Frequently Asked Questions
Regarding the Arts & Cultural Leadership Field of Interest
What is arts and cultural leadership?
Arts & Cultural Leadership is the term that we use at the University of Oregon for a general academic field of study – a field of interest – that is available to undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management. Arts & Cultural Leadership features coursework in topics such as cultural policy, arts management, creative placemaking, and the arts in society, as well as numerous specialized topics within the academic field. We typically refer to the professional field as Arts Management.
This academic field is referred to by other names across the United States and internationally. Very common terms for the field are arts administration, arts management, and cultural management.
Arts & Cultural Leadership is a multidisciplinary field, focused on promoting the arts and culture for individuals and societies. Professional arts managers are familiar with the social, cultural, economic, political, technical, and ethical contexts of the arts. Arts management typically refers to the business and programmatic management of arts organizations in the non-profit or public sector, including orchestras, opera companies, presenting organizations, museums, theaters, dance companies, arts councils and service organizations. Arts managers can also be found in for-profit organizations in areas such as artist management, recording, art galleries, film, and television.
See “About Arts Administration” for a concise introduction to this field of study.
What are some potential career paths in Arts & Cultural Leadership / Arts Management?
This is a robust and growing professional field, especially as the advanced economies of the world continue to evolve as knowledge-based and creativity-based economies. Many intriguing career pathways are available.
At the University of Oregon, we emphasize education for professional career paths in the non-profit and public sectors (i.e., we do not focus as much on the for-profit entertainment industries). Alumni of our Arts Management degree programs now work throughout the world in government departments and agencies (federal, state, and local), as well as in arts and culture organizations of all kinds. Career pathways can be general and focused on executive leadership, or can be focused on distinct functional areas such as artistic direction, marketing, education, community engagement, fundraising, research/analysis, consulting, and advocacy.
But what about the 2020 pandemic and economic downturn? How will employment prospects in this field look in the coming years?
It is true that the public health situation and the economic downturn of 2020 significantly affected the arts and culture sector, just as it has all other areas of travel, tourism, hospitality, and entertainment. Without a doubt, the landscape of arts and culture institutions across the country and internationally will be very different as the world recovers from the current challenges we are facing.
But, don’t forget that the arts and culture industry is, and will continue to be, and important player in the U.S. economy. In 2017, the sector contributed 4.5% of the nation’s GDP — a larger share of the economy than transportation, tourism, agriculture, and construction.
What kinds of skills are required of arts managers?
Arts management is a challenging and fascinating profession due to the wide range of functions required on a daily basis. Typical functional areas include financial management, personnel management, board relations, strategic planning, development, marketing, labor relations, and government relations. Specific skills that are required might include strong abilities in leadership, team building, budgeting, fundraising, communications, as well as a strong familiarity with aesthetics, public policy, contract law, information management, education, and community engagement.
As the arts and culture sector recovers from the COVID pandemic and economic downturn, the field urgently needs professionals with ideas, a fresh perspective, leadership capacities, creative thinking skills, expertise in arts management, and a deep commitment to arts and culture in our communities.
What degree programs in this field are available at the University of Oregon?
Arts & Cultural Leadership is a field of interest — that is, a cluster of elective courses — offered in the School of Planning, Public Policy and Management.
From 2019-2023, we offered a formal, transcripted Graduate Certificate in Arts Management. This is a program of study that could be completed in one year or could be completed alongside graduate programs of study in other areas across campus.
Prospective graduate students interested in studying Arts Management are encouraged to apply for admission to the Master of Nonprofit Management (MNM) program in the School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management. Coursework in Arts & Cultural Leadership can be paired with the MNM degree to offer a robust program of study ideally suited to students interested in working in the non-profit arts sector.
Field of interest courses can similarly be paired with the PPPM Master’s degree program in Community and Regional Planning (MCRP), or the Master’s degree program in Public Administration (MPA). Students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees in diverse academic units across the UO campus – including Music, Dance, Theatre, Art, History of Art and Architecture, Folklore, Anthropology and more – are also encouraged to look into Arts & Cultural Leadership as a cluster of courses that will enhance their graduate-level program of study.
Effective fall 2018, undergraduate students interested in studying Arts Management are encouraged to enroll in relevant coursework as elective offerings within the PPPM field of interest in Arts & Cultural Leadership. We particularly encourage undergraduate students from across the UO campus to consider completing the PPPM Minor in Nonprofit Administration (NPA) with a focus on Arts Management elective coursework.
Please refer to the “Students” page on this website to review courses and programs of study that are available to undergraduate and graduate students. Please refer to the “Contact” page on this website to identify an individual who can provide more information about the degree program(s) that interest you.
What happened to the other Arts Management degree programs at the University of Oregon, and to the Arts and Administration Program as a whole?
Academic programs in Arts Management / Arts & Cultural Leadership have a long legacy at the University of Oregon. From 1993 through 2017, a distinct Arts and Administration Program was housed within the School of Architecture and Allied Arts; this academic unit was recognized as the largest and strongest program of its kind in western North America. Academic degree programs offered through 2017 (with continuing students completing these programs through 2019) were a master’s degree in Arts Management as well as an undergraduate major and minor in Arts Management. Hundreds of alumni from these degree programs now serve in leadership positions throughout the arts and culture sector, both nationally and internationally.
In 2016-2017, a massive restructuring took place within UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts, which became the new UO College of Design effective fall 2017. The Arts and Administration Program was merged with the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management to form the new School of Planning, Public Policy and Management. As such, this academic field and its affiliated research center (the former Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy) are now embedded within the School of Planning, Public Policy and Management.