The design of the master’s degree program in arts management is based on the underlying belief that professional arts managers must be familiar with the social, cultural, political, and ethical contexts of the arts in general.
Program Objectives
- Prepare students for professional leadership positions in international, national, and regional public and private arts and cultural organizations, including museums and galleries, community nonprofit organizations, arts foundations, performing arts centers, and festivals
- Provide field experience in arts agencies by incorporating a field-based internship component that enhances the student’s ability to move into professional positions in arts and cultural organizations
- Facilitate the development of individual research projects that contribute to the body of knowledge on the theory and practice of arts policy, administration, and management in an era of dynamic sociocultural change
- Provide opportunities for students to enhance their knowledge and skills or develop new careers in the arts
Careers
The master’s degree in arts management, depending on the chosen concentration, offers preparation for students who seek administrative careers in the visual arts, performing arts, community arts, or the arts in health-care management in the public, nonprofit, or the private sector.
Admission
Admission to graduate study requires previous study in the visual or performing arts and the humanities. Although an undergraduate degree in the arts is not required, related course work or equivalent professional experience is standard. Applicants from the business, management, and social science fields are encouraged. Applicants are asked to indicate interest in a particular concentration area when they apply; application materials are reviewed with this interest in mind; and appropriate entry qualifications are examined.
Students planning graduate study may find information and application forms by visiting the program’s website.
Admission is determined by the arts management master’s degree admissions committee, which consists of faculty members of the Arts and Administration Program and faculty representatives from concentration areas when appropriate.
The admissions committee considers every aspect of the applicant’s file when making its decision for admission. No standardized test is required. Financial aid in the form of a limited number of teaching, research, or administrative fellowships is available, typically to second-year students. The Graduate School has information about fellowship options that are open to students from any program, at any point in their studies. See the Graduate School section of this catalog.
Master’s Degree Requirements
The master’s degree in arts management is designed to be a two-year, full-time program, with a deliberate progression of cumulative course work; however, students may take up to seven years to complete the program. Students pursue a master of science (MS) or a master of arts (MA) degree, completing a minimum of 72 credits. The MA degree requires competence equivalent to second-year study in a second language.
Study in the master’s degree program has four parts:
- core and management courses,
- a technology component,
- a concentration area, and
- research and practice, which includes a summer internship between the first and second years of study.
Students learn the techniques needed to analyze and develop arts policy as well as skills in grant and research report writing and review. In addition to course work and an internship, students are required to complete a master’s degree project, capstone project, or thesis that demonstrates in-depth knowledge of practical or theoretical issues of importance to professionals in public, nonprofit, and private arts organizations from diverse social and cultural settings. Projects often focus on issues that were explored during the student’s internship.
Master of Arts Requirements
| Core Courses 1 | ||
| AAD 522 | Arts Program Theory | 4 |
| AAD 550 | Art in Society | 4 |
| AAD 562 | Cultural Policy | 4 |
| AAD 604 | Internship: [Topic] (three terms) | 1-16 |
| AAD 612 | Cultural Administration | 4 |
| Technology | ||
| AAD 584 | Advanced Information Design and Presentation | 3 |
| AAD 585 | Multimedia for Arts and Administrators | 3 |
| Research and Practice | ||
| AAD 630 | Research Methodology | 4 |
| AAD 631 | Research Proposal Development | 3 |
| Courses in professional practice 2 | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Thesis | ||
| Research: [Topic] | ||
Other courses chosen in consultation with advisor | ||
| Foreign Language Requirement | ||
| Competence equivalent to second-year study in a second language | ||
| Total Credits | 30-45 | |
| 1 | Further course work toward degree requirements and elective courses are chosen in consultation with an advisor. |
| 2 | Inquire at the program office. |
Master of Science Requirements
| Core Courses 1 | ||
| AAD 522 | Arts Program Theory | 4 |
| AAD 550 | Art in Society | 4 |
| AAD 562 | Cultural Policy | 4 |
| AAD 604 | Internship: [Topic] (three terms) | 1-16 |
| AAD 612 | Cultural Administration | 4 |
| Technology | ||
| AAD 584 | Advanced Information Design and Presentation | 3 |
| AAD 585 | Multimedia for Arts and Administrators | 3 |
| Research and Practice | ||
| AAD 630 | Research Methodology | 4 |
| AAD 631 | Research Proposal Development | 3 |
| Courses in professional practice 2 | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Thesis | ||
| Research: [Topic] | ||
Other courses chosen in consultation with advisor | ||
| Foreign Language Requirement | ||
| Competence equivalent to second-year study in a second language | ||
| Total Credits | 30-45 | |
| 1 | Further course work toward degree requirements and elective courses are chosen in consultation with an advisor. |
| 2 | Inquire at the program office. |
Core Courses
Courses address the study and management of the arts in social and cultural contexts with a focus on arts policy and information management. Nonprofit and for-profit organizations and issues are addressed.
Research and Practice
Candidates for the master’s degree write a project or capstone paper or a thesis. Required courses in research methodology and professional practice prepare students for the summer internship and for writing the paper or thesis.
Area of Concentration
Selection of a concentration area allows students to pursue study that contributes to specific professional goals. A curricular plan is developed with an advisor during the first term of graduate study. Four concentration areas are available:
- community arts management
- media management
- museum studies
- performing arts management
- arts in health-care management
Technology
A personal computer facilitates work in software applications and research for courses. Minimum recommendations for hardware and software are included on the program’s website.
Certificate in Museum Studies
The multidisciplinary, graduate-level museum studies certificate is awarded through the School of Architecture and Allied Arts, with the cooperation of the Arts and Administration Program; the Departments of Anthropology and the History of Art and Architecture; and campus museum professionals.
Museum Studies Certificate Requirements
| Department Degree Requirements | ||
| Courses | 12 | |
| Museum Studies Core and Electives | ||
| AAD 510 | Experimental Course: [Topic] 1 | 1-5 |
| AAD 529 | Museum Education 1 | 4 |
| Electives 1,2 | 8 | |
| Total Credits | 28 | |
| 1 | A total of 16 credits must be taken in the museum studies core and electives. |
| 2 | A variety of elective courses—many offered by departments outside the School of Architecture and Allied Arts—may be applied to the certificate requirements. The certificate program culminates with a presentation by the student. |
Students exit the program with practical and theoretical museum management strategies that are applicable in leadership positions in small to large, community to national, public or private museums.
Arts and Administration as a Supporting Area of Study for Doctoral Students in the School of Music and Dance
Arts administration is available as a supporting area of study for School of Music and Dance DMA and PhD students. The supporting area is generally viewed as mastery of an area of study at a master’s degree level, although no master’s degree is gained, and may be linked with the student’s primary doctoral research interest areas and professional goals. Refer to Doctoral Degree Programs in the School of Music and Dance section of this catalog. Prospective students must apply directly to the Arts and Administration Program, but should begin the application process by contacting a staff member in the School of Music and Dance graduate office for more information.