Degree Title:  Master of Arts Administration

Program Name and Number:  Master of Arts Administration - MA5056

Department/Unit:  College of Fine Arts

Delivery Mode:  Athens Campus

Term(s) of Entry:  Fall

Program Overview:  To become a successful arts administrator, and meet the evolving needs of the field, one must have applied leadership acumen as well as the creative tools to facilitate and evaluate the needs of visual, performing, cultural, and arts service organizations. The MAA harnesses the interdisciplinary and creative power of the College of Fine Arts (COFA) at Ohio University. The curriculum merges arts administration knowledge with training in discipline-specific management. Foundational courses that emphasize arts leadership, governance, management, and development are taken alongside courses in a student’s specialized area.  Students choose one, of five available, areas of specialization (Community Dance, Music Leadership, Museum Studies, Theater and Production Management, or Visual Arts Management). The MAA is a 30-credit hour degree program. Full-time enrollment has a normative completion of one calendar year (August to August). The option for part-time enrollment is available and will have varied completion times, typically two years.

Program Learning Outcomes:

• Students will gain an understanding of the social, political, economic, and artistic environment in which nonprofit arts organizations work.
• Students will recognize the challenges facing arts organizations and how relationships with boards, donors, and stakeholders shape the interconnectedness of these systems within the organization.
• Students will gain competencies in essential arts administration functions including communication, public relations, cultural policy, marketing, advocacy, governance, ethical leadership, community engagement, and resource development and management.
• Students will become familiar with organizational culture in a nonprofit environment including relationship building, roles of various stakeholders, strategic thinking, and the spoken and unspoken thoughts, assumptions, and principles that arts administrators might employ to guide management practices and decision making when working with diverse groups of people.
• Students will apply theories and use a variety of applications to develop strategic plans, build an audience base, promote nonprofit arts organizations with internal and external stakeholders, and advance culturally responsible management practices. 
• Students will learn effective fundraising and development strategies.
• Students will solve problems when working with new ideas, challenges, organizations, and stakeholders.
• Students will advance analytical and ethical leadership skills to communicate and manage effectively.
• Students will demonstrate understanding of the assumptions and principles that arts administrators might employ to guide professional practice and decision making.

Opportunities for Graduates: The program prepares professionals to helm non-profit arts and cultural organizations (at the local, state, or national level), navigate unique challenges in the nonprofit sector, advocate for policies and resources that support arts organization, and implement programs that ensure the arts continue to enrich lives and communities. The coursework also prepares students who wish to pursue doctoral study or research opportunities with various organizations or agencies.

Link to Program: https://www.ohio.edu/fine-arts/masters-arts-administration

Admission Requirements

Criterion A:

Applicants must submit the following for review:

• Completed Application Form
• Transcripts
• Minimum of 3.0 GPA
• 2-3 Letters of Recommendation (1 must be from student’s major discipline of study)
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae

In addition, applicants must choose 1 area of specialized study from the list of 5 and submit or complete the stated items for review:

As part of the application process, students applying to the MAA choose one area of specialized arts study.  Students must also complete the stated admission requirements for that specialization to be fully considered for the degree program. The following, additional materials will be used to review and admit students into the specialized areas of study within the MAA (please note that interviews are not required to be face-to-face).  Some areas may allow for the submission of additional, supporting documents or materials.

1. Museum Studies:

• Letter of recommendation from a faculty member in the major discipline of the student
• Essay stating how the Museum Studies Certificate meets the academic goals of the student.

2. Community Dance:

• Interview with dance faculty
• Resume that details dance education and experience

3. Theater and Production Management:

• Interview with theater faculty
• Resume or portfolio that details professional theater (or equivalent) experience
• Bachelor’s degree in theater or equivalent professional experience is required

4. Music Leadership:

• Interview with a School of Music administrator
• Bachelor’s degree in music or equivalent professional experience is required

5. Visual Arts Management:

• A short essay (500 words) outlining the applicant’s background, interest in fine arts, and aspirations in the field.

Criterion B:

Current, undergraduate students enrolled in a degree program in COFA at OHIO, may have the admission requirements waived if they meet all of the following criteria:

1. 3.0 GPA in their current, major discipline of study
2. Completed a minimum of 12 credit hours in their chosen area of MAA specialization
3. Statement of interest (500-1000 words) or an interview with the Head of Arts Administration

All students in the MAA program are expected to complete all of the graduate-level, required program coursework at Ohio University.  In certain circumstances, students may be awarded transfer credit based on prior graduate-level academic coursework and/or professional experience.  These opportunities will be discussed and considered on an individual basis.   

International Students:
This program permits full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 may be issued based on admission to this program.

Graduation Requirements: 30 credit hours. Students taking a full-time load of 12 credit hours per semester, and fulfill the Professional Internship in the summer, can complete the degree in 1 calendar year (August to August). The Professional Internship requires the development of a final capstone project or portfolio, which also has a final oral presentation component.

Complete 30 credit hours with no grade below a “C” as follows:

All students are required to complete 4 Foundational Courses: (4 courses, 12 credit hours total)

• FAR 5100: Introduction to Arts Management (3)
• MPA 5890: Nonprofit Leadership & Governance (3)
• FAR 5200: Concepts, Communications, and Considerations in Arts Management (3)
• FAR 5300: Funding and Development for Arts Organizations (3)

Specialized Area of Study: (Students are required to choose 1 of 5 possible options. Each specialization is 12 credit hours total)

1.  Music Leadership (12 credit hours)

• MUS 5671: Music Administration
• Choose a minimum of 7 credit hours (7)
  • Applied lessons (2)
  • Ensembles (2)
  • Music History elective (3)
  • Music Theory elective (3)
  • MUS 5860 Teaching Music in Higher Education (1)
• Choose 1 from Music Literature: (2 credit hours)
  • MUS 5210: Literature of Choral Music
  • MUS 5212: Literature of Chamber Music
  • MUS 5213: Literature of Orchestra Music
  • MUS 5214: Literature of Organ Music
  • MUS 5215: Literature of Opera
  • MUS 5216: Literature of Band Music

2.  Theater and Production Management (12 credit hours)

• THAR 5410: Intro to Theater Management (3)
• THAR 5350: Technical Direction Shop Management (3) * permission required
• THAR 5610: Stage Management Seminar (3)
• Choose 1 of the following:
  • THAR 5395: Digital Portfolio and Performance Photography (3)
  • THAR 5399: Design and Production Business (3)

3.  Community Dance (12 credit hours)

• DANC 6460: Community Dance Theory and Practice (3)
• DANC 6260:  Leading Community Dance (3)
• Choose 1 of the following: (3 credit hours)  
  • DANC 5710: Histories of Modern & Postmodern Choreography
  • DANC 5711: Dance, Sexuality and Gender
  • DANC 5550: Dance Ethnography: Intellectualizing the Body’s Motion
  • DANC 5750: Dance in Non-Western Expressive Cultures
  • DANC 6620: Seminar in Dance Studies Research
• Choose 1 of the following: (1 credit hour)
  • DANC 5210: Graduate Modern Dance Technique
  • DANC 5250: Graduate African Dance Technique
• Choose 1 additional studio dance course (minimum of 2 credit hours):
  • DANC 5150: Laban Movement Analysis (3)
  • DANC 5230: Graduate Dance Composition (2)
  • DANC 5360: Dance/Movement Lab (1-2)

4.  Museum Studies (12 credit hours)

• ART 5100: Museum Fundamentals I (3)
• ART 5922: Museum Fundamentals II Practicum (3)
• Choose 2 approved elective courses as follows taken from a minimum of two areas (6 credit hours)
  • Art History
    • AH 5101: Contemporary Art History (3.0HR)
    • AH 5111: The Representation and Theorization of Gender in the History of Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5161: Arts of Medieval China (400-1300) (3.0HR)
    • AH 5171: Arts of Early Modern China (1500-1700) (3.0HR)
    • AH 5181: Contemporary Asian Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5191: Visual Culture of China (3.0HR)
    • AH 5200: Greek Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5210: Roman Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5220: Medieval Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5230: Italian Renaissance Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5260: Baroque and Rococo Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5221: Romanesque and Gothic Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5241: Northern Renaissance Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5251: Art of High Renaissance and Mannerism (3.0HR)
    • AH 5270: 19th-Century Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5320: West African Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5331: Central African Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5400: Asian Art History (3.0HR)
    • AH 5410: History of Chinese Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5430: History of Japanese Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5600: Modernist Theory and Criticism (3.0HR)
    • AH 5611: 20th-Century Art (3.0HR)
    • AH 5621: Art and Theory Since 1945 (3.0HR)
    • AH 5711: Methods in Art History (3.0HR)
    • AH 5900: Selected Topics in Art History (3.0HR)
    • AH 5902: Contemporary Art Theory and Criticism (3.0HR)
    • AH 5904: Italian Renaissance Art Special Topics Seminar (3.0HR)
    • AH 5905: Modern Art Special Topics Seminar (3.0HR)
    • AH 5906: Arts of Asia Special Topics Seminar (3.0HR)
    • AH 5907: Arts of Africa Special Topics Seminar (3.0HR)
  • Anthropology
    • ANTH 5010: Visual Anthropology. (3.0HR)
    • ANTH 5560: Ethnographic Methodology and Field Research (3.0HR)
    • ANTH 5670: South American Prehistory (3.0HR)
    • ANTH 5700: Mexican/Central American Prehistory (3.0HR)
  • Biology
    • BIOS 5030: Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (5.0HR)
    • BIOS 5570: Animal Systematics (3.0HR)
    • BIOS 5630: Biological Chemistry (3.0HR)
    • BIOS 5650: Ichthyology (4.0HR)
    • BIOS 5710: Ornithology (4.0HR)
    • BIOS 5720: Herpetology (4.0HR)
    • BIOS 5740: Mammalogy (4.0HR)
    • BIOS 5790: Advanced Evolution (3.0HR)
  • Education
    • EDCS 5010: History & Philosophies of Education (4.0HR)
    • EDCS 5020: Education and Transformative Social Change (4.0HR)
    • EDCS 5100: Introduction to Critical Studies in Education (4.0HR)
    • EDCS 6010: Education & Cultural Diversity (4.0HR)
    • EDCS 6940: Research in Critical Studies in Educational Foundations (1.0-9.0HR)
  • Geology
    • GEOL 5400: Principles of Paleontology (4.0HR)
    • GEOL 5460: Earth Systems Evolution (4.0HR)
    • GEOL 5480: Paleocology (4.0HR)
  • Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs - Masters in Public Administration
    • MPA 5140: Organization Theory and Politics (3.0HR)
    • MPA 5530: Ethics and Public Policy (3.0HR)
    • MPA 5590: Measuring Outcomes in Public and Non-Profit Organizations (3.0HR)
    • LPA 5640: Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution in Public and Nonprofit organizations (3.0HR)
    • LPA 5660: Theories and Practices in Collaboration (3.0HR)
    • MPA 5680: Non-profit Fundraising (3.0HR)
    • MPA 5810: Public Private Partnerships (3.0HR)
    • MPA 6010: Research Methods in Leadership and Public Affairs (3.0HR)
    • MPA 6020: Advanced Research Methods in Leadership and Public Affairs (3.0HR)
    • MPA 6030: Qualitative Research Methods in Public Administration (3.0HR)
    • MPA 6800: Seminar in Public Administration (3.0HR)
  • Film
    • FILM 5150: Film Studies I (3.0HR)
    • FILM 5310: Film History I (3.0-4.0HR)
    • FILM 5320: Film History II (3.0-4.0HR)
    • FILM 5330: Film History III (3.0-4.0HR)
    • FILM 5440: Media Arts Management (1.0-4.0HR)
    • FILM 5510: Film Theory I (3.0-4.0HR)
    • FILM 5520: Film Theory II (3.0-4.0HR)
    • FILM 5710: Film Topics Seminar I (1.0-4.0HR)
    • FILM 5720: Film Topics Seminar II (1.0-4.0HR)
  • Music
    • MUS 5280: Jazz History (2.0HR)
  • Interdisciplinary Arts
    • IART 5401: World Aesthetic Ideas (4.0HR)
    • IART 5900: Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Arts (1.0-15.0HR)
    • ART 6900: Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Arts (1.0-15.0HR)
    • IART 7001: Research Skills (1.0-4.0HR)
    • IART 7002: Pedagogy in the Arts (1.0-4.0HR)
    • IART 7101: Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Music (4.0HR)
    • IART 7102: Studies in Baroque and Classical Music (4.0HR)
    • IART 7103: Studies in 19th- Century Music (4.0HR)
    • IART 7104: Studies in 20th- Century Music (4.0HR)
    • IART 7201: Special Topics in Classical Visual Culture (4.0HR)
    • IART 7202: Special Topics in Medieval Visual Culture (4.0HR)
    • IART 7203: Special Topics in Early Modern Visual Culture (4.0HR)
    • IART 7204: Special Topics in Modernist-Contemporary Visual Culture (4.0HR)
    • IART 7401: History of Aesthetics (4.0HR)
    • IART 7402: Modern Aesthetic Thought (4.0HR)
    • IART 7403: Contemporary Aesthetics and Theory (4.0HR)
    • IART 7404: Critical Theory and the Arts (4.0HR)
    • IART 7407: Transnational and Global Theories (4.0HR)
    • IART 7501: Performance Studies: Ethnographic Research Methods (4.0HR)
    • IART 7502: Performance Studies: The Body (4.0HR)
    • IART 7503: Performance Studies (4.0HR)
    • IART 7601: Contemporary African Art (4.0HR)
    • IART 8900: Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Arts (1.0-15.0HR)
    • IART 8901: Seminar in Interdisciplinary Arts (4.0HR)
  • Theater
    • THAR 5310: Lighting Design I (3.0HR)
    • THAR 5320: Costume Design (3.0HR)
    • THAR 5330: Scene Painting (1.0-3.0HR)
    • THAR 5350: Technical Direction (3.0HR)
    • THAR 5370: Theatrical Sound Design (3.0HR)
    • THAR 5391: Theatrical Design Skills - The Space (3.0HR)
    • THAR 5397: Design History II: Costume Survey (3.0 HR)
    • THAR 5710: Seminar: Topics in Theater History (3.0HR)
  • History
    • HIST 5004: Revolutionary Era (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5008: Early US Republic (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5020: Survey of American Indian History (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5060: American Environmental History (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5081: The Civil War and its Aftermath (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5140: Pop/High Culture in 20th Century America (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5201: Women in American History Since 1877 (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5220: 1960s in U.S.: Decade of Controversy (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5270: Slavery in the Americas (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5560: The Italian Renaissance (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5562: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in the History of Medieval Spain (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5770: History of Jewish Holocaust (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5823: The USSR in WWII (4.0HR)
    • HIST 5860: Shakespeare’s England, 1450-1603 (4.0HR)
  • Plant Biology
    • PBIO 5080: Anatomy and Morphology of Vascular Plants
    • PBIO 1090: Americans and Their Forests
    • PBIO 5190: Ohio Flora
    • PBIO 5330: Restoration Ecology
  • Recreation
    • REC 5400: Environmental Interpretation
  • Retail Merchandising and Fashion Product Development
    • RFPD 6900: Workshop in Historic Costume Collection Administration
  • Spanish
    • SPAN 5375: Spanish Art History 

 5.  Visual Arts Management (12 credit hours)

• ART 5125: Working with Artists & Publics (3)
• ART 5130: Art Worlds: Intersections & Modalities (3)
• Choose 2 of the following (6 credit hours)
  • AH 5101: Contemporary Art History (3)
  • AH 5111: The Representation and Theorization of Gender in the History of Art (3)
  • AH 5180: Contemporary East Asian Art (3)
  • AH 5270: 19^th Century Art (3)
  • AH 5320: West African Arts (3)
  • AH 5321: Exhibiting and Theorizing Global Art (3)
  • AH 5610: History of Photography (3)
  • AH 5611: 20^th Century Art (3)
  • AH 5616: Art Spaces (3)
  • AH 5902: Contemporary Art Theory and Criticism (3)
  • ART 5140: Envisioning Art Organizations (3)
  • ART 6000: Interdisciplinary Seminar (3)
  • IART 7001: Research Skills (3)
  • IART 7403: Contemporary Aesthetics and Theory (3)
  • IART 7404: Critical Theory and the Arts (3)
  • IART 7407: Transnational and Global Theories (3)

Professional Internship (6 credit hours total)

• FAR 5910 Professional Internship in the Arts (6)

 

Culminating Experience:  The Professional Internship in the Arts (FAR 5910) is the required, culminating experience of the Master of Arts Administration degree and applies and synthesizes coursework. This is a semester-long, 6 credit hour course. The faculty advisor must approve all internship placements and, along with the designated site supervisor for the internship, will also serve as supervisory personnel. During the professional internship, students continue to explore programmatic learning objectives and focus on topics including: organizational culture, structure and governance; marketing and resource allocation; programming and education; mission, vision, law, and ethics; fundraising and grants management; and community engagement. Students enrolled in the Professional Internship meet weekly to focus on various symposium issues of professional practice.  The discussion component of this course is designed to be adaptive and responsive to emergent topics and issues that occur during the internship experience.

There is no thesis or comprehensive exam, but as part of the course and with instructor guidance and feedback, students develop a final capstone project or portfolio, which also have a required, final oral presentation component.