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Master of Arts in Arts Policy & Administration

The Arts Policy and Administration Program at The Ohio State University is one of the first in the country to dedicate itself to serious research and advanced training in arts policy and administration. Based in the College of the Arts at a major research university, it offers both a Master's degree and a Ph.D. concentration. The intrinsically interdisciplinary Program is housed within the OSU Department of Art Education, a leader in its field, and works in collaboration with the well-respected John Glenn School of Public Affairs. The Program employs a three-part focus that includes curriculum, research, and collaboration. The curriculum itself has three component parts: 1) public policy and the arts and culture; 2) arts management; and 3) arts education policy and program management.

The M.A. in Arts Policy and Administration degree program seeks to educate arts policy makers and administrators who can contribute significantly to the formulation, clarification, and cohesion of more informed, sophisticated, and effective public arts and cultural policies. Ph.D. candidates specializing in public policy and the arts continue their studies in preparation for careers in teaching, research, and/or administrative roles in higher education, nonprofit arts organizations, public arts agencies and arts service organizations.

Students in the program are interested in many fields of art and culture--music, opera, theatre, dance, museums, studio glass, film, media and technology, heritage, etc.  Indeed this diversity of interests enriches classroom discussions and our alumnae network.  Our students undertake internships in Columbus with a wide range of arts organizations, including the Columbus Museum of Art, Opera Columbus, the Ohio Arts Council, BalletMet, variety of musical and public art programs, etc.

The program seeks to educate cultural policy makers and administrators who can:

  1. critically assess the value and impact of arts-related legislation and public arts programming
  2. recognize conflicts of policy and practice and seek solutions to these problems
  3. understand the concept and importance of comprehensive arts education as it relates to cultural policy and public education
  4. participate fully and effectively in the public policy arena, whether at the federal, state or local level.

Graduates of the program will have the practical skills required to manage an arts or cultural organization and will understand the important relationships of the arts to education, education to government, and government to the arts. Overall, the degree program seeks to educate arts leaders prepared to develop new genres of arts programming and more inclusive, interactive relationships between the public and the arts.

The Barnett Fellowship Fund

The Arts Policy and Administration Program is supported in part by two endowments provided by Lawrence and Isabel Barnett. Each year, the Barnett Fellowship Fund awards two incoming students tuition, fees and an annual stipend for two consecutive years. The Barnett Distinguished Visiting Professor Fund supports an annual visiting lecture series and biennial Arts and Public Policy Symposium created to facilitate in-depth inquiry and analysis of public and not-for-profit sector policies and practices affecting the support, accessibility, and quality of the arts and arts education.

Click here for an application for the Barnett Fellowship.

The Barnett Dissertation Fellowship

The purpose of the Barnett Dissertation Fellowship is to assist advanced doctoral students
specializing in Arts Policy & Administration to finish their dissertation and launch their professional careers. Fellowship support will be available each academic year to be awarded to one or more students.

For more information about the Barnett Dissertation Fellowship, click here.

The M.A. degree requirements are:

PROGRAM OF STUDIES