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://ccm.uc.edu/theatre/arts_admin.html
Program Director: JHamilton [link available to AAAE members only]
Program Goals and Objectives
The College-Conservatory of Music and the nationally recognized UC Lindner 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 six academic semesters. 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 or 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 Jean P. Hamilton, Sydney Schnurr and Thomas Carto, who teach the core courses in the M.A. curriculum.
Associate Professor Hamilton brings 20 years of professional management experience to the position, including Executive Director of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, General Manager of the National and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras, Orchestra Manager of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Manager and Artistic Administrator of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. A former Orchestra Management Fellow with the American Symphony Orchestra League, Hamilton also performed as hornist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. She has degrees in Horn Performance from both CCM and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a Diploma from the National Centre for Orchestral Studies, University of London.
Associate Professor Tom Carto has a unique combination of academic and arts administration background, including 23 years of direct field experience, both public and private, with orchestras, producing organizations and performing arts centers. Most recently, Dr. Carto was President & CEO of Overture Center for the Arts, a $205 million state-of-the-art performing arts center in Madison, WI. He also served as President of the Renaissance Performing Arts Association in Mansfield, OH and VP of Development for The Pacific Symphony Orchestra in Orange County, California. His teaching experience includes Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (where he earned his M.M. and D.M. degrees in theory and composition) and Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, OH.
Assistant Professor Sydney Schnurr is an experienced non-profit fundraising professional having held the position Development Director at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and, most recently, Associate Development Director at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Sydney is a member of the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals in Cincinnati and serves on the WE Leadership Planning Committee of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. She is a proud graduate of WE Lead (Class 3) and a member of 100 Wise Women. Sydney graduated from Michigan State University with a B.A. in American Studies and received her Master’s Degree in Arts Administration from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2003. Prior to her graduate studies, she worked in the Estate Planning Department of the Cleveland law firm of McDonald Hopkins.
In addition to the faculty of the Lindner 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.
Curriculum
The program requires academic training and practical experience credits in the following courses which are completed in six academic semesters for both the MA degree and for the MBA degree.
For a detailed current outline of the curriculum, please see the following url:
http://ccm.uc.edu/theatre/arts_admin/artsadminprogram/curriculum.html
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 some 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.
Students are also eligible to apply for the program's intensive six-week summer exchange program in cultural management with the Audencia International School of Management in Nantes, France. The summer exchange program can be substituted for one of the two required full-time ten-week internships.
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 January 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