Arts Administration is the business of managing nonprofit and for-profit arts organizations in order to facilitate day-to-day operations and fulfill the overall organizational mission.
The University of Kentucky's undergraduate Department of Arts Administration is designed to prepare students for a future in the management of arts organizations and for graduate study. Students are provided with a strong liberal arts education, an understanding of the business world, and a comprehensive education in one of the four arts disciplines of art, music, dance and theatre.
Students in the Department of Arts Administration take courses that introduce them to the best practices in arts administration. These courses are designed to provide students with a sound basis for meeting the unique political, economic, financial, marketing, and developmental challenges facing the arts community. Additionally, students acquire a background in business and economics, fundamental to running a financially viable arts organization, as well as devote considerable study to the fine arts and art creation through courses with the College of Fine Art's accomplished faculty of artists and scholars.
The department emphasizes applying information learned in the classroom to hands-on, relevant work experiences, including volunteer activities, internships and jobs both on and off-campus. Advisors and faculty within the Department of Arts Administration are readily available and are committed to establishing a one-on-one relationship with each student.
The role of an arts administrator is diverse and varied. Some of the duties which arts administrators are trained for include:
Arts Administration is the business of managing nonprofit and for-profit arts organizations to facilitate day-to-day operations and fulfill the overall organizational mission. Arts Administration also prepares artistic individuals for successful entrepreneurship and freelancing.
The BA program is designed for students who want to acquire the leadership and management skills for today’s arts organizations.
A graduate of this program will have the ability to:
Did you know college graduates with at least three internships are more likely to receive full-time job offers? Not only do internships and other experiential learning opportunities provide you college credit, experiential learning opportunities also help you to define specific career interests in arts administration while practicing what you’ve learned in your arts administration courses. As an arts administration student, you’re required to complete at least 6-credit hours of experiential learning to graduate. And because we want you to explore what interests you, you’ll have the flexibility to tailor your experiential learning requirements to your needs.
As an arts administration student, the experiential learning opportunities available to you are endless! Here are some of the awesome arts organizations that UK’s arts administration students have interned:
Theatre
Steppenwolf Theatre Company – Chicago, IL
Lexington Children’s Theatre – Lexington, KY
Women’s Theatre Festival – Raleigh, NC
San Francisco Playhouse – San Francisco, CA
Marathon Live Entertainment – New York, NY
Visual Art
Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center – Cincinnati, OH
Oceanside Museum of Art – Oceanside, CA
Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft – Louisville, KY
Music
Lexington Philharmonic – Lexington, KY
Houston Grand Opera – Houston, TX
Pittsburgh Festival Opera – Pittsburgh, PA
Jazz at Lincoln Center – New York, NY
Birthplace of Country Music – Bristol, TN
Dance
Orlando Ballet – Orlando, FL
Appalachian Ballet Company – Maryville, TN
Allegro Dance Project – Lexington, KY
Multi-Discipline
The Kennedy Center for the Arts – Washington, DC
Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts – Louisville, KY
Living Arts & Science Center – Lexington, KY
Hawaii Performing Arts Festival – Kamuela, HI
Tempe Arts Center – Tempe, AZ
As a student of arts administration at UK, you’ll study the fascinating field of emotional intelligence over the course of your academic study through a five-part course series focused on self-awareness, empathy, teamwork and collaboration, decision-making, and relationship management. Emotional Intelligence – or EI – refers to the ability to name, process, and manage one’s emotions and the emotions of others. Widely recognized by hiring managers as a valuable skill among employees, EI has been linked to increased job satisfaction and productivity as well as effective communication and leadership.
We believe these skills not only increase your ability to serve as an effective organizational citizen, but that they also support your efforts to build and sustain successful arts organizations to #MakeArtHappen. Our course series on emotional intelligence is just one of the many ways the BA in Arts Administration sets itself apart in curriculum and career preparation for students like you!
Rather than choosing one major and one minor, double-majoring allows you to gain a more in depth understanding of two majors! Double-majoring is a great way to gain a competitive advantage in the workforce, and complementing your degree in Arts Administration with a second major in your artistic discipline from UK’s College of Fine Arts will certainly enhance your ability to truly #MakeArtHappen!
Being a double-major doesn’t have to add any additional time to your degree completion. In fact, students who double-major in Arts Administration and their artistic discipline will work closely with the Chair of the Department of Arts Administration to develop an individualized course sequencing plan to make the most of your time with us!
Official up to date information on requirements and courses is listed in the UK Registrar Catalog, including archived sheets for any prior year of enrollment. The information here is presented for your convenience, please use the Registrar's listing in case of any discrepancy.
In order to satisfy the requirements to earn a BA in Arts Administration, students must complete the following:
Please see the UK Core Requirements in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
Anyone who is accepted to, or currently enrolled in, the University of Kentucky as a student may enter the undergraduate program by declaring themselves as an Arts Administration Pre-Major.
As a pre-major, students must complete the following courses with a 3.0 GPA:
To become a full major, students must:
Students meeting these requirements will be accepted as majors in the program. Applications for full major status must be submitted prior to a student taking an upper division Arts Administration course.
Option A
Twelve (12) credits of Directed Electives chosen in consultation with the student’s academic advisor from the following areas:
Option B
Students may complete one of the following approved minors outside the College of Fine Arts:
Option C
Students may complete one of the following Undergraduate Certificate programs:
In addition to meeting their UK Core and major requirements, students must earn 6 credits in any area(s) of their choosing.
Arts Administration students answering phones during telethon
While I love creating and contributing to art, arts administration has allowed me to flex the other muscles the arts bring: organizational skills, speaking skills, leadership, and so much more that participation in the arts brings out in every individual!
We know college can be expensive, and Arts Administration pre-majors at UK are eligible for multi-year scholarships – with incoming freshmen always given priority! There are also financial awards and scholarships available for special projects and opportunities you wish to pursue. Interested in legislating for the arts in Washington, DC? There’s an award for that! Interested in studying arts administration abroad? There’s an award for that! Have an awesome internship lined up for the summer? There’s also an award for that! Awards and scholarship applications are distributed digitally to pre-majors and majors each semester.