Boston University Metropolitan College
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Everything you need to know about our Arts Administration graduate programs.
The arts world is transforming and in need of highly skilled administrators who can develop solutions, establish new practices, illuminate novel ways of producing art and conducting business, and work effectively with elected officials, business and community leaders, and fellow arts professionals.
These professionals will need every tool and skill at their disposal to navigate the road ahead and guide institutions large and small through these changing times.
You can develop the skills to help fill the need for effective arts administrators with a master’s degree or graduate certificate from Boston University’s Metropolitan College (MET).
Programs
Program Highlights
BU’s Arts Administration programs are highly respected. Here are a few reasons why:
Flexibility
Study at the pace and place that works for you, full- or part-time, evenings on campus, or completely online (certain programs).
Extensive Network
Study alongside peers within the art world; consult and network with a wide range of national and international companies and nonprofit organizations within the art world; and benefit from a global alumni community with strong professional connections.
Valuable Resources
Make use of BU’s extensive resources, including the BU Art Galleries, Arts Initiative, Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre, Tsai Performance Center, Wheelock Family Theatre, Center for Career Development, Educational Resource Center, Fitness & Recreation Center, Mugar Memorial Library, and more.
Active Learning Environment
Benefit from an interdisciplinary curriculum that encourages collaboration between students from multidisciplinary arts backgrounds and provides access to mentor programs, internships, project management activities, and opportunities to work with world-leading art institutions and practitioners in the field.
Comprehensive Financial Assistance
Our services include merit scholarships, an Advancing the Arts Scholarship, graduate assistantships, graduate loans, and payment plans.
Track Record
Learn from the best—founded in 1993, BU MET’s Arts Administration program has produced professional leaders at a host of cultural institutions in Boston, throughout the United States, and the world.
Engaged, connected faculty
In BU MET’s Arts Administration master’s and certificate programs, you benefit from working closely with highly qualified faculty who are well equipped to develop the skill sets of future arts administration leaders because they themselves are experts in the industry.
The Boston University reputation
When you have a degree from Boston University, that means something. Named to the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), BU is one of the top research universities in the United States and Canada. And as a graduate, you’ll be able to take that name with you. Always.
A city unlike any other
There’s a reason we’re called Boston University. Hip neighborhoods, soaring skyscrapers, championship sports teams, and rich history and culture. When you’re at BU, you’re at the heart of it all. And because we’re right in Boston, you’ll have a wealth of opportunities to consider for your field of study or area of special interest.
Wondering which arts administration program is right for you?
Read more about all program offerings here.
Career Outlook
BU MET – For those who want to lead
Earning a degree or certificate from BU MET has propelled our graduates to positions far and wide.
Recent graduates have established their careers at:
- Boston Center for the Arts
- Harvard Art Museums
- New England Conservatory of Music
- National Center for the Performing Arts (China)
- Boston Ballet School
- Boston Symphony Orchestra
- Galerie d’Orsay
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- MassOpera
- Metro Theater Company
- National Museum of China
- Shanghai Ballet Company
- The Art Institute of Chicago
Potential careers:
- Arts Education Manager
- Director of Community Arts
- Development Director
- Theater Arts Manager
- Gallery Manager
- Grants Manager
- Manager of Artistic Operations
- Director of Major Gifts
- Nonprofit Development Director
- Fundraising Officer
- Director of Engagement
- Marketing Manager
Outlook:
“Employment of fundraising managers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.”
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers
$138,730
Median salary 2022
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
“Employment of producers and directors is projected to grow 7 percent from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations.”
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Before enrolling, I researched and confirmed that jobs I aspired to required an advanced degree. Although we cannot predict or control many things in life (for example, a pandemic), I was confident that I could maximize my career growth and generate enough income to justify the program’s cost in a short period after graduation. Since I was and continue to be highly committed to working in the sector, I was confident that it was the right decision. When I think about the multitude of possibilities that BU offered and continues to provide me with, the network of professionals that I have access to, and the sense that I belong to a community of great and future leaders, yes—definitely an excellent investment in my career and personal life.
Claudia Fiks (MET’16)
Founder, Arts Administration Association New England; Director, Newton Open Studios
Before I started at MET, I worked primarily in patron services and box office but knew I wanted to shift into development. Making that transition can be challenging, but I started taking courses within the Fundraising Management Graduate Certificate program almost immediately upon getting to BU. Because of what I learned in these courses, I got my first role on the Jacob’s Pillow philanthropy team and was promoted to my current position upon completing the program. The start of my entire career in fundraising is thanks to MET.
Kristin Reeves (MET’22)
Membership & Individual Support Manager, Jacob’s Pillow
Broadly, the Performing Arts Enterprise (now the Commercial Theater Development) certificate was the most valuable part of the program. To take one project through four courses and fully flesh out every facet from the business model, leadership style, and artistic team to the development pathway, budget, production timeline, pricing, marketing strategies, subsidiary businesses, and alternative markets was the most incredible experience. The exposure to every board, brick, and screw needed to build a house gave me a comprehensive view of the business I wanted to work in. That experience was invaluable. In one course, we had to develop our branding and marketing strategy. That served a dual purpose: it exposed us to a specialty we may choose to go into and allowed us to be better prepared even if we don’t. I feel I am a better producer for being able to engage with professionals who know something about their field versus deferring to their expertise.
Evan Alexander LaChance (MET’23)
General Manager, Broadway Education Alliance Inc.
The program broadened my perspective while grounding it in reality. From in-depth conversations with fellow students and professors from all over the world, inside the classroom and out, to projects designed around neighborhoods and communities both familiar and not—those were the essential moments that allowed me to grow. The conversations about how we would like to change the world through artistic, community-focused policies, and figuring out how to initiate those changes through various strategies, provided an atmosphere that encouraged me to keep growing.
Cameron Lane (MET’21)
Sales and Community Outreach Associate, ArtsBoston
I wanted a program that offered practical subjects like finance, fundraising and entrepreneurship, and that ideally was designed for professionals and arts practitioners. Given my interest in entrepreneurship, I also wanted to tap into the innovation ecosystem in the United States, so it had to be in a city that offered that culture. The MS in Arts Administration at MET checked all the boxes.
Priya Krishnamoorthy (MET’19)
Founder, 200 Million Artisans (Mumbai, India)
The Arts Administration program at BU has afforded me the opportunity to explore new areas of interest and engage with dynamic professors and guest speakers, all while strengthening my administrative skill set.
Adriana Ray (MET’17)
Development Director at The International Association of Blacks in Dance, Inc.
Over the years, I have made my way through so many industries from retail to headhunting to financial, and am now a visual resource/technology specialist at Boston University. Through it all, the arts have been an underlying theme in my life. Arts Administration allows me the opportunity to put my diverse skills to work in support of the arts.
Susan Rice (MET’21)
Media Specialist, Visual Resources, Boston University History of Art and Architecture Program
Boston University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.).