During the programme
In the Creative Business study programme you acquire up-to-date knowledge and skills in creative thinking, human-centred design, relevant technologies, and business savviness, and develop into cultural savvy global professionals. Marketing and Media are important business domains. You will develop skills to come up with innovative solutions for creative industries, media, and global organizations that embrace creative innovation. You can also start your own business.
Breeding success
You learn how to be successful in Advertising, Media & Entertainment, Design, Music, Publishing, Gaming, Fashion and IT and many other sectors. We unlock your commercial potential through creative thinking and collaboration. You learn how to study effectively by working in groups on assignments drawn from real industry practice, supervised by a lecturer. Interacting with your fellow students, tutors and people from the field, you also improve your professional and social skills.
Study content
Important topics in the study programme are marketing, cultural diversity, consumer behaviour, creativity, humanity, technology, business models, branding, culture, media, entrepreneurship, professional identity, multiple electives (such as Artificial Intelligence, Circular innovation and Growth hacking), various research approaches and a graduation project.
Creative Business prepares you for the creative industry, but also for all the other industries that embrace creative innovation - such as Health, Education, Government and Business Services.
Important topics in the study programme are marketing, cultural diversity, consumer behaviour, creativity, humanity, technology, business models, branding, culture, media, entrepreneurship, professional identity, multiple electives (such as Artificial Intelligence, Circular innovation and Growth hacking), various research approaches and a graduation project.
In your first year, you explore the foundations of international creative business together with your fellow students. You focus on new business models, digital media design, marketing, consumer behaviour and research skills. Important approaches such as agile working and design thinking are introduced, you learn the basics of collaboration and get acquainted with project work.
- Block A & B: Introduction to Creative Business; Professional Development; Humanities; Marketing Principles; Digital Media Design; Principles of Communication
- Block C & D: Research Lab and Methods; Research Analysis and Toolkit; Media Culture; New Business Models; Creativity; Consumer Behaviour
In the first year, you need to obtain a minimum of 50 ECTS credits to continue your studies with us. All first-year courses are 5 ECTS credits each.
Courses year 1
During the Creativity course you will learn how to get to creative solutions by using the method Design Thinking and how to arrange creative processes. You will make a presentation on your creative process and present.
In this course you will achieve a thorough understanding of customers, how to satisfy consumers’ needs and how to influence consumer behaviour. You will learn how cultural and sociological influences play an important role in order to implement a marketing concept.
As a professional you will always interact with people and develop products and services. You have to make informed choices and critically reflect on these choices. How can you make sure that what you develop really suits your target audience? How do you get a thorough insight into the other person you are working for? And how will you, as the developer, influence this process?
You will be introduced to communication as a branche of science and you will gain essential knowledge about how it was developed and what it involves today. You will learn about the characteristics and functions of communication as proposed by various academic schools of thought.
You will develop an understanding of marketing processes, including the international commercial environment, the customer segmentation of markets, commercial participation, branding, pricing and channel to market strategies.
Moreover, you will get to know the ways in which organisations communicate with the marketplace and stakeholders about themselves, their corporate commitments and their products and services.
This course offers you an overview of the cultural, social and historical concerns that matter when working in the media industry. You will reflect on your role as active audience, consumer and user of global media content. You will analyse contemporary trends and conflicts in the current media culture. Within class, you debate the social aspects of these new media developments.
You will learn about different types of entrepreneurship in global creative business and the business models that go with it. As a result of societal and technological developments, different types of entrepreneurship have emerged and business models have evolved. You will get a basic understanding of profit and loss and explore the concept of value-creation, which includes also non-financial aspects.
In this course will learn about the typical creative businesses worldwide, often still known as industries, such as film, radio, TV, print, advertising, games, etc. You will learn how to optimize experiences between artists and fans, brands and consumers, games and players, and how to take different cultures into account.
This course empowers you to be an active and responsible learner. The course equips you with the necessary insights and study-skills by means of class exercises, self-assessments, peer feedback and writing of reflective journals. This way we guide you in taking the first steps towards becoming a self-directed learner.
The aim of this course is to learn what quality design work entails and how you make sure that the goals of a marketing, communication or media project are realized through design. You will get familiar with award winning media and how you can make sure that media can be created and delivered across different platforms.
You learn the basics in quantitative and qualitative data analysis. By collecting and analysing data corresponding to a self-defined research question, you gain knowledge of data collection and analysis techniques.
This is an elaborate course on the basics of research and research methods which are relevant for the professional field. Through the conversion of a practical problem into research and by applying the acquired knowledge and skills, you will be trained in the essentials of research design and strategy.
- Block A & B: Technology; Entrepreneurship; International Creative Business; Data storytelling; Cross Media Fundamentals; Human-Centred Design
- Block C & D: Global Work; Intercultural Communication; Electives (see below)
Courses year 2
Technological innovations have wide-ranging cultural implications, and this tendency will only increase in the future. To solve societal problems, technologies are necessary. This course requires you to look ahead and visualize how technology changes society, and help you create an open mindset to new technologies and innovations.
This course will guide you to understand the paradigm shift in the Creative Business. You will learn how the agency model is losing ground and how we are shifting from creative industry to creative business.
In this course you will learn about the key principles, concepts, and practice of crossmedia communication and marketing. Crossmedia communication/marketing is the practice of leveraging both traditional and digital communication channels to communicate with target audiences. You will get a hands-on experience in developing a crossmedia concept in the form of a content strategy for a client.
Almost everything in our lives has been designed by someone. Human-Centred Designers believe the most important person in the design process isn’t the designer. It’s the humans (aka, ‘users’) who’ll be wearing the clothes, sitting on the chair, or taking the course. In this course you’ll go on the same journey all Human-Centred Designers go on.
This Entrepreneurship course will not be the classic “write a business plan” training about describing how a new business will create, deliver and capture value. It will be an active learning experience. You will have to create your own start-up concept, but that is only the start of it. Can you convince real investors? Hop on and get ready for the changing startup arena.
Researchers and marketeers can scan data for trends in culture, society, and business. But the job is not done by collecting and analysing the data in a dry report. Before data can become useful to different audiences, it needs be developed within the storytelling process by creating a narrative and producing data visualizations. In this course you will learn how to turn raw data into a compelling story.
We are globalizing fast, we are in perpetual beta and we are decentralizing. In this course we will look at the typical silicon valley giants, the scale-ups, the start-ups and the nomadic workers. This will prepare you for year 3, work placement. You will realize there's more out there than the classical 'brick & mortar', what company structure fits you best, what culture would work best for your personality at this moment in life, fitting your goals and needs best.
Living in a global world calls for an increased sensitivity to local tastes. As future professionals, being proficient in intercultural communication is a competence that you will need across the different sectors of the Creative Industries. In this course we will explore the complex and dynamic relationship between culture and communication, and discuss the challenges and opportunities of effective intercultural communication.
In year 2 you can choose four out of the following courses: Exploring Cultural Differences, Participatory Cultures, Branding Fundamentals, Managing Creatives, Interactive Experiences, Framing the Media, Advanced Marketing and Influencing Your Audiences.
Electives year 2
Culture is complex, and reflected in every network that we are in, and every action that we do. Diversity is key in this course. Our focus is not only on national culture, but on culture as a complex social network or web, composed of cultural differences such as gender, age, ethnicity and lifestyle. This course will teach you the art important concepts in the field of cultural studies, and learn you how to translate these in real life skills.
Gamers, fans, hackers are examples of technology and media communities which are often described as participatory cultures. Our common goal is to gain deep insights about emerging participatory cultures. At the end of this course, you will co-create an event with all classes in which you present your participatory culture in an interactive innovative way (e.g. a café, a panel, a game, a YouTube set-up). Think outside the box!
In this course you’ll learn about the big ideas, strategies, tools, and theories that brand strategists use every day to build stronger brands. You'll then be given a real brief, from a real client, and use what you've learnt to make their brand stronger. This will be a highly experimental, hands-on course, so show up ready to roll up your sleeves, and solve real brand problems.
If creative and innovative organisations want to be successful in highly uncertain and competitive environments, they need to understand how to build creative teams. In this course you will soon be working on a real life creative briefing experience with reality check, whilst participating in a creative team where everyone has a particular role. With your team you will be working towards a final presentation. Will your pitch match the expectations of the client?
In this specialisation course, you learn to evaluate, strategize and conceptualise interactive experiences such as events, installations, games. In the first section of the course you will learn the basics of interactive design. In the second section of the course, you will use the acquired knowledge to conceptualise and prototype an interactive experience they will develop for a particular briefing.
This courses teaches you how news media and organisations interact through public relations in the public sphere. You will learn how framing in the media works and how to analyse news by spotting the different perspectives about relevant issues and actors. You will use the to apply professional communication for designing and distributing their own framing of a relevant story on behalf of a client.
Traditional marketing communication is in decline, marketing is on the ascent but not as we know it. In this course you will learn to think beyond the traditional 4 P’s (Product, Place, Promotion and Price) and will learn to apply new ways to reach a richer and elaborated marketing plan. Next, you will explore a number of pre-defined, brand-new developments in marketing and explore how these developments work in daily work, in the creative business.
We all want people to do stuff. Whether you want your customers to buy from you, vendors to give you a good deal, your employees to take more initiative, or your spouse to make dinner. In this course you’ll learn the most important drives that motivate people, how the human brain uses 2 systems to make decisions and the forces that shape human behaviour.
In your third year, you must spend at least six months in a non-native language environment. You have the option to study abroad for a semester, or take an international work placement. One semester is devoted to your minor. You may study at one of our 70+ foreign partner universities or any Dutch university, or choose to stay in Utrecht.
Whatever you choose to do, this year, you experience new cultures and truly learn what it's like to work in international creative business.
Examples of work placement assignments
- Implement a social media plan for a global game studio
- Map the customer experience and propose improvements for an international magazine
- Produce state-of-the-art videos for a virtual reality company
- Develop creative brand strategies to attract tourists to Amsterdam
In your final year you can choose from a wide range of interdisciplinary courses which require co-design, creative problem-solving and business innovation at a high level. The second semester is dedicated to your graduation project, for which you conduct independent research into an issue of your choosing. Many of our graduation projects are triggered by genuine research requests from (international) businesses. Critical thinking and interpretation are truly important this year.
Examples of graduation projects
- Improve a content strategy for a fashion and lifestyle brand to increase interaction with Instagram users.
- Analyse the marketing strategy for a children’s programme for a global entertainment and media enterprise.
- Develop a digital marketing plan for an international food company.
Creative Business
Study in Figures Creative Business. Source: studiekeuze123.nl
More information
Are you keen to follow an expanded and more intensive version of the standard programme, or accumulate Honours Stars during your regular studies? Our Honours Programme could be for you! If you collect five stars in total, you graduate with honours.
Linkup is a dedicated team organising a wide range of social activities for their fellow CB students: trips abroad, arts and music festivals, educational events and regular parties, as well as the introduction camp.
Our teaching methods vary depending on the module, but the focus is always on student participation. You build up your own professional experience through incubators, companies, games, e-learning and labs. We think reflection, self-evaluation and critical thinking are as important as hands-on skills.
Courses conclude with exams, tests, assignments, essays, portfolios, pitches and/or presentations. Exams may also be broken down into partial exams (or partial tests). Exams are held at the end of each term and are posted on the examination timetable.
During this programme you work in learning teams: small groups of students who learn together to build their knowledge and skills collectively and individually. A CB learning team consists of five to seven students, guided by a professional development coach and lecturers.
In the third year, you must spend at least six months in a non-native language environment, studying or doing a work placement. This gives you the practical skills you need for a successful international career.
Why choose HU
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Innovative curriculum preparing you for the workplace of the future
Creative Business contributes to virtually all industries that embrace creative innovation – such as Healthcare, Education, Government and Business Services, so your skills will be in high demand.
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International network
You learn in an international environment from top-quality researchers and experienced lecturers. International exchange programmes/internships are included in the programme.
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The city of Utrecht
Beautiful Utrecht is a university city with plenty of young people and excellent facilities for student life.
"Having the opportunity to explore the creative industry in so many fields, working together with talented people, working on real life projects, is really exciting!"
Barbara Krzonkalla (Age 20) Second year student
"Having the opportunity to explore the creative industry in so many fields, working together with talented people, working on real life projects, is really exciting!"
Barbara Krzonkalla (Age 20)Second year student
Studying Creative Business gives you plenty of room for personal exploration. A very diverse field of interests is covered within this programme: from research, communication, marketing, branding and entrepreneurship, to digital media design, creativity and management.
What I like most about this study programme is that we combine different fields in real projects. From preparing a press conference, to shaping our own business ideas together with our lecturers, or, as I like to call them, coaches. We have Art Directors, Creative Directors, Consultants, Marketers, lecturers from advertising agencies, and many more.
I mean, having the opportunity to explore the creative industry in so many fields, working together with talented people, working on real life projects, is really exciting!
Meeting people from all over the world and learning about cultural differences and how to adapt to them really prepares us for an international career.