School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Arts Administration

37 South Wabash Avenue

Chicago, IL 60603-3103
United States
Main Phone: 312-899-1232
Main E-Mail: artsadmin@saic.edu

Degree/Credential: Graduate (MA in Arts Administration)
Web Site: http://www.saic.edu

Program Director: NLowe [link available to AAAE members only]

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Program Goals and Objectives

In a rapidly changing and globalizing society, arts organizations are being called on to respond to new art forms and ideas, audiences, ethical challenges and political and economic difficulties. The Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy (MAAAP) is an interdisciplinary program that invites extended and focused theoretical and practical explorations into culture, policy, institutions and their practice.

The program provides a teaching and learning environment in which the role of the administrator and manager is understood as critically engaged and proactive. Our approach studies the role that institutions and policies play in shaping culture, through a grounded analysis of concrete practices and examples. The program strongly encourages students to think beyond existing institutional and policy structures and assumptions, to work flexibly in a dynamic cultural and institutional landscape. The program is designed starting from a conviction that neither the short-term interests of policy-makers nor the theoretical debates of the academy should circumscribe cultural policy studies, and that neither should exist absent from considerations of and interaction with artistic practice and public debate.

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Administration of the Program

Nicholas Lowe is chair of the Arts Administration and Policy program.  Other faculty includes Rachel Weiss, Michael Dorf, Annie Morse, John Corbett, Adelheid Mers, Michael Ryan, Amy Vogel, Charles Stuckey, Maureen Pskowski, and others.

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Curriculum

The MAAAP program consists of five integrated sets of curricula.
              
Total Credit Hours: 48

Critical and Policy Studies (18 credit hours)
Cultural and Policy Studies (6)
ARTSAD 5005 Arts Organizations in Society (3)
ARTSAD 5505 Law, Politics, & the Arts (3)
Communication/Rhetoric/Modes of Presentation (3*)
Contemporary Theory/Philosophy (3*)
ARTSAD 5030 International Field Study (3) (or equivalent**)
ARTSAD 5010 Department Colloquia (3)
              
Focus Study (6 credit hours)
              
Management Studies (9 credit hours)
              
Choose 9 credits from the following:
ARTSAD 5017 Financial Management (3)
ARTSAD 5012 Marketing (3)
ARTSAD 5019 Managing Arts Organization (3)
ARTSAD 5039 Fundraising and Proposal Writing (3)
ARTSAD 5025 Project Management (3)
              
Research and Professional Practice (9 credit hours)
              
Fieldwork ARTSAD 5050 Arts Administration Internship (3)
ARTSAD 6085 Thesis I (3)
ARTSAD 6095 Thesis II (3)
              
Electives (6 credit hours)

* Each semester the department provides a list of courses offered across SAIC that fulfill Focus Study, Communication/Rhetoric/Modes of Presentation, and Contemporary Theory/Philosophy requirements.

** ARTSAD 5030 International Field Study is a crucial component of the MA/AAP curriculum, and all program students are strongly encouraged to enroll in it. A student must consult with the MA/AAP program chair to waive the class and arrive at a suitable alternative.

   1. The program requires 48 credit hours; electives, internships, and thesis are subject to the approval of the Arts Administration Program adviser.
   2. Nine credit hours constitutes full-time enrollment, although as many as 15 credit hours may be earned in any semester. Two semesters of full-time status are required of all students when they begin the program; thereafter a minimum of 6 credit hours per semester are required for continued enrollment in the program.
   3. A minimum of 42 credit hours must be completed in residence at the School. Up to 6 transfer credits may be requested at the time of application for admission and are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credit will be permitted after a student is admitted.
   4. Students have a maximum of four years to complete the degree (this includes time off for leaves-of-absence).
   5. Full-time Status Minimum Requirement: 9 credit hours.

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Admissions

Enrollment is selective. The program seeks mature students with a firm commitment to the arts. An educational background in studio art, art history, or art education or work experience in the arts is highly desirable. Also emphasized are written and oral communication skills. Basic math skills and computer literacy are also helpful. Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited undergraduate institution or an equivalent qualification. A diversity of backgrounds in our students is welcomed, in terms of education, work experience, and/or culture.

Assistantships in both teaching and research are available. Financial aid is available.

For more information contact:
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Admissions 37 South Wabash Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603
Telephone: (800) 232-7242 or (312) 629-6100
Facsimile: (312) 629-6101
E-Mail Address: admiss@saic.edu
Web Site: http://www.saic.edu

A list of scholarship and grant programs for which MAAAP students may be eligible is available from the Program Office - please contact (312) 899-1232 or artsadmin@saic.edu.