the addition of required film, television, and entertainment classes. My cohort consists of students interested in pursuing film production, talent management, screenwriting, casting, and marketing.
One great perk of the BCA program is the required internship during our sophomore spring semester, which encourages students to get hands-on, real-life experience in the entertainment industry. One of my friends is currently a junior in the BCA program, and she interned at MGMT last year and worked on marketing and publicity strategies for a film starring Timothée Chalamet.
The BCA major is also a great talking point in job and internship interviews. I’m more interested in working in the business sphere rather than the entertainment sphere, so I focused on applying to marketing and brand partnership roles. Roughly 80% of my interviewers ended up asking follow-up questions about my major and what I’m interested in professionally since it sounds like a very interesting and unique major.
The Downs
While I absolutely love the BCA program and enjoy the tight-knit environment of a cohort, there are a few shortcomings. There’s not as much flexibility when it comes to adding minors as you might find with other degrees. In fact, I’ve heard of several instances of BCA majors interested in pursuing a minor like Dance or Theater but not being able to fit it in their schedule. However, don’t let this deter you from choosing BCA as your major since it’s possible. I was able to squeeze in a Screenwriting minor, and I have another friend who has a minor in Spanish. While it’s a difficult feat, it’s not impossible.
Another roadblock is that USC students cannot transfer into the BCA program. In other words, the only way to become a BCA major is to declare it as an incoming freshman. This excludes students who realize later that their goals most closely align with a BCA major after they start at USC.
Sophomore classes
In case you’re nosy (like me), here are the classes that I have taken my sophomore fall semester.
BUAD 280: Introduction to Financial Accounting
Major requirement, very math-heavy, my hardest quantitative class this semester
BUAD 307: Marketing Fundamentals
Major requirement, introduction to the marketing world, final project is to present an original idea for a product or service
CTPR 410: The Movie Business: From Story Concept to Exhibition
Major requirement, late-night class taught by a professor who is a top executive in the entertainment field, only includes your BCA cohort
CTWR 409: Fundamentals of Screenwriting: Character, Conflict and Story
Minor requirement, you work with your class in a writer’s room setup to write your own script for an original film idea
ECON 352: Macroeconomics for Business
Major requirement, another very math-heavy and intensive class
Should you choose BCA?
The answer lies entirely in what you want out of your college experience. If you want to work in the business and entertainment world and want to learn and grow with a cohort for the next 4 years, then BCA might be the right answer for you. However, it is important to note that there isn’t just one right path to get where you want to go. I have a friend in the B.A. Theater program at the School of Dramatic Arts who wants to go into the exact same career path as my friend in the BCA program – they both want to go into talent management. I have another friend who is majoring in Business Administration and has a minor in Entertainment Industry (at SCA) and another minor in Designing for Digital Experiences (at IYA, which is the Iovine-Young Academy). He also wants to work in entertainment, and we will both be applying to internships at NBC Universal for the summer.
If you are a prospective student, don’t be afraid to reach out to current BCA majors – but also reach out to non-BCA majors interested in pursuing business and entertainment to see if their paths may align with yours. There’s a multitude of paths available at a school as large as USC. Most importantly, listen to your heart! #livelaughlove
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