Boston University Metropolitan College
Ready to grow your career in fundraising leadership?
Connect with a BU advisor to learn more about BU MET’s flexible Fundraising Management graduate programs, upcoming events, and information sessions.
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Shifting demographics, evolving technologies, and changing philanthropic trends continue to reshape the nonprofit and cultural sectors. As competition for funding grows, organizations increasingly rely on skilled fundraising professionals to build sustainable strategies, strengthen donor relationships, and support long-term organizational success.
Whether you’re looking to transition into fundraising or advance into a leadership role, BU MET’s Fundraising Management graduate programs provide the practical knowledge, strategic insight, and professional experience needed to succeed in today’s nonprofit landscape.
Programs
Program Highlights
Why choose BU MET for Fundraising Management?
Practical Capstone Project
Students completing a master’s concentration in the Arts & Cultural Management degree program benefit from completing an intensive capstone project, either the Arts and Cultural Management Practicum (MET AR 795) or Advanced Management and Consulting for Arts and Cultural Organizations (MET AR 796).
Active Learning Environment
BU’s Arts & Cultural Management courses ensure you get the attention you need through close interaction with faculty, practitioners, and visiting experts. 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.
Career Counseling
MET’s Career Development office and BU’s Center for Career Development offer a variety of job-hunting resources, including one-on-one career counseling by appointment for both online and on-campus students.
Mentor4Arts Program
Connect to our lively alumni network of talented arts managers in organizations throughout Boston and beyond—Mentor4Arts fosters career development through one-on-one meetings, themed discussion topics, and Mentoring Circles.
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. Plus, you have access to the Boston University Arts Administration Student Association (AASA), formed in the spring of 1995 to provide opportunities for social interaction, educational enrichment, and career development.
Valuable Resources
Make use of Boston University’s extensive resources, including the BU Art Galleries, BU Office for the Arts, Center for Career Development, Educational Resource Center, Fitness & Recreation Center, Innovate@BU, IT Help Centers, Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre, Mugar Memorial Library, Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, George Sherman Union, Tsai Performance Center, Wheelock Family Theatre, and many others.
Student Support
Enjoy an exceptional student-to-instructor ratio, ensuring close interaction with faculty mentors and access to support.
Flexible Options
Study at the pace that works for you, evenings on campus or fully online. Courses begin fall, spring, and summer; online courses have two starts per term.
Track Record
The Arts & Cultural Management program is part of a long tradition of arts management programs offered by Boston University Metropolitan College since 1993, which have produced professional leaders at a host of cultural institutions in Boston, throughout the United States, and abroad.
Advancing the Arts Scholarship
US-based applicants to the Arts & Cultural Management program who have dealt with personal challenges or other barriers to their participation in the arts—and who are committed to making the arts accessible to all—may be eligible for the Advancing the Arts Scholarship and teaching assistantships.
Merit Scholarships
All graduate students are automatically considered for merit scholarships during the application process and nominated based on eligibility.
Engaged, connected faculty
In BU’s MS in Arts & Cultural Management program, you will study with an international faculty of leading industry professionals working within the visual and performing arts worlds. Their expertise in the most current challenges, trends, and best practices in the field enables them to offer rich perspectives and insights that ensure a uniquely hands-on approach to study.
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.
Ready to advance your career?
BU MET’s graduate programs in fundraising management will help.
Career Outlook
BU MET—For those who want to lead
Earning a graduate degree in fundraising management 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:
- Fundraising Events Manager
- Advancement Coordinator
- Fundraiser/Marketing Associate
- Fundraising Coordinator
- Development Associate
- Annual Giving Coordinator
- Grants Coordinator
- Director of Individual Giving
- Development Manager
- Major Gifts Officer
- Planned Giving Officer
- Corporate Partnerships Manager
- Foundation Relations Manager
- Director of Development
- Chief Development Officer (CDO)
Outlook:
Employment of fundraising managers and public relations is projected to grow 5% from 2024 to 2034, with demand expected to grow faster than average.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
“About 10,200 openings for public relations and fundraising managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.”
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
$133,620
Mean annual wage for fundraising managers
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
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
Attending the Fundraising Management program has enhanced both my life and my work in so many ways. Every instructor whose class I attended was incredibly experienced and knowledgeable, and they have all continued to be a resource for me well after completing their particular course. The skills I acquired in the program have helped me to better support and promote causes and organizations that are important to me, while also increasing my professional opportunities and supporting my family.
Meghan Donahue (MET’19)
Director of Development, Manchester Community Music School
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.).