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Art Business

MA in Art Business

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.

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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

  • Portrait of Joshua Goode

    Joshua Goode

    Professor of Cultural Studies and History
    Chair, Cultural Studies Department

    Research Interests

    Modern Spain, 19th- and 20th-century Europe, Genocide and racial thought, Museums and commemoration, Memory

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  • Portrait of Carmine Lanaccone

    Carmine Iannaccone

    Adjunct Professor of Art

    Research Interests

    Art, Painting, Sculpture

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  • Portrait of Rachel Lachowicz

    Rachel Lachowicz

    Professor of Studio Art
    Chair, Art Department

    Research Interests

    Conceptual practices in feminism, materiality, and social politics

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  • David Pagel

    David Pagel

    Professor of Art Theory and History
    Roland Reiss Endowed Chair in Art
    Faculty Coordinator, Center for Business & Management of the Arts

    Research Interests

    Art, Art media, Painting, Contemporary Art, Art Criticism, Museums and Creativity

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  • Jay Prag

    Jay Prag

    Clinical Full Professor
    Academic Director
    Faculty Coordinator, Center for Business & Management of the Arts

    Research Interests

    Corporate Finance, Investments, Economics of Strategy, Macroeconomics

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Affiliated Faculty

  • Leticia Buckley

    Chief Executive Officer, La Plaza de Cultura y Artes

    Research Interests

    Management and strategic implementation of government-related and civic relationships, Cultivating and building strong arts and culture-focused partnerships

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  • Bronwyn Mauldin

    Director of Research and Evaluation at the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture

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  • John McGuirk

    Interim Vice President at Community Foundation Sonoma County

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  • Alma Ruiz

    Adjunct Professor

    Research Interests

    Contemporary Latin American Art, Exhibition Making & Managing​

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  • Robin Sukhadia

    Strategist | Organizational Leadership | Major Gifts Fundraising

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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:

TAIWAN

MEXICO CITY

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

Review General Guidelines

Cost & Aid

review financial aid

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