We normally expect students to have a First or Upper Second class honours degree or its overseas equivalent in a humanities-based subject area.
My placement at Company Chameleon encompassed every aspect of experience that I wanted to gain from taking the placement module.
It allowed me to gain practical experience of a touring dance company, alongside the development of my administration and marketing skills.
Art helps us locate ourselves in, and make sense of, the world around us. It can have a transformative impact on ideas, individuals and communities. On this course, you’ll learn to amplify its impact through effective arts management practices and strategies that shape thriving, inclusive arts ecologies and meet sector and societal challenges. It is appropriate for people looking to launch a career in the industry, as well as those who already hold a related professional role.
Our interdisciplinary MA in Arts Management, Policy and Practice provides the knowledge and skills for operational and strategic management of organisations, programmes and events across a broad spectrum of arts, creative and culture sub-sectors . You will explore the fundamental aspects of what it means to be an arts manager, covering business and financial management, audience development, marketing, programming and cultural policymaking.
You will develop your knowledge and understanding of the history, theory and practice of arts management and acquire direct experience and insights through opportunities to hear from and work with arts managers from across the sector through guest lectures, workshops and placement opportunities. This hands-on practical experience allied with theoretical grounding will provide strong foundations for a career as an arts manager, administrator, policy officer or creative producer within the creative and cultural industries.
Studying in Manchester itself will support your learning in various ways. The city-region has a wide arts and cultural ecosystem, including Manchester International Festival, Factory International, theatres, orchestras, galleries, museums, libraries, heritage sites, arts festivals, studio collectives and community arts groups. You will also be connected to the university’s own cultural institutions including the Manchester Museum, the Whitworth Art Gallery and the John Rylands Library.
You can apply for a 20-day work placement with a creative or cultural organisation as part of your elective course options. You’ll be supported by an academic mentor from the university as well as a supervisor from within the institution in which your placement is based. The number of placements available varies each year. Students can also self-organise an industry placement, subject to approval.
The course offers flexibility and opportunities for specialisation while giving you a thorough grounding in essential arts management principles and methods through its essential course units.
Culture in Manchester and Links with Industry
Manchester states within its local cultural strategy that it aims to become the most culturally democratic city in the world and has an arts offering to help it achieve this ambition.
Along with the biennial Manchester International Festival, and its new home, the Factory, a multi-million-pound large-scale arts production house and venue, the city-region of Greater Manchester has a host of brilliant arts organisations, including theatres, orchestras and music organisations, a network of galleries, museums, libraries and heritage sites, as well as digital and outdoor arts, festivals, studio collectives and community-based groups.
We are lucky to be based at the heart of a vibrant cultural ecosystem, with these organisational partners and our own campus-based cultural organisations, including the Manchester Academy, Contact Theatre, and university museums, Manchester Museum and the Whitworth Art Gallery.
Throughout the MA in Arts Management, Policy and Practice, we work with many of the arts organisations in Manchester and nationally. These partners enhance the course by offering lectures, site visits, and work placements, from which students can gain direct insights and develop their understanding of the management strategies and approaches employed by professionals in the sector.
Work Placement