<p>I am considering transferring to CSUN next year from out of state. I'm looking into Berklee and Cal State Northridge, but am interested in checking out CSUN due to its low cost, and LA location. Berklee is a private school, much more expensive, and is not situated in a major industry operation hub, like LA (Boston).</p>
<p>I am interested in Northridge's music industry studies program, and was wondering if I could find anyone on here that was familiar with it. Were you enrolled in it? Do you know anyone that was in it? How are you or they doing after graduation?</p>
<p>Also, how is Northridge ranked among other csu's and uc's in the LA area, particularly in music? How would you rate the college overall? I know Cal Poly Pomona also offers a music business program, but is there anywhere else I should check out?</p>
<p>USC. USC's music program is among the best in the nation...USC's business program is among the best in the nation. and i know there's a Music Industry major, not just a BA (the business aspect, i assume) but also a BS (music engineering). the alumni network is legendary. and it's not just close to LA like CSUN is...it's practically dead in the middle of it. </p>
<p>albiet it's not cheap, but i can testify to the generosity of the financial aid office.</p>
<p>i am definitely aware and love the curriculum of USC's Music Industry program, but I'm presented with two dilemmas. One is the money, I plan to attend grad school for an MBA and JD joint degree. Do I really want to go into a large amount of debt for my undergrad only to shoulder another burden of student loans for graduate work? USC is definitely on my list of grad school possibilities.</p>
<p>My second dilemma is that USC assigns a "transfer GPA" to their transfer students. While I am about to graduate Summa Cum Laude from my two year college while being an officer of the Phi Theta Kappa honors society, I have an equally POOR transcript from the first four year I ever attended. From this four year I was on academic probation at all times and was excluded twice. Needless to say, I was not in the correct mindset for school at the time.</p>
<p>If I was to attend USC then this "transfer GPA" would put me at a huge dissadvantage when applying to grad schools. Even if I got straight A's at USC like I have at my recent two year college, my GPA could probably never be above a 3.0 (if that). If you have a solution to this apparent institution then please let me know.</p>
<p>If I graduate from CSUN then I will have both my b.a. from csun and my a.b.a. from my two year with honors attached and that would seem like it would really benefit my grad school applications more than having a mediocre GPA from USC.</p>
<p>Please let me know if I'm wrong about the transfer GPA, because I would love to make it an option for my undergraduate degree as well.</p>
<p>USC is unquestionably the top dog in town regarding ANYTHING in this area. but if roadblocks such as cost (extremely high) and transfer credit issues abound it would be a tad cheaper to go to chapman college in orange county. on the CSU side Cal Poly Pomona is far superior to CSUN academically. check out <a href="http://www.studentsreview.com%5B/url%5D">www.studentsreview.com</a> if you don't believe me. apart from being a better university for academics for essentially the same money you also have a college of business administration that has a roaring entertainment business program that is closely linked to the motion picture, television, music, sports and events and destinations industries--where internships at places like capital records or paramount pictures are required. that would be a far better fit for you given that synergy. from there take a peek at emerson college in boston, NYU, USC or UCLA for grad school.</p>
<p>chapman does not seem to offer the program i am looking for.</p>
<p>what did you mean in the last part of this statement.....</p>
<p>"apart from being a better university for academics for essentially the same money you also have a college of business administration that has a roaring entertainment business program that is closely linked to the motion picture, television, music, sports and events and destinations industries--where internships at places like capital records or paramount pictures are required. "</p>
<p>Which school has a "college of business administration that has a roaring entertainment business program" were you referring? I couldn't find anything like that listed on the Poly Pomona business administation site.</p>
<p>I am aware of students review, but ANYONE can post on there. There is no registrtration or member system, therefore i take its testimonies with a grain of salt as they could easily be mere venting from bitter people with poor skewed experiences.</p>
<p>I had just also heard that while CSUN may be rated lower academically than Poly Pomona, their music department was rated one of the highest on the entire west coast.</p>
<p>And yes, all those schools (with the exception of emerson) and more are on my potential graduate school application list.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>just because something is or is not on the web does not make it so. there are many academic programs listed online that have been eliminated or merged, just as there are some newer ones without a web presence.</p></li>
<li><p>if you assume that the two music business programs are about equal then it becomes obvious to most that you pick the better university unless other factors such as cost or social life or whatever enter in. i never have seen anybody in any forum who lists northridge above pomona. most criteria put "valley state" in the third tier of four among CSUs while pomona is always in the top tier academically.</p></li>
<li><p>while i am not an oracle on music programs never have i seen northridge listed in ANY program as "one of the highest on the entire west coast." if that is true i guess stanford, berkeley, UCLA, USC and a few other schools had best start worrying about a third tier CSU program. by the way, middle tennessee state university is another one with a strong presence here.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>bottom line: USC rules. if this does not work then pick your poison. but rest assured that a northridge degree in most circles means you were unable to get into a more selective institution.</p>
<p>I had a great experience at California State University, Northridge. Overall, I would rate the quality, excellent and underrated. Let’s look at the facts: if you’ve visited any of the major publishers, PRO’s, and largest firms in the industry (ASCAP, SESAC, Alfred, REMO), you’d come to realize that the majority of the people who work there are graduates of the Music Business Department at CSUN. I’ve had debates with people who attend USC and Cal Poly Pomona and Chico. There is no competition. CSUN music alumni come out not only aware of the continuous changes in the music industry, but we also come out with strong character, something other schools lack in their curriculum. We’re also the only institution that runs a yearlong project funded by many well known executives that actually involves implementing those skill-sets learned in the classrom into real world applications. If you want a real education, and not just a name, invest your time at CSUN, you won’t regret it. Also, we have KCSN next door which is pretty much the next big thing in public radio. Some of the most influential DJ’s in the US (Sky Daniels, Nic Harcourt, Jed The Fish) work right next to us.</p>
<p>I’m an alumnus of the program and have been in the real world for more than a handful of years now. My opinion: The MIS program at CSUN is a waste of time; The Master of Music Industry Administration degree similarly looks like a fruitless endeavor. </p>
<p>My advice to young people: Keep music in your life if that is your passion, but take a look at a degree that is marketable. CSUN’s MIS program is heavy on music, and very light on industry. Back when I was in the program, we only had two classes out of the business department and they were only introductory level. When you get out, you’ll struggle to find work because you will not be qualified to do much of anything and the job market is rough particularly for new graduates. Keep in mind that you will be sending out your resume along with millions of other graduates who are now entering the job market which makes competition fierce. A word of personal experience: My struggle upon graduation has been tremendous and it has been the same for many of my classmates. There might be someone out there who has had better fortune, but every classmate that I know of who earned a Music Industry degree from CSUN either went back to school, married a good provider, or has accepted a life of poverty. </p>
<p>The route that I wish I had taken was to get a business degree, perhaps even from CSUN, and then keep music as a side interest while looking for internships within the music industry. </p>
<p>My daughter lives in Nashville, and while visiting I remember hearing and reading that Vanderbilt and/or Belmont had a very strong program involving the music business.</p>