Arts Leadership and Administration Minor
Training the Arts Leaders of Tomorrow
The Arts Leadership and Administration Minor at the School of Arts equips students with the skills needed to lead, manage, and innovate in the arts industry. Whether you’re a freelance arts entrepreneur, a future nonprofit leader, or someone passionate about arts administration, this program provides both practical knowledge and real-world experience.
Key Features
Hands-On Experience
- Engage in internships, projects, and events with arts organizations across NYC.
Expert Faculty
- Learn from professionals in arts administration, nonprofit management, and cultural leadership.
Interdisciplinary Curriculum
- A curriculum blending arts management, leadership, and business practices tailored to the arts industry.
Network & Collaborate
- Connect with peers, mentors, and industry leaders to expand your professional network.
Program Curriculum
Required Courses (15 credits)
Students must take the following required courses:
BALA 101 Business and Society
BALA 101 Business and Society Prereq.: Open to all QC students. This course will introduce students to an interdisciplinary study of the impact of business on individuals and society. Students will explore relationships between people, business, and politics. Concepts in globalization, financial markets, ethics, diversity, leadership, and economics will be examined from an individual perspective vs. societal perspective. Students will receive a broad Academic Senate Minutes – May 11, 2023 Page 5 of 23 overview of business functions, including finance, human resources, marketing, and computer information systems.
BALA 103W Critical Thinking in Business
BALA 103W Critical Thinking in Business Prereq.: BALA 101 and ENGL 110, Limited to students enrolled in the BALA minor. Introduces students to effective logic and reasoning. Students will learn how to define issues, ask key questions, clarify assumptions, evaluate information, avoid stereotypes, assess risk and opportunity, and resolve conflicts. Examples are selected from domestic and international business contexts.
BALA 200 Entrepreneurship and Innovation
BALA 200 Entrepreneurship and Innovation Prereq.: BALA 101 and ENGL 110, Limited to students enrolled in the BALA minor. An introduction to the process of beginning a new enterprise; learning how to take an idea for a new or improved product or service and turn it into a business. Students will create a business plan using a spreadsheet program for data analysis and documentation, suitable to be sent to possible investors and lenders as well as serving as a blueprint for operating the enterprise. Students will learn leadership and teambuilding skills required to succeed as an entrepreneur or innovator.
BALA 201W Business Communications
BALA 201W Business Communications Prereq.: BALA 101 and ENGL 110, Limited to students enrolled in the BALA minor. Introduction to fundamental skills in oral and written communication combined with intercultural competence. Intensive practice in writing effectively across various businesses, drafting and revising documents based on current events and case-studies, creating external and internal communication pieces for organizations, and writing for digital platforms.
BALA 303 Strategic Management and Leadership
BALA 303 Strategic Management and Leadership Prereq.: All BALA courses, Limited to students enrolled in the BALA minor. A capstone course that brings management and leadership skills together. Students will learn how long-term strategic plans are formulated, implemented and evaluated in the business and not-for-profit spheres. The process of melding business analytics, intuition, social responsibility, and ethical considerations to form successful strategies will be explored.
BALA 303 is an existing capstone course that is focused on general issues of strategic management and leadership. Students in the Arts Leadership and Administration Minor will be expected to focus on Arts-related case studies and issues within the existing curriculum.
Elective Courses (6 credits)
Students are required to take two arts-specific management courses from the list below:
ACCT 100 Financial and Managerial Accounting
ACCT 100 Financial and Managerial Accounting Prereq.: BALA 100. This is a course in the theories and principles of financial and managerial accounting. Financial accounting includes the study of the preparation and interpretation of commonly used financial statements. Managerial accounting deals with the use of accounting data for managerial control and planning. Students will be introduced to the use of accounting systems programmed for the microcomputer, and to managerial decision-making based on mathematical modeling. Not open to accounting majors.
ARTS 296 Advertising Design
ARTS 296 Advertising Design Prereq.: ARTS 241. Design for the promotion and marketing of consumer products, business services, and not-for-profit organizations.
DRAM 390 Special Problems: Business of Arts
DRAM 390 Special Problems: Business of Arts Prereq.: Permission of the department. This course will serve as an introduction to arts administration and will review the basics around marketing, development, programming, and management, all within the context of our current sociopolitical, and economic reality. The class will engage in constant discussion around diversity, equity, and inclusivity in the arts, and will emphasize administration of non-profit arts organizations.
MEDST 264 Media Management
MEDST 264 Media Management Prereq.: MEDST 101. Introduction to management of the broadcast and cable television industries. Explores techniques and skills needed to manage modern television organizations. Subjects studies include programming, production, advertising, regulation, and the effects of new technologies.
MUSIC 242 Music Career Development
MUSIC 242 Music Career Development Prereq.: English 110 and admission to the Bachelor of Music program or permission of the instructor. An introduction to the music industry in all of its many facets. Students learn to prepare themselves for multiple career possibilities. They develop entrepreneurial skills and learn how to navigate a career.
Career Paths & Opportunities
Arts Administration
Lead arts organizations and nonprofits.
Creative Entrepreneurship
Launch your own arts business or creative venture, from galleries to production companies.
Event Management
Produce events, festivals, and performances.
Development & Fundraising
Drive financial sustainability for arts programs.
Digital Arts Marketing
Innovate arts promotion in the digital space.
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