University of Wisconsin-Madison
Bolz Center for Arts Administration
975 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53716
United States
Main Phone: 608-263-4161
Main E-Mail: bolz@bus.wisc.edu
Degree/Credential: Graduate (MBA in Arts Administration)
Web Site: http://www.bolzcenter.org/
Program Director: ATaylor [link available to AAAE members only]
Program Goals and Objectives
The Bolz Center for Arts Administration is one of North America's oldest graduate business degrees in arts and cultural management, and continues to set the standard for preparing business leaders for the field. The two-year intensive MBA degree program balances professional practice with high-level business thinking. Extensive networking -- through our national guest speaker series, extensive alumni engagement, and close interaction with MBA classmates -- is also an essential program element.
Throughout their studies, Arts Administration students work as they learn and learn as they work. All accepted students serve as part-time, paid project assistants with campus or local arts organizations, gaining real-world project management experience while supporting their studies through our exceptional financial support package.
To foster and advance its dynamic curriculum, the Bolz Center also engages in research and leadership projects at the national scale. Focusing on issues of cultural management, leadership and organizational development, communications technology, policy, and an emerging emphasis on systems and ecological thinking, the Center has built an international network of innovative leaders that enhances our insights on management training, and positions our graduates to achieve their career and personal goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of the nation's leading research universities, ranking second among public universities and third among all universities for research expenditures. The School of Business is ranked among the best in business education, with an innovative emphasis on specialized MBA degrees inspired, in part, by the Bolz Center's success.
An early catchphrase of the Arts Administration program remains true to our mission today: "The arts must survive as a business to thrive as art." For those passionate about exploring that balance, this MBA program offers an ideal opportunity.
Administration of the Program
The Bolz Center is administered by a full-time Director, serving as chief operating officer, program manager, student advisor, research director, and communications director. The work of the director is supported by an academic director from the School of Business faculty, an academic advisory board appointed by the dean, and our active alumni advisory board elected by their peers.The Bolz Center is tightly integrated with all departments in the MBA core curriculum, as one of 14 career specializations and centers of excellence within the School of Business. Our on-going professional leadership residency series is also essential to the Center's success, providing review, insight, and program advice from leading innovators in cultural managers, and connecting students to these leaders in small group and individual discussions.
Curriculum
The MBA degree in Arts Administration requires 55 credits of coursework, over the course of two academic years of full-time study. The curriculum builds on the foundation of core MBA courses, listed below, adding specific seminars, research, readings, and hands-on experience focusing on the specific challenges of mission-driven management.Courses are taught by the award-winning business faculty of the School of Business. Arts Administration seminars also feature a full range of professional guest lecturers each year, representing innovative and insightful managers and consultants from across the United States. Lists of recent speakers in this series are available on our web site.
Courses Required:
- Financial Accounting
- Intro to Financial Management
- Marketing Management
- Operations Management
- Data Analysis & Decision Making
- Economics for Managers
- Motivation/Leadership
- Arts Administration Seminar I & II
- Business Strategy
- Marketing Research
- Negotiations
- Entrepreneurial Management
- Reading & Research in Arts Administration I &II
- Professional Perspectives
- Ethics & Social Responsibility
Hands-on experience is integral to the Bolz Center program, with all students receiving project assistantships with local and campus arts and cultural organizations for both academic years in the program. These are project-level management positions providing a full waiver of tuition, health benefits, and a stipend, in addition to the invaluable practical perspective they offer within our professional curriculum.
Graduation requirements also include a master's thesis.
Admissions
Prospective students apply to the Graduate Programs Office of the UW-Madison School of Business, and are reviewed by both the School of Business and the Bolz Center's alumni advisory board for final selection. Applications require the GMAT (we cannot accept the GRE), a current resume, recommendations, and essays in response to provided questions.Preference is given to applicants with two or more years of post-undergraduate work experience, strong performance on the GMAT test, exceptional communications and writing skills, and a clear sense of commitment to the field of arts and cultural management. A phone interview may also be required.
Links to our on-line application along with additional program and school information are available on the School of Business web site: www.bus.wisc.edu/mba/prospective.