Connect Creative Vision with Strategic Business + Management Knowledge
Students in the MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises program connect their creative expertise with the business knowledge, strategic skills + entrepreneurial mindset necessary to lead successful people, projects, and teams in Entertainment, Media and the Arts. The program provides opportunities to engage with top creative industry professionals and organizations, giving students an inside look at leading creative enterprises. Key features of the MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises include:
- A curriculum focused on areas such as marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, leadership, analytics, and law specifically designed for the creative sector
- Immersion experiences with organizations and professionals in the Chicago area and from national creative industry capitals
- A summer internship, applied project, or thesis component, bridging the program curriculum to a real-world setting
- Rolling admissions and matriculation – Start the program in September or January
- Earn your master’s degree in one year
The MSLCE program brings together rising leaders with experiences and professional interests spanning performing and visual arts administration, film and television production, development, and distribution, music production and management, entrepreneurship and technology, and more.
MSLCE is currently accepting applications for Fall 2021. Start your application now.
The MSLCE Advantage

Full-Time or Part-Time Enrollment
The MSLCE program can suit a variety of schedules. Students enrolled full-time complete the degree in one year. Those enrolled part-time can complete the degree in 2-3 years. All students benefit from access to the same curriculum, resources, and opportunities.Connect with Creative Industry Professionals
MSLCE students engage with a wide array of top creative industry professionals through their courses, professional development activities, and our speaker events. Sign up to join one of our upcoming speaker events to get a glimpse into the MSLCE experience by visiting our Speaker Series page.


Benefit from Chicago’s Vibrant Creative Economy
Steps from Northwestern’s Evanston campus lies the dynamic creative capital, Chicago. Home to Tony-award-winning theatres, world-class arts and cultural institutions, a vibrant music scene, and a burgeoning entertainment industry, the city is an ideal location to gain experience and further your career.
Inside MSLCE
MSLCE Alumni

Joe Giovannetti
Class of 2017
Development Communications Coordinator, The Goodman Theatre
“I can totally draw a straight line from doing the program and the internship and using that experience to get a job.”

Adrian Alea
Class of 2018
Founder, The Alea Group, LLC
“What I absolutely love about MSLCE is the diversity in industries represented through the students. I would have never learned more about opera, fashion, music or advertising if I had pursued a master’s degree specializing in only one industry.”

Lauren Vernea
Class of 2017
Associate Producer, ABCNews
“I’ve finally gotten to a place where I know who I am as a creative and I know how to leverage my abilities to achieve practical and artistic goals. MSLCE and my experiences afterwards definitely helped me get to that mindset.”