To become a successful arts administrator and meet the evolving needs of the field, students need applied leadership acumen as well as the creative tools to facilitate and evaluate the needs of arts organizations.
The Master of Arts Administration (M.A.A.) degree at OHIO harnesses the interdisciplinary and creative power of the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts with an innovative curricular approach that merges arts administration knowledge with training in discipline-specific arts management. Foundational courses that emphasize arts leadership, governance, management, and development are taken alongside courses in a chosen specialized arts area.
Focused on training the artist-administrator, the degree is uniquely tailored to provide mentorship, experiential and community-engaged learning opportunities, an examination of access and equity in the arts, and career readiness. Students become equipped to helm arts and cultural organizations, navigate unique challenges in the nonprofit sector, and advocate for policies, resources, and programs that support arts organizations. Graduates of the program will become effective leaders who have meaningful, sustainable impact in the organizations and communities they serve.
Every student enrolled in the Master of Arts Administration program completes four required foundational courses, chooses one area of specialization, and concludes with a professional internship.
MAA graduate Hope Eller puts theory into practice as artistic director of The Company at The Valley Gem.
Born into a family of artists, alumna Hope Eller, MAA ’25, credits her upbringing as a foundational source of a lifelong love of arts.
Kailyn Shalosky credits OHIO’s MAA program as instrumental in developing the skills she uses in her new role in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. For Kailyn Shalosky, MAA ’25, a new role in the arts sector relies on knowledge imparted at OHIO.
Plans don’t always unfold how we imagine, but in moments of challenge, we usually return to what feels most true. That’s exactly what MAA alumna Courtney Archibald did when faced with adversity. After earning her undergraduate degree in Interior Architecture in 2023, Archibald began working as an interior architect. But when she was laid off just a year later, she faced a period of uncertainty that deeply affected her mental health. Rather than letting the setback define her, she turned to art and mindfulness practices as tools for healing. What started as coloring pages she created for herself soon grew into something much larger: The Bejeweled Toadstool Coloring Book.