M.A.A. Program

The degree harnesses the interdisciplinary and creative power of the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts (CoFA) at Ohio University. Our innovative curricular approach reimagines the educational experience by merging arts administration knowledge with training in discipline-specific management. Foundational courses that emphasize arts leadership, governance, management, and development are taken alongside courses in a student’s specialized area. This interdisciplinary approach enables students to more immediately be immersed in an arts administration curriculum specific to their chosen area of arts interest, while maintaining rigor and comprehensiveness. The curriculum uniquely prepares students to meet the evolving needs of the field and situates the program to be a national leader.

The M.A.A. is a 30-credit hour degree that can be completed in one calendar year (August to August) with full-time study. The program can also be completed in two years for those preferring part-time study.

All courses are currently offered in a face-to-face, immersive format. Students enrolled in the M.A.A. will be affiliated with the main campus of Ohio University in Athens. It is worth noting that this campus is located in Appalachia, a region filled with cultural and historical resources, and where the institution serves as an important regional partner for community engagement. The degree is housed in the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts (CoFA), where the college has a 75+ year record of championing and pioneering excellence in the arts. The college has numerous classroom and studio spaces that accommodate the needs of the program.

The MAA degree program and the arts administration certificates are face to face. Currently, there is not an option to complete the degree or certificates online.

Dr. Christi Camper Moore serves as the head of the arts administration program with eight additional full-time CoFA faculty who also teach various discipline-specific courses in the program. The faculty has terminal degrees, extensive professional experience in the field, and work closely with students to develop essential skills in the field.

The required curriculum is focused on rigorous coursework, experiential learning, and exploration of synergies among creative forms. The effectiveness and efficiency of the M.A.A. program is also in its ability to be adaptive and responsive to emergent topics and issues in the field of study. Assignments are designed to provide an immediate application of arts administration, as well as discipline-specific, knowledge. Assignments include a variety of portfolios, projects (individual and group), and presentations. VIEW THE FULL CURRICULUM HERE

Collaborative conversations and projects are explored via students working in both the cohort learning teams and through partnerships with community stakeholders to deepen knowledge in the field, examine various models, and explore the broad landscape of current practices. For example, Athens County is home to a large number of non-profit arts organizations that welcome the support of students and interns from the M.A.A. program. Organizations such as Tantrum Professional Theater, Kennedy Museum of Art, Ohio Valley Summer Theater, the Dairy Barn, Athens Photographic Project, Ohio University’s Performing Artist series, Stuart’s Opera House (Nelsonville), the Southeastern Ohio Arts Corridor, will provide mutually beneficial educational and/or internship opportunities. Columbus, Ohio is only 75 minutes from Athens and is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Columbus is seeing significant growth in the Arts sector and partnerships there have already begun to be developed. Given the goals of the program, and the required Professional Internship that serves as the final culminating experience of the program, there are numerous opportunities (in and out of the classroom) to integrate theory and practice and examine your place in the field through community engaged practices.

As the resources and landscape of the arts continue to change, the field of arts administration is becoming more critical in its role to manage that change. There is continued growth in the field with an increase in professional organizations, conferences, and publications that aim to be key resources for understanding the academic, cultural, and applied paths for professional arts administrators. The market for arts administration professionals continues to expand with full-time job opportunities that now include think tanks, various performance-based companies and education centers, and work that spans from local, grass roots arts advocacy to state and national cultural policy and research analysis.