University of Cincinnati
Arts Administration
College-Conservatory of Music
PO Box 210003
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0003
United States
Main Phone: 513/556-4383
Main E-Mail: artsadmin@uc.edu
Degree/Credential: Graduate (MBA/MA in Arts Administration, or MA in Arts Administration)
Web Site: http://www.ArtsAdminMBA.com
Program Director: AYaffe [link available to AAAE members only]
Program Goals and Objectives
The College-Conservatory of Music and the nationally recognized UC College of Business combine resources to train administrative leadership for professional performing arts and visual arts organizations. Emphasis is placed upon preparing students to make sound decisions within the context of rapidly changing internal and external circumstances. Coursework in business theory and practice is applied to the specific operating conditions of orchestras, theaters, opera companies, dance companies, museums, and other nonprofit and commercial arts institutions.
The UC/CCM Graduate Arts Administration Program exists to prepare and train 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 a complex and changing arts environment.
Students may earn both the M.A. in Arts Administration and the M.B.A. degrees in two full academic years, or eight academic quarters. Students who choose to earn only the M.A. finish in seven academic quarters. Candidates must meet the admission criteria of each college and be separately accepted by each.
The program is strongly oriented toward the business practices of arts organizations. Students receive credit for practical experience in professional institutions during their residency on campus and serve two full-time professional internships. A rigorous skill-building curriculum combines theory with practical application.
Ideal candidates for the program are persons who have held jobs or served significant internships in arts organizations and have first-hand knowledge of the challenges and issues confronting America’s cultural institutions. The program serves persons who seek to prepare themselves to assume leadership positions and who are able to invest in full-time study.
The program is small and selective, accepting approximately ten students per year. Founded in 1976, the program has trained over 200 students, 80% of whom currently hold administrative positions with professional arts organizations. The placement rate for recent graduates is at our near 100%. The City of Cincinnati supports eight major performing and visual arts organizations, two performing arts centers and hundreds of smaller arts groups. The College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is one of the region’s primary arts providers, presenting over 900 student, faculty, and guest artist performances each year.
The Princeton Review's 2009 edition of "Best Business Schools" cited the CCM Arts Administration Program as an important factor in its ranking of the University of Cincinnati's College of Business.
Administration of the Program
Directors of the program are Alan Yaffe and Jean P. Hamilton who teach the core courses in the M.A. curriculum. Professor Yaffe has been a marketing director and managing director of major orchestras and theatres (Pittsburgh Symphony, Shakespeare & Company, Coconut Grove Playhouse). He maintains an active consulting practice with professional arts organizations in the areas of marketing, development, arts education, and organizational assessement/strategic planning and has lectured and conducted seminars and workshops in Europe and South America. He has been on the faculty since 1990. Assistant Prof. Hamilton brings 20 years of professional management experience to the position, including Executive Director of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, General Manager of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra Manager of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Professor Karen Faaborg also serves on the faculty. She is an attorney specializing in legal and policy issues. She has been on the faculty since 1980.In addition to the faculty of the College of Business, extended faculties for the program are drawn from the College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning, and the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences. Frequent seminars are scheduled with leaders of arts, government, and business feature discussion on the latest trends in the field.
Arts Administration is a program within the College-Conservatory of Music. It resides in one of the eight academic divisions of the college and is an autonomous unit within that division. The faculty is dedicated entirely to teaching in the program and the program does not serve in any administrative or production capacity for the college.
Curriculum
The program requires academic training and practical experience credits in the following courses which are completed in seven academic quarters for the MA degree and eight academic quarters for the MBA degree:
Arts Administration Core Requirements:
Introduction to Arts Administration (3G)
Public Relations and Communications (3G)
Production Management or Museum Management (3G)
Marketing the Arts (3G)
Funding and Grants (3G)
Financial and Strategic Management (3G)
Organizational Structure and Staffing (3G)
Public Policy and the Arts (3G)
Arts and Education (3G)
Current Issues Forum (5G)
Arts Discipline Elective (3G)
Research Problems in the Arts (3G)
Independent Study in Arts Organization (Practicum) (5G)
Professional Internship Experience (24G)
College of Business Courses (* indicates MBA requirements):
Stats & Decision Models for Mgrs. (4G)
*Stats & Dec. Models for Mgrs. II (2G)
Financial Tools (2G)
Financial Accounting (4G)
Business Law (2G)
Information & Technology for Mgrs (4G)
Managerial Accounting (2G)
Leadership and Organizations (4G)
Corporate Responsibility & Business Ethics (2G)
*Global Economics (2G)
*Marketing Management (4G)
*Financial Management (4G)
*Global Management (2G)
*Corporate Strategies (4G)
Business Elective (2G) For M.A. candidate only.
*Capstone (2G)
Arts & Sciences Courses:
Managerial Economics (4G)
Labor Relations Process/Law (3G)
Negotiations (3G)
A final paper is required for the degree. It is completed as a requirement for the course Research Problems in the Arts. This topic for this paper typically arises from the practical experience of students in professional arts organizations and is a 30-50 page document mentored by the faculty.
Students are required to complete two full-time ten-week internships in professional arts organizations. The first one is served during the summer between the first and second years. The second one is served at the completion of all coursework. Students are mentored by the faculty in finding internships and normally receive a weekly stipend for their work. Internships are served at scores of organizations across the country; examples include Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, The Guthrie Theatre, New York City Opera, The Museum of Modern Art, The Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage, Jacob’s Pillow Festival, The Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houson Grand Opera, The Cincinnati Art Museum, The Cincinnati Symphony, and The New York Philharmonic.
Through independent study credit, students gain experience working in Cincinnati arts organizations while they are in school. Most of these opportunities pay an hourly stipend.
Admissions
Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree in any academic discipline from an accredited undergraduate program. A minimum 3.0 grade point average is required for unconditional acceptance, which a scholarship that covers 80%-90% of total tuition costs. M.A. candidates may take either the GRE or GMAT exam. For the M.A./M.B.A. program, the GMAT is required.The application deadline is December 1. Late applications may be requested via the program heads through February. Candidates for the joint degree must apply separately to the College-Conservatory of Music and the College of Business Administration. All applicants submit an essay stating professional goals and reasons for studying arts administration at the graduate level. Three letters of recommendation and official college transcripts are standard parts of the application file. For the joint degree, copies of the same essay, recommendations, and transcripts can be submitted for the separate application files.
Arts Administration faculty will select qualified applicants for interviews in Cincinnati.
Selection is based on resume of work experience, the candidate’s exposure and commitment to the field, grade point average, test scores, and the personal essay. Approximately half to three-fourths of applicants are granted interviews.
Substantial tuition scholarships will be offered to all students who have a 3.0 or better G.P.A.
Graduate Assistantships are available for a limited number of students and require work in an administrative office of the college or local arts organizations.
For further M.A. admissions information or to apply online:
CCM Admissions Office
University of Cincinnati
PO Box 210003
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0003
Telephone: (513) 556-7438
Facsimile: (513) 556-1028
E-Mail: ccmadmis@uc.edu
Web: www.ccm.uc.edu
M.A. (Only) applicants:
Apply online at https://www.grad.uc.edu/ccmapp/Program.cfm
M.A./M.B.A. Joint degree applicants must apply to the M.A. program (above) AND separately to the M.B.A. program via the UC College of Business at:
Apply online at http://www.business.uc.edu/mba/admissions/applynow
For further Joint degree M.B.A. admissions information:
UC College of Business
PO Box 210020
Cincinnati, 45221-0020
Telephone: (513) 556-7020
Facsimile: (513) 556-4891
E-Mail: graduate@uc.edu
Web: www.business.uc.edu/mba