Drexel University

Arts Administration Program

3141 Chestnut Street
Room 2018 MacAlister Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States
Main Phone: 215-895-2453
Main E-Mail: fitzgici@drexel.edu

Degree/Credential: Graduate (MS in Arts Administration)
Web Site: http://www.drexel.edu/depts/artsadm

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

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Program Goals and Objectives

The Program was started in 1973 and offers a Masters of Science with a major in Arts Administration. The Program is 45 quarter credit hours and can be completed in one a quarter year's full time. Courses are offered in the evening to accommodate working students.

The Program has three goals that guide the development of curriculum and direct additional programming efforts. The primary goal is to provide the best education to the students by integrating theory, management practice and practicum into the course of study. Students study best practices in management while they also examine the role that the arts play in society. This macro view of the cultural industry allows students to understand trends in politics, education, economics and the social sciences that will shape arts organizations of the future. The Program seeks to incorporate the proper balance of courses that combines trend analysis and skills development preparing students to manage the arts organization of tomorrow with an exploration of the broad policy issues facing the field.

The second goal of the Program is to serve as a resource to the cultural community of the region by providing capacity building programs for area arts managers. The Program is viewed as a partner of the Philadelphia cultural community in its work with the local arts agency and funders to assist in providing information, creating policy and developing standards.

The final goal of the Drexel University Arts Administration Program is to participate in research and analysis of issues related to cultural policy. This includes sponsoring conferences such as the International Social Theory, Politics and the Arts conference, and participating in national research projects such as The Profiles of Cultural Support sponsored by the Americans for the Arts. Research findings and conferences serve as educational tools for the students in the Program and contribute to the understanding of the role of the arts in society.

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Administration of the Program

The program is directed by Cecelia Fitzgibbon, former Director of the Delaware State Arts Council and the New England Foundation for the Arts. The program is located within the Department of Performing Arts within the College of Design Arts. The program draws upon the broad range of interests of College faculty as well as from a highly qualified roster of practitioners in the field of arts administration. Curriculum planning and development is conducted in consultation with an Advisory Board of members of the cultural community to ensure that students are receiving instruction content and guidance that is current with changing trends in the field. There is an active arts administration student government association that provides ongoing feedback for program refinement and programs additional extra-curricular activities specifically for students.

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Curriculum

The Program is one year and one quarter in length at a full time status and requires 45 credit hours for completion. Program requirements are designed to equip the student to address a variety of issues: aesthetic, social, economic, political and to acquire skills that will prepare them as arts leaders and managers. Students are encouraged to use their electives to gain experience in the field or to further their expertise in an area consistent with their professional development objectives. There is an optional opportunity to utilize the electives to track in a specific subject area such as marketing, development or human resource management. In addition to electives offered by the Program, the College of Business and College of Information Science Technology offer other selections.

Courses are taught by full time faculty and selected experts in the field. The Program draws upon the significant resources and qualifications of practicing arts leaders from the region as adjunct faculty and guest speakers.

Core Requirements:
-Management Marketing for the Arts
-Technology and Marketing the Arts
-Writing for the Arts
-Financial Analysis and Forecasting for Arts Organizations
-Management Techniques in the Arts
-Law in the Arts
-Program Planning and Evaluation
-Fund Development for the Arts
-Thesis and Internship
-Cultural Policy Overview of Arts Administration
-Arts Administration Seminar

Some Suggested Electives:
-Leadership in the Arts
-Community Cultural Planning
-Applied Research Methods
-Production Procedures in the Arts
-Analysis of Complex Organizations
-Group Problem Solving and Leadership
-Special Problems in the Arts
-Organization Structure and Behavior
-Advanced Fund Development for Arts Organizations
-Digital Media Impact for Cultural Organizations

A thesis must be produced during the internship period which can focus on a management issue relating to the internship or on an issue affecting the field at-large. Topics are identified with the advisement of the Program Director.

The students work approximately 100 hours during the internship quarter. Internships may be combined with production Laboratories to extend the credit hours that a student works at the host cultural organization. The internship should be taken toward the end of the coursework but may be taken when it most appropriately fits into the student's schedule. Hosts are encouraged to provide the intern with an honorarium for their work. Organizations that have hosted interns include the Pew Charitable Trusts, Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadelphia Zoo, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Orchestra, Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, American Symphony Orchestra League, Philadelphia Art Museum, Young Audiences of Eastern Pennsylvania, OperaAmerica, Academy of Natural Sciences and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Admissions

All applications are available from the Graduate Admissions Office (215-895-6706) or by logging onto the university website at: www.drexel.edu. Admission requires a Bachelor's degree with a 3.0 grade point average and a 3.0 for graduate work. Applicants with less than a 3.0 but not less than a 2.75 must present exceptionally strong letters of recommendation. It is expected that applicants will have had some experience in the field as a result of work, volunteer experiences or special training before applying. Undergraduate preparation must include at the following: one course in financial accounting; and no less than two courses in the history or literature of a field of art and/or two courses in the practical or creative aspects of a field of art. Applicants lacking this preparation (or the equivalent) will be required to complete the work in these areas during the first two terms in the program. A personal interview with the Program Director is required as part of the admissions process. Interviews can be scheduled by contacting the Performing Arts Department at 215-895-2451.