United States

Columbia College Chicago

Master of Arts Management (MAM)

University degrees: Postgraduate

Course length: two years (48 credits)

Columbia College Chicago’s full-time, two-year Master of Arts Management program is specifically designed for arts and entertainment professionals who know their professional success requires them to refine or deepen their knowledge of for-profit and nonprofit management skills and financial, legal, organizational, as well as strategic concepts within an arts and entertainment context. Graduates of the program go on to lead organizations in fields such as live performance, music business, theatre, marketing, visual arts, public engagement, and community service.

In this selective arts administration graduate program, you’ll study in a team environment with colleagues from around the world, building relationships that will set the foundation for your professional network. You’ll receive individual attention from our renowned faculty of successful arts administrators and working artists. You’ll gain real-life experience in project-based classes centering on gallery management, the business of music recording, publishing and distribution, live events management, and executive producing for film and television.

In the Classroom

  • You’ll immerse yourself in business theory your first year. You’ll take courses like Accounting for Decision Making, Behavioral Economics, and Marketing Principles. All of your business administration courses will be taught within the context of the creative industries.
  • You’ll round out your second semester with courses in financial management, leadership, and law.
  • We leave a lot of the decisions up to you the second year of the program. In addition to required courses in new media strategies and strategic planning, you’ll take six electives during your second year. Elective courses cover topics tailored to your interests. Topics include fundraising, sponsorship, cultural policy, negotiation, and project management.
  • You can choose to work on a graduate thesis or an independent project under the guidance of a faculty mentor.
  • If you’re interested in launching your own business or organization, we offer a course dedicated to new business creation in the context of the arts, with a special focus on arts consulting as a potential entrepreneurial pursuit.

Hands-On Experience

You’ll take on a leadership role in one of several practicum courses. These courses give you opportunities to launch real-world projects. Our student-run record labels sign real artists and promote their work, and our gallery management practicum launches real exhibitions and programming in downtown Chicago. We also offer practicum courses that allow you to manage a nightclub, plan and execute events, and manage design and marketing projects for real clients.

All practicum courses are taught by faculty members, who have extensive experience. For example, the hip-hop label course is run by one of Chicago’s leading label owners, and the curatorial practicum is led by a professional with years of experience in the New York and Chicago art communities.

Assistantships and Scholarships

Through assistantships, graduate students have many opportunities to gain experience in administration and leadership. For example, Arts Management grad students can plan and coordinate the department’s spring trip to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music, Film, and Interactive Conference in Austin, Texas, conduct research in collaboration with a faculty member for academic publication, or serve as a teaching assistant for our undergraduate courses.

Scholarships are also available to incoming and current students. For a full list, visit our scholarships page.

Programs, Courses, Workshops