Professor Shaun Harper is bringing the business of Beyoncé to a University of Southern California MBA classroom

Dr. Shaun Harper opens up about his new USC MBA course, “The Business of Beyoncé launching in January 2027.

Anyone who has ever said Beyoncé, and particularly her business acumen, should be studied may have been onto something.

The University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business is gearing up to launch a new MBA course, “The Business of Beyoncé,” which will examine how the Grammy-winning superstar built her entertainment empire and turned her celebrity into a series of successful business ventures. 

The course, developed and taught by USC professor Shaun Harper, is set to begin in January 2027.

“My class is not going to be just a set of conversations about Beyoncé,” Harper told the Los Angeles Times.

In an email to theGrio on Tuesday, he added, “I love teaching, but never has a course excited me more.”

Over the course of 16 weeks, students will examine everything from the singer’s early days in Destiny’s Child to her record-breaking solo career and growing portfolio of businesses through financial reports, industry data, case studies, and assignments; students will explore branding, marketing, ownership, and the strategic decisions that have helped sustain her success. The course will also span other entertainers who have similarly crossed over from childhood stardom into the boardroom.

“Some critics universally declare celebrity-focused courses a waste of money because of a presumed lack of emphasis on useful job skills,” Harper wrote. 

“Mine is far from a mere fan-appreciation experience,” he continued. “MBA students will learn practically useful business strategies that they can take with them into entertainment industry careers.”

He added, “There is no better case example than Beyoncé. Students deserve to learn from her business success. Mine will.”

And there is certainly plenty to learn from Beyoncé. Beyond her decades-long music career, the “Cowboy Carter” artist has built a business portfolio that includes Parkwood Entertainment, her entertainment and production company; SirDavis, her whiskey brand developed in partnership with Moët Hennessy; and Cécred, her breakthrough hair care company launched in 2024.

Her approach to Cécred alone and how—instead of compromising and conceding to the concerns of prospective investors around research versus marketing—she invested her own money, maintaining control over the products and the company’s direction, is a lesson in ownership and trusting your gut instinct. It’s also exactly the kind of business decision Harper hopes his students will learn to evaluate, along with the risks, rewards, and long-term strategies involved in building an enterprise around an artist’s name.

“I have been a BeyHive loyalist, one of Beyoncés biggest fans, my entire adult life. I cannot wait to bring her into my classroom each week,” the educator gushed. 

His excitement also stems from the fact that the course is his chance to challenge whose business success is considered even worthy of study.

“Most top MBA programs rely heavily on case studies that overwhelmingly center white businessmen as exemplars,” he noted, adding, “This sends an erroneous, not-so-subtle message that very little can be learned from women, especially Black women. This sexist and racist trend has long troubled me.”

From Emma Grede’s role in building fashion and apparel brands including Good American and SKIMS to Cardi B’s expanding portfolio of business ventures and Serena Williams’ move into venture capitalism through Serena Ventures, Black women across industries are launching successful ventures and turning cultural influence into commercial success.

As Harper prepares for January, taking all of this into account and despite the Beyoncé of it all, he’s approaching the course with an admirable level of humility. 

“I will be their professor,” he said. “But one of the world’s most successful Black women musicians and entrepreneurs will be their teacher.”