Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy: Curriculum Requirements

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s (SAIC) Master of Arts (MA) in Arts Administration and Policy program provides an academic structure within which students can master specific sets of skills while at the same time building a critical perspective toward issues of contemporary arts administration.

Critical and Policy Studies  18  
  • ARTSAD 5005 Arts Organizations in Society (3)
  • ARTSAD 5505 Law, Politics, & the Arts (3)
  • ARTSAD 5010 Department Colloquia (1.5/1.5)
  • ARTSAD 5030 International Field Study* (3)

Each semester, the department provides a list of courses that fulfill the following requirements:

  • Communication/Rhetoric/Modes of Presentation (3)
  • Contemporary Theory/Philosophy (3)
  

Focus Study
Select two courses that support your thesis research. 

 6  
Management Studies 
Choose three courses from the following:		 9  
  • ARTSAD 5012 Communications and Marketing (3)
  • ARTSAD 5017 Financial Management (3)
  • ARTSAD 5019 Organizational Management (3)
  • ARTSAD 5025 Project Development Lab (3)
  • ARTSAD 5039 Development and Fundraising (3)
  
Research and Professional Practice   9  
  • ARTSAD 5050 Arts Administration Internship (3)
  • ARTSAD 6058 Thesis I (3)
  • ARTSAD 6095 Thesis II (3)
  
Electives
Select two courses in any area of interest. 		  6
Total Credit Hours48  

* ARTSAD 5030 International Field Study is a crucial component of the MA in Arts Administration and Policy curriculum, and all program students are strongly encouraged to enroll in it. A student must consult with the program chair to waive the class and arrive at a suitable alternative

Degree requirements and specifications

  1. Completion schedule: Students have a maximum of four years to complete the degree This includes time off for leaves of absence. Thesis in Progress: Students who have not submitted a finished thesis for review and approval by the end of the final semester of enrollment are given a Thesis in Progress grade (IP). All students with a Thesis in Progress grade (IP) will be charged the Thesis in Progress Fee in each subsequent full semester until the thesis is completed and approved and the grade is changed to Credit (CR). If the statute of limitations is reached without
  2. Transfer credits: A minimum of 42 credit hours must be completed in residence at SAIC. Up to six transfer credits may be requested at the time of application for admission and are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credit will be permitted after a student is admitted.
  3. Curriculum: The program requires 48 credit hours; electives, internships, and thesis are subject to the approval of the Arts Administration Program advisor.
  4. Enrollment: Nine credit hours constitutes full-time enrollment, although as many as 15 credit hours may be earned in any semester. Two semesters of full-time status are required of all students when they begin the program; thereafter a minimum of 6 credit hours per semester are required for continued enrollment in the program.
  5. Full-time Status Minimum Requirement: 9 credit hours.

Interested in learning more?

Click around the pages of this website for more information on admissions requirements, MA in Arts Administration and Policy faculty, students and alumni, and more.

Interested in learning more about how you can apply?

Visit the graduate admissions website or contact the graduate admissions office at 800.232.7241 or gradmiss@saic.edu.