Note: The MA in Art Business program is no longer accepting applications.
The Art Business and Arts Management programs have merged into one Arts Management program that encompasses for-profit and nonprofit organizational structures in all disciplines. This allows opportunities for greater exploration and innovation under a larger tent.
The Master of Arts in Art Business is designed for both the aspiring and established professional with a passion for the visual arts and a desire to master the market and management dynamics that drive artistic and commercial values today.
The MA in Art Business prepares you for transformative roles in leading art businesses, initiatives, and organizations. Our focus on market dynamics and entrepreneurship gives you the skills and the knowledge to start your own ventures or build on existing ones. And our extensive network of alumni and professional contacts give you access to the people and resources you will need to make meaningful change in the art world and beyond.
We are the only art business graduate program on the west coast and the only program focused on the Pacific Rim, with courses dedicated to East Asian markets and field study trips to Latin America. We are also the only art business graduate program within a fully accredited, non-profit university, which means we are serving an educational mission as opposed to investors.
Program Highlights
- Study full- or part-time with a flexible structure that includes mixes of online, hybrid, and in-person formats.
- Begin in either fall or spring semesters.
- Attend in-person classes, events, and programs in downtown Los Angeles.
- Work with professional faculty drawn from from LA’s arts and cultural leadership as well scholars from CGU’s Drucker School of Management, School of Arts & Humanities, Center for Information Systems & Technology, and Museum Leadership Institute.
- Access the full curriculum of the MA in Arts Management.
- Experience international and domestic field study travel opportunities. Past trips have included Hong Kong for Art Basel, Shanghai, and Mexico City.
Program At-a-glance
-
40 units
required units
-
MA in Art Business
degree awarded
-
In Person
modality
-
Spring, Fall
program start
-
3 semesters | full time*
estimated completion time
Faculty
-
Joshua Goode
Professor of History and Cultural Studies
Chair, Cultural Studies DepartmentResearch Interests
Modern Spain, 19th- and 20th-century Europe, Genocide and racial thought, Museums and commemoration, Memory
-
Rachel Lachowicz
Professor of Studio Art
Roland Reiss Endowed Chair in ArtResearch Interests
Conceptual practices in feminism, materiality, and social politics
-
David Pagel
Professor of Art Theory and History
Faculty Coordinator, Center for Business & Management of the Arts
Chair, Art DepartmentResearch Interests
Art, Art media, Painting, Contemporary Art, Art Criticism, Museums and Creativity
-
Jay Prag
Academic Director, MS in Finance Program
Academic Director, PhD in Management Program
Faculty Coordinator, Center for Business & Management of the Arts
Clinical Full ProfessorResearch Interests
Corporate Finance, Investments, Economics of Strategy, Macroeconomics
Affiliated Faculty
-
Alma Ruiz
Adjunct Professor
Research Interests
Contemporary Latin American Art, Exhibition Making & Managing
Curriculum
A typical course of study would be:
Fall – Year 1
- Introduction to Arts Management (4 units)
- Legal Foundations of the Arts (4 units)
- Principles and Practices of Fundraising I (2 units)
- Marketing Management (2 units)
- Elective (4 units)
Spring – Year 1
- Finance & Accounting for the Creative Industries (4 units)
- Capstone A (4 units)
- Field Study Practicum (0 units)
- Electives (4-8 units)
Fall – Year 2
- Capstone B (4 units)
- Electives (4-8 units)
Field Study
Field study travel provides behind-the-scenes access to artists, art businesses and organizations, and leaders in the field. The trips are designed to accelerate the formation of international networks and ensure familiarity with the complexity of the international arts landscape. All students are required to go on one field study trip.
View recent itineraries:
Past global destinations include:
- Beijing, China
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Hong Kong
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Shanghai, China
- Seoul, South Korea
- Singapore
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Tokyo, Japan
- UAE: Abu Dhabi and Dubai
Past domestic destinations include:
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Marfa, Texas
- San Francisco, California
Capstone Sequences
Every Arts Management student completes a capstone sequence, which is the culmination of your degree, synthesizing everything that you have learned throughout the program. It is designed as a bridge to your professional life, serving as a powerful demonstration of the skills you’ve developed at CGU as you enter or continue your work in the arts and cultural field. Each capstone sequence comprises both course work and a final project or deliverable that stems from your own intellectual and creative pursuits.
Students in the Arts Management program may complete their degree requirements through any sequence below.
Practicum Sequence
Explore the arts and cultural field with partnering arts organizations such as museums, theaters, presenters, funders, and government agencies.
You might act as a consultant, providing valuable work related to the organization’s articulated needs and goals. Or you might act as a researcher and observer, offering data and insights about the organization’s place and operations within the larger arts ecosystem. Work closely with a partnering organization and faculty to present your work and findings for feedback and assessment. Some organizations offer a stipend; others do not.
Entrepreneurship Sequence
Develop cutting edge business skills to launch a new venture for the arts and cultural sector.
You will study the principles of startups from initial concept through prototyping, market testing, and business plan development. You will study alongside MBAs in the Drucker School of Management and practice working with and speaking to people across disciplines and industries.
Thesis Sequence
Complete your degree requirements with the successful execution of an academic master’s thesis.
This thesis will most likely stem from completed coursework that stimulated your curiosity. Master’s theses are primarily research-driven and draw upon both original research and secondary sources. You will take courses with MA and PhD students in the School of Arts & Humanities and produce a thesis that contributes new knowledge to the arts and culture field.
Application Guidelines
No longer accepting applications