Administration/Management/Advocacy

Through the Arts Management Program at the American University, students can pursue an MA, a Graduate Certificate, or the recently established Graduate Certificate in International Arts Management.

The MA program trains students to become arts administrators across performing and visual art disciplines. The program blends the basic tenets of administration with an understanding of the cultural sector in the global economy. The arts management MA program excels in providing students a decision making context for the jobs of the future through an understanding of cultural policy, international arts management issues, and organizational dynamics. The master's program prepares students to become effective advocates for the arts and to succeed in a wide range of administrative, managerial, and leadership positions. The arts management MA program curriculum is designed to combine current cultural and nonprofit theory with the best practices from the management field. Core courses focus on fundraising, marketing, and financial management of arts organizations. A flexible and interdisciplinary program, master’s students may take electives and rotating topic courses in museum management, art history, public administration, business administration, communication, international or public policy as well as participate in any of the Department of Performing Arts ensembles. Arts management master's students can apply classroom concepts in professional settings through internships and independent studies at numerous arts organizations in the Washington, DC area.

The Graduate Certificate in Arts Management is for students who wish to augment or begin arts management studies and is designed for those with a number of years of experience in the field. The arts management graduate certificate is a recognized form of continuing education. Students gain knowledge and experience in nonprofit arts management, including fundraising, marketing, governance, and cultural policy.

The new Graduate Certificate in International Arts Management is a joint certificate awarded by American University's International Communications Program of the School of International Service (ranked #5 in the world) and the Arts Management Program in the College of Arts and Sciences. This Certificate is the first in the world to combine intellectual examination of and practical training in international arts management. Students completing the Certificate in International Arts Management will have a specialization that makes them uniquely qualified to tackle a wide range of intercultural and international challenges within the diverse field of international arts. In particular, an International Arts Management Certificate will provide innovative international education and training to students in the skills necessary to engage in cultural work in projects of international scope or that have significant cross-cultural or transnational components. Graduates of the program may find work in embassies, international cultural NGOs, international divisions of cultural institutions, government entities dedicated to arts and culture and similar organizations. As a result, students will be able to act as community, national, and international leaders throughout the domain of arts and culture in a global context.

SMU offers undergraduate studies with a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship or a minor in Arts Management. In addition, a joint degree of MA/MBA in Business & Arts Management is offered by the Meadows School of the Arts and the Cox School of Business.

Division of Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship in the Meadows School of the Arts offers two undergraduate minors. The minor in arts entrepreneurship provides an overview of how to develop and launch a new arts venture, either for-profit or nonprofit. The minor in arts management provides an overview of how professional arts organizations are managed, with an emphasis on understanding the practical issues facing today’s arts manager.

The MA/MBA is a joint degree in Business & Arts Management offered by the Meadows School of the Arts and the Cox School of Business. The innovative combination of courses in both business and the arts, as well as internships and intensive experience with arts organizations and their particular challenges, creates graduates who are well-prepared to hold leadership positions in arts, entertainment, education and non-profit organizations around the world. The Meadows curriculum consists of 27 hours of Arts Management seminars with a strict limitation on class size. These seminars focus on fundraising, nonprofit finance, marketing the arts, legal issues affecting the arts, philanthropy, strategic planning, and cultural policy. Students have the opportunity to spend their second fall semester taking coursework at Bocconi University in Milan, Europe's leading arts and cultural management program. In addition, you will gain real-world experience in arts management through internships with Dallas professional arts organizations as well as a full-time internship with a national or international organization of your choice.

MA and PhD programs in Art History are offered.

The graduate program leading to an MA degree offers Architectural History, Art Historical Studies, and Museum Studies tracks. The PhD program offers Art Historical Studies and Curatorial tracks.

Graduate degree programs in Art History include the Master of Arts with individual tracks in Architectural History, Art Historical Studies, and Museum Studies, and the Doctor of Philosophy with Historical and Curatorial tracks; Provides a broad overview of historical developments, institutional responsibilities, professional opportunities, and theoretical issues relevant to contemporary museum practice; Curriculum equips students to build careers in curatorship, collections management, educational program development, and exhibit development.

MA in Arts Management or a Graduate Certificate.

George Mason's program emphasizes not administration, but rather the management of all aspects of the arts: commercial and not-for-profit; theatre, dance, music, visual, museum, literary, film, video and the combination of any and all of these in exciting arts centers around the country. Graduates provide for the continuance, development and nurturing of the art form, the artist and the audience, using technology, science, best practices, relevant and vibrant communications and good practical reasoning, taught by some of this country’s most outstanding practicing arts managers. The vision is to see arts managers bring into alignment the many resources required to birth, sustain, and further develop arts organizations.

Effective Fall 2012, a new Arts Management Graduate Certificate program will be offered. The Certificate is intended for those who know the specific expertise they desire to acquire to either enter into or advance arts management or related careers. Candidates choose one of the four concentrations: Marketing & Public Relations in the Arts, Entrepreneurship, Programming & Project Management in the Arts, Fundraising & Development in the Arts.

The College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning offers a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Curatorial Practice. The College-Conservatory of Music offers an MA in Arts Administration.

The Museum Studies program teaches students how museums are organized and operate, how they care for and interpret their collections, how they serve their audiences, and what issues they face in satisfying their diverse responsibilities.

Curatorial Practice is designed to train students in the practical and critical aspects of assembling exhibitions. Since the greater number of exhibitions take place outside institutions (in galleries and artist-run spaces), it is as important for Fine Artists to be engaged with these alternative venues as it is to be cognizant of Museum exhibitions. With two galleries on campus and with a faculty actively engaged in exhibiting and curating contemporary work, the University of Cincinnati is positioned well to offer this certificate. There are plentiful opportunities for internships in the city where artist-led curatorial initiatives are already practiced. Cincinnati also has several significant private collections of contemporary art whose owners are already engaged with our programs in various capacities.

The Graduate Arts Administration Program prepares and trains students to become successful CEOs and senior managers of nonprofit arts and cultural institutions. The philosophy and structure of the program reflects the understanding that sound business training and practical, real-world exposure to the field are both essential qualities of a successful arts administrator. The program further recognizes that the successful arts administrator has the leadership capacity to adapt classical theories and practices to the management of complex and changing arts environment. The College-Conservatory of Music also offers a dual degree with the nationally-recognized College of Business called the MA/MBA option. The two programs combine resources to train administrative leadership for professional performing arts and visual arts organizations.

Western Michigan offers an undergraduate minor in Nonprofit Leadership and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Administration.  The Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Administration is intended for nonprofit employees and volunteers who desire to enhance their managerial skills, but do not want to complete a 39 credit hour Master's degree program, or who want to 'test the water' before deciding whether to pursue a Master's degree.

The Public History major prepares students for careers in museums, archives, historic sites and organizations, government programs, and consulting.  With the aim of making history a useful educational and planning tool in communities, WMU's Public History Program emphasizes varied resources and methodologies, and focuses on regional environments and cultural resources.  Students in the Public History curriculum will gain a strong background in history as well as experience in cultural resource management, museum and archive administration, public relations and historic preservation.   Public History majors must also complete an approved internship.

Goucher offers a MA in Arts Administration and a Concentration in Arts Administration. Arts administration is a rapidly expanding profession in performance and institutional arts organizations, including museums and galleries; in community or regional centers for the arts; and in government, corporate, and foundation agencies that are concerned with the development of the arts.

The Master of Arts in Arts Administration (MAAA) program is a distance learning graduate degree meant for those interested in furthering their career in arts administration; it gives working professionals living anywhere an opportunity to further their skills and knowledge in the challenging and ever-developing field of arts administration. This program brings together students and distinguished faculty members from around the world who share one common goal: to see that the arts thrive in their own communities, and in society as a whole.

Students pursuing a concentration in arts administration take a major in one of the arts and supplement that major with three courses in arts administration and four in economics and business management. The courses in the major provide a solid foundation in an art form. The additional courses enhance knowledge appropriate to the student’s interest in arts administration. Students major in art, dance, music, or theatre, completing a minimum of 27 credits that are chosen in consultation with the department and that cover both historical/ theoretical and studio work.

The minor in Historic Preservation is designed for undergraduate students interested in the stewardship and future of America’s historic buildings, structures, and landscapes. Basic historic preservation courses emphasize the theory and history of historic preservation and the various tools and techniques used to document cultural resources. Each course challenges students to think critically and to improve their writing and oral presentation skills. Additional courses are to be drawn from American studies, art history, history, and the social sciences. The historic preservation minor is composed of six courses.

The Graduate Arts Administration Program offers two options: an MA in Arts Administration and a Certified Performing Arts Executive certificate, designed for practicing professionals in the performing arts management field.

Master’s candidates are post graduates interested not only in the arts but also in business and the non-profit world. The Master’s training offers the ultimate balance of classroom and real-world experience, reflecting the latest trends in both the performing and visual arts industries. Through internships and practicums, guest speakers, class trips, classroom and online courses, and group and individualized study, the Program prepares students for administrative careers within nonprofit and for profit culture and arts related organizations - among them: galleries, museums, opera companies, theater companies, performing arts centers, dance companies, music business, auction houses, film societies, festivals, arts councils and other governmental arts programs, and art education programs.

Certified Performing Arts Executive candidates are performing arts management professionals who are in the early or mid-stages of their careers. These individuals are looking to expand their knowledge base, trend awareness, and seek to expand their professional skills and credentials. The Program’s goal is to provide professional certification for performing arts agents and managers. Students will learn: Planning for Success; Business Organization Models; Budgeting and Financial Management; Fees, Commissions, and Negotiating Skills; Client and Venue Relationships; Negotiation Basics; Ethics and Liability; Building a Roster; Dealing with Artists; Technical Riders; Marketing, Promotion, and Media Arts; and Law, Copyright, and Royalties

• Master of Science in Historic Preservation in the Historic Preservation Program. The University of Oregon's Historic Preservation Program has an interdisciplinary focus within the School of Architecture and Allied Arts. The program offers a Master of Science in Historic Preservation as well as an Undergraduate Minor. Students enter the Master's program with a range of backgrounds, including architecture and interior design, art history, anthropology, history and planning. There are three concentration areas: Preservation Theory, Design, and Technology; Preservation Planning and Cultural Resource Management; and Resource Identification and Evaluation. Undergraduate Minor also available.
• Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management The objective of the Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management is to prepare students for leadership positions in nonprofit and philanthropic (grant making) organizations. The curriculum, centering on technical skills specific to the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, is designed to develop the skills necessary to manage and lead financially stable, innovative and effective organizations. Nonprofit is an organizational form that includes such diverse activities as: Community development organizations, human service agencies, employment and training centers, arts and cultural associations, affordable housing, education, sports and recreation activities, environmental protection, health and hospitals, and other public services.
• The Museum Studies Graduate Certificate addresses the demand for professionally trained museum personnel and provides University of Oregon graduate students with an invaluable credential for the job market. It is a masters-level, multidisciplinary course of study sponsored by the Arts and Administration Program, the Department of Architecture, the Department of Art History, the Department of Anthropology and campus museum professionals. . . . The program requires 28 credit hours, including a 200-hour (6 credit) internship. Up to 12 relevant credits may be applied from courses being taken for a UO graduate degree. When all requirements are completed and certificate graduation has been requested through the School of Graduate Studies, students are awarded the Museum Studies Graduate Certificate by the School of Architecture and Allied Arts.

The Department of Communication and The Arts, at Seton Hall University offers a Master of Arts (MA) degree program in museum studies (since 1994). Called the “MA Program in Museum Professions,” it offers practical training rooted in a thorough understanding of museum theory. Museums in the 21st century have become complex, multipurpose organizations. This program is designed to meet their need for professionally trained employees.

The MA Program in Museum Professions prepares students for professional careers in museums and other cultural institutions through challenging coursework and concrete experience. It is designed for individuals interested in pursuing careers in museums or related cultural institutions. Combining structure with flexibility, this 39-credit program offers four professional tracks:

     I. Museum Education
    II. Museum Management
   III. Museum Registration
   IV. Exhibition Development

The program’s diverse offerings are provided through cooperation with other departments and schools at Seton Hall University, and through collaboration with museums and museum professionals who serve as advisers and faculty for the program. This museum studies program is designed for recent college graduates, people seeking a career change, and museum employees who wish to improve their skills. Courses are offered in the evenings and on Saturdays to accommodate both full-time and part-time students.