College of Visual and Performing Arts | Academics of CVPA | Interdisciplinary Series | Arts Administration

Arts Administration

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Arts Administration Overview

You dream of a successful and thriving career in arts and culture. You are excited to shape, lead, and create the next generation of arts organizations and creative enterprises. UNCG’s Arts Administration program can help you find your path to success, defined on your own terms. Equipping creatives to be career-ready, with the skills necessary to thrive across the creative industry, the Arts Administration program offers a Major and Minor. This is a perfect stand-alone degree, and it also compliments all College of Visual and Performing Arts offerings (Art, Dance, Music, Theater). 

Arts Administration Faculty

Marian Taylor Brown headshot

Marian Taylor Brown

Jackson Cooper

Hannah Grannemann

Hannah Grannemann

Catena Bergevin headshot

Catena Bergevin

Resources

Learn more about arts administration as a career and peruse job boards here: Arts Administration Career Resources 

Course of Study

Arts Administration is a multifaceted, interdisciplinary field. In the Arts Administration Program at UNCG you will study subjects including leadership, creative justice, management, organizational behavior, marketing, communications, fundraising, budgeting and finances, and more as it applies to the arts and culture sector.  

Please visit the Undergraduate Bulletin to see the curriculum for the major or minor in Arts Administration.  

Degrees

Program Distinctions

UNCG has one of only a handful of undergraduate degree programs in Arts Administration in the United States. Majoring in Arts Administration is friendly for transfer students or students switching into the program; the courses specific to the major can be completed in four semesters. 

Faculty with Real World Experience 

All Arts Administration faculty have professional experience in arts management and entrepreneurship, with specializations across performing and visual arts, as well as different ways of making and sharing art, from established nonprofit arts organizations to successful solo entrepreneurship and launching new companies. Faculty remain connected to current arts administration practice through their research and giving back to the field consulting, projects, and research with arts and cultural organizations, funders, and artists. 

Careers  

Arts Administration graduates can enter the profession directly after completing an undergraduate degree – and getting experience prior to graduation is possible and recommended through part-time jobs, independent projects, or internships. 

Graduate School 

Students may decide to continue studying to further their career. Graduate programs in arts management, business, law, education, or a specialized degree would all be helpful for a long career. UNCG Arts Administration Alums have gone on to graduate school at: Goucher College (Arts Administration), the Berklee School of Music (Music Business), University of South Carolina (Art History), UNCG Bryan School of Business and Economics (MBA), and University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Educational Leadership for Higher Education). Arts Administration alums have also completed the Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management at UNCG. 

FAQs

The shorthand definition of arts administration is “the business side of the arts.” That’s true, but it goes deeper. Arts Administration is a broad field that connects art, artists, and communities. We ask the question, “How can the arts have a real impact on improving our society? How do we make that happen?” We teach students what they need to know to work in this dynamic, fulfilling field, whether they want to work in arts organizations and businesses, start something new in the arts, or have a fulfilling and sustainable career as an artist. The Arts Administration Program at UNC Greensboro is interdisciplinary, with students who want to work in visual art, dance, music, theater, or any of an infinite number of combinations of forms. 

Arts Administration is a multifaceted, interdisciplinary, field. In the Arts Administration Program at UNCG you will study subjects including leadership, creative justice, management, organizational behavior, marketing, communications, fundraising, budgeting and finances, data science, law and more as it applies in the non-profit and for-profit arts sector. Please visit the Undergraduate Bulletin to see the curriculum for the major or minor in Arts Administration.  

Not at this time. There are required courses for both the B.A. in Arts Administration and the Minor in Arts Administration that are offered only in-person.  

The Arts Administration internship is completed in the course AAD 498, usually in a student’s senior year. UNCG offers many opportunities to gain professional experience in arts administration on campus and in the community to build your network. Your Arts Administration experience will include an internship with a professional arts organization to make connections and gain tangible work experience. Students and faculty collaborate to find the right internship placement for students based on their area of interest and areas of needed experience and growth potential.  

The Arts Administration Program prepares students in arts organizations such as theaters, performing arts centers, museums, galleries, ballet and dance companies, orchestras, choral and music groups, operas, arts councils, community arts organizations, arts education organizations, labor unions, professional associations, and philanthropic foundations.  

The Arts Administration Program is also strong in entrepreneurship – start your own arts business! Double majoring, minoring or taking courses in arts administration will also help you in creating a successful solo performance or visual arts career.  

Alumni have also transitioned to work outside the arts in corporations, small businesses, universities, and nonprofits. 

Arts Administration faculty and UNCG Career Services support students in finding school year and summer jobs, internships and post-graduation job searches.

The Student Experience

Students can expect a supportive, rigorous and hands-on degree readying them to launch their Arts Administrators careers upon graduation. Arts Administration classes feature real-world projects so students practice what they’ll actually be doing in professional settings. Internship placements bridge the transition from school to working life. Arts Professionals are regular guests in class and as mentors for class projects. Career exploration and advising within the program happens throughout a student’s time at UNCG. See an ever-growing list of places where Arts Administration students have recently interned here. 

Students in Arts Administration learn about strategy for arts organizations and businesses, programming, community relationships, marketing, communications and sales, fundraising, managing finances and leadership. We teach professional skills needed to succeed, such as communication, teamwork, and professional writing skills. Many of our students double major, usually in one of the other majors available in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Minoring in Entrepreneurship or Business with the Bryan School of Business and Economics is also common.

Arts Administration students have won the Provost Student Excellence Award, the highest academic honor given at UNC Greensboro. 

Alums of the Arts Administration Programs have varied careers in a variety of fields. 

Selection of positions held by Arts Administration alums in the arts: 

  • Director of Development, Burning Coal Theatre 
  • Patron Services Manager, Winston-Salem Symphony 
  • Development Officer, Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus 
  • Education and Community Engagement Coordinator, Nashville Symphony 
  • Events Manager, UNC Chapel Hill 
  • Donor Engagement & Research Manager, Cameron Art Museum 

Alumni have also worked in fields as varied as health care, corporate communications, higher education administration and fundraising, and many of our alums run their own businesses. 

UNCG Arts Administration Alums have gone on to graduate school at: Goucher College (Arts Administration), the Berklee School of Music (Music Business), University of South Carolina (Art History), UNCG Bryan School of Business and Economics (MBA), and University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Educational Leadership for Higher Education). 

Curriculum   

  • AAD 202 Arts Admin and Entrepreneurship  
  • AAD 301 Arts Management  
  • AAD 310 Managing and Leading in the Arts  
  • AAD 320 Arts Marketing  
  • AAD 321 Fundraising in the Arts OR AAD 376 Micro-Enterprise for Creatives  
  • AAD 450 Careers in Arts Administration  
  • VPA 223 The Arts as Human Experience  
  • FIN 200 Introduction to Entrepreneurial Finance  
  • ISM 110 Foundations for Analytics using Spreadsheets  
  • AAD 498 Internship in Arts Administration and Entrepreneurship  
  • 3 credits of an Arts Administration elective  
  • 6 credits of Arts-Related courses  
  • 6 credits of CVPA electives  

A minor or a second major is required.

Suggested 4-Year Course of Study for Arts Administration

This list outlines the schedule of courses recommended for majors in the Arts Administration. For more information on courses and requirements, see the UNCG course bulletin. For information on advising, see the School of Art page or contact the Department.

University Minimums: 120 Hours Required, 36 at or above the 300 level.
Department Minimums: 21 Hours at or above the 300 level in Arts Administration

First Year

Semester I

  • Foundations
  • Art-Related Course
  • 3 MACs
  • Recommended 15 credit hours

Semester II

  • 2 Required Minor Courses
  • 3 MACs
  • Recommended 15 credit hours

Second Year

Semester III

  • AAD 202
  • ISM 110
  • Art-Related Course
  • FIN 200
  • 1 MAC
  • Recommended 15 credit hours

Semester IV

  • AAD 301
  • Minor Course
  • VPA 223
  • Required Minor Course
  • MAC
  • Recommended 15 credit hours

Third Year

Semester V

  • AAD Elective
  • CVPA Elective
  • Required Minor Course
  • MAC
  • General Elective
  • Recommended 15 credit hours

Semester VI

  • AAD 310
  • AAD 320
  • Required Minor Course
  • 2 General Electives
  • Recommended 15 credit hours

Fourth Year

Semester VII

  • AAD 450
  • CVPA Elective
  • 3 General Electives
  • Recommended 15 credit hours

Semester VIII

  • AAD 498 (Internship)
  • 4 General Electives
  • Recommended 15 credit hours

Contact

For more information on the Arts Administration Program, contact:
Hannah Grannemann, Associate Professor and Director of Arts Administration
hagranne@uncg.edu or Dr. Marian Taylor Brown, Assistant Professor of Arts Administration, mtbrown6@uncg.edu