Welcome to the Master of Arts in Arts Management Program

The Master of Arts in Arts Management Program at George Mason University represents a unique approach in educating the next generation of Arts Managers. The following points support the claim that this degree and this program provide the critically relevant framework for this important professional career.


1. To Manage Not Administer - the Maun of Coordination and Alignment

First, the program is called the Master of Arts in Arts Management, rather than Arts Administration, the more common nomenclature. The word management derives from the Greek root maun, meaning "to coordinate" or "to bring into alignment." Our vision is to see arts managers bring into alignment the many resources required to birth, sustain, and further develop arts organizations. We also see management as occurring at a variety of levels, from those who would coordinate the people; engage the community; develop and sustain the audiences; influence the politics; foster the development and track the finances, as well as the artistic programming. We prepare candidates to support both internal and external alignment, in seamless fashion and at all levels of opportunity and engagement.


2. The Art and the Artist are Central

Second, this program focuses on applicants who hold degrees in the arts and want to manage the "institution" that provides the climate and infrastructure for the artist to create, perform and exhibit and the audience/viewer to participate, affirm and otherwise support this dynamic. For those exploring other institutions, as well as George Mason University, you will note that Arts Administration and Arts Management Programs vary in where they are housed within academic institutions. Some can be found as MBA programs within Schools of Management. Other programs are housed inside Schools of Policy, or linked to these schools. While there is no one right or wrong model, our program is purposefully created as a part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts - where the art and the artist are central. The Arts Management curriculum was created with artists becoming managers in mind, rather than managers learning the arts. Our focus is very directed - the College of Visual and Performing Arts and, in particular, the Master of Arts in Arts Management program is about the preservation, nurturing and advancement of the art form and the artist.

3. Master of Arts in Arts Management Classes Combine Theory with Practice

Along with New York City, we have the largest concentration of arts organizations. Students not only have a very rich environment to learn and intern but are also instructed by professional arts managers who possess extensive and diverse backgrounds invested in these very same institutions. Professional careers advance through networking and being in the right place at the right time - the very combination that makes the Master of Arts in Arts Management degree from George Mason University the degree to have and the very place to obtain it.

Whether you are considering your next steps as a student, thinking about a career change, or just interested in the intersection of arts and management, welcome, and enjoy exploring our site.