This program encourages participants to consider their role in society and their respective communities as cultural arbiters and educators. The Arts and Cultural Management Program (ACMP) is a two-year program that expands traditional arts business and management courses to include public policy, the impact of multiculturalism, cultural education, and innovation in operating and communications technology. Classes are held in Manhattan.

By expanding the course work to include nonprofit management practices, public policy, and other contemporary issues, the ACMP stresses the importance of simultaneously developing business acumen and a sense of social responsibility. Courses are offered on weekends so that students may continue their full-time work or obtain full-time internships. The field of arts and cultural administration has grown politicized as a result of the so-called culture wars and increased social activism on the part of artists. In unprecedented ways, the directors of arts and cultural institutions are increasingly compelled to address the broader social and political issues raised either through the work that is presented or by the public’s response to the work.

While some might view these changes as challenges, others see them as opportunities for developing new ways to incorporate arts and culture into the daily lives of Americans. In general, traditional arts management
education does not prepare administrators for the increasing demands placed on them by external sources and the need to cultivate new sources of financial support and collaborating partners. Pratt Institute’s ACMP produces arts and cultural leaders equipped with the necessary theoretical, analytical, and practical skills to respond creatively to the changing cultural, economic, and social environments in which they work.

The goal of this program is to prepare arts and cultural professionals to assume leadership roles within philanthropic and nonprofit public sectors and private sector arts and cultural agencies. This goal is accomplished by:
• Stretching each participant’s ability todeal with a wide range of critical artistic, institutional, and business problems in practical and theoretical terms;
• Increasing the individual’s ability to manage complex, cross-disciplinary, and competing problems and tensions that inherent in arts and cultural business environments;
• Providing practical skills for negotiating organizational and artistic conflicts;
• Broadening outlooks on the social, economic, and political climate and the role of arts and cultural institutions in society;
• Sharpening personal capacities for understanding and solving organizational and human relations problems;
• Developing communications skills for the effective exchange of ideas and information;
• Sharpening the individual’s capacities to anticipate and effectively manage change fueled by external forces;
• Developing the leadership capabilities of each participant;
• Sharing the ideas and experiences of a diverse group of promising arts and cultural managers.

The ACMP is designed for arts and cultural professionals who wish to develop their managerial skills and effectiveness in order to assume senior-level management responsibilities or run their own organization. Applicants should have an undergraduate degree in a related field—an arts discipline, social policy, or organizational theory—and some arts/cultural work experience. In some cases volunteer experience will be an acceptable demonstration of interest in the field. An interview (in person, by phone, or e-mail) with the Program Director is required for admission. A 3.0 undergraduate cumulative index is required. For international students, a minimum Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 550 is required.

Because this program is designed for the working professional, classes are held for twelve hours every other weekend, coupled with a full week of instruction at the beginning, and a summer intensive that includes three weekdays. Students are required to take 42 credits to complete the program and receive a Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) in Arts and Cultural Management.

The curriculum covers five study areas:
• Making connections—marketing, development, and education;
• People and organizational dynamics;
• Operating environments;
• Finance, decisionmaking, and information systems; and,
• Experience-based learning.

The ACMP’s academic calendar is modeled on successful executive M.B.A. programs. With a schedule of alternating weekends (Saturday and Sunday) that allows participants to carry their full job responsibilities while they study. A full week of instruction at the beginning of the program and a summer intensive that includes three weekdays provide the opportunity for highly interactive behavioral simulations and negotiation modules. The two years of classes are divided into five continuous semesters, which include the summer between the first and second year. These semesters are divided into two sets of 10-week classes. Within each set, students take two courses, each of which meets for three hours on Saturday and on Sunday. Course work is concentrated in these sessions and moves at a fast pace. Class attendance is critical, since each alternating weekend of classes is one-tenth of the entire course.

As their “capstone” experience, students have the opportunity to take one of three experience-based learning options—internship, Team Pratt (three students are retained by an arts/cultural organization to address a specific management problem), or case study development. Each option is divided into Thesis Part I (2 credits), taken in the fall semester of the second year, and Thesis Part II (2 credits), taken in the spring of the second year.

highlighted courses

Master of Professional Studies in Arts and Cultural Management
42 total credits required

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Advertising & Promotion

ACM-628

This course examines approaches to developing, evaluating, and managing advertising and promotion strategies. The course structure follows that of an advertising campaign. Planning in terms of targeting and promotions is discussed, followed by plan implementation.

2.00 credits

Behavioral Simulation

ACM-631

The Northwood Arts Center (NAC) simulation recreates a typical day in a nonprofit arts organization. Acting as senior management of the NAC, students will address a variety of issues such as artistic programming, board relations and development, capital improvements, outreach through education and community relations. The Crandall Museum, the New Horizons Theater and the NAC all offer support for the services and staff. Participants manage the NAC as they see fit for half a day. The remainder of the day is devoted to feedback on participants' managerial styles and effectiveness as leaders, exploring how they incorporated skills and knowledge acquired in coursework prior to the run of the simulation.

1.00 credits

Nonprofit Law & Governance

ACM-642

This course provides a practical overview of the legal issues affecting the operation of nonprofit organizations in the United States. It provides the basics of how to establish and organize a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization. The course explores copyright issues, reproduction rights and the development of legal issues involved with new communications technologies.

2.00 credits

Art, Culture and Social Policy

ACM-643

This historical overview of the interplay between the arts, culture and public policies looks beyond economic public policies that affect the arts and culture to examine how policies, or lack thereof, play a role in the production and consumption of art and cultural programs. The course also examines how artists shape attitudes, opinions, and awareness of social issues.

2.00 credits

Cultural Pluralism in the U.S.

ACM-644

The course examines the historical development of multiculturalism and the social context from which it grew. It demonstrates how many organizations have responded to the call for greater diversity, not only in what they produce and present, but also in their employment practices, governance, and role in their respective communities. Using guest speakers and case studies, the course will also examine trends in other parts of the world and the resulting arts/cultural practices.

2.00 credits

Art in the Urban Environment

ACM-645

Since the mid-1960s, the practice of making art for and in the public realm has grown in stature and importance. In the United States and most industrialized nations, public art programs are managed by a variety of not-for-profit and public sector agencies. This course examines the development of this field and looks at the management structures that have been institutionalized to respond to the desire for community inclusion in the decision-making process. It explores the relationship between artists, communities and society-at-large within the urban environment.

2.00 credits

Extrnl Rltns for Nonprof Mgrs

ACM-646

Operating in several different public environments, managers of nonprofit organizations must deal with varied constituencies. This course offers a guide to methods and techniques for handling public relations, advocacy, crisis management and other external relations issues.

2.00 credits

Managing Innovation and Change

ACM-626

The shifting demographics of our cities, evolving tastes and reduced resources make it necessary for arts/cultural organizations to rethink their programming as well as their institutions' structure. The need for innovation and change can also be linked both to technological developments and to an emerging understanding of the limits to growth. These factors combine to create a need to manage our human and material resources more effectively. The course emphasizes the need for a strategic perspective at every level of the organization.

2.00 credits

Leadership and Team Building

ACM-625

This course prepares students for the challenge of participatory management by building skills and providing opportunities to practice both leadership and team building. It explores motivation, decision making, diversity of skills and cultural backrounds in the training and development of a committed work team.

2.00 credits

Fundraising for Arts/Culture

ACM-622

This course is a survey of the field of development as it applies primarily to nonprofit visual arts organizations, both large and small. It examines functions within organizations and provides advice, strategy, perspective and basic skill building. The course also offers current insights and potentially helpful contacts in the field.

2.00 credits

2 External Relations for Nonprofit Managers
ACM-646
2 Managing Innovation & Change ACM-626
2 Financial Planning & Budget Management ACM-623
2 Thesis II ACM-664B
8 CREDITS

2 Advertising & Promotion ACM-628
2 Fundraising for Arts & Culture ACM-622
2 Arts & Cultural Education ACM-624
2 Thesis I ACM-664A
1 Managerial Decision Making ACM-671
9 CREDITS

2 Art, Culture & Social Policy ACM-643
2 Finances & Financial Reporting for Nonprofit Managers ACM-651
1 Negotiating ACM-633
2 Strategic Technology ACM-654
7 CREDITS

2 Strategic Marketing for Arts & Culture ACM-621
2 Organizational Behavior ACM-632
2 Management Communications ACM-627
2 Nonprofit Law & Governance ACM-642
1 Behavioral Simulation ACM-631
9 CREDITS

2 Management of Arts & Cultural Organizations ACM-641
2 Leadership & Team Building ACM-62542
2 Art in the Urban Environment ACM-645
2 Cultural Pluralism in the U.S. ACM-644
1 Directed Research ACM-652
9 CREDITS

Strat Mktg for Arts & Culture

ACM-621

Historical overview of how the arts and cultural programs have been marketed in the U.S. Examines current trends and developments through case studies. Topics will include theories of marketing and the development of new strategies to reach new audiences. This course will examine how the changing demographics of our cities presents challenges to traditional marketing methods. Lastly, students will learn how arts and cultural programs are marketed in other nations.

2.00 credits

Finances/Financial Reporting

ACM-651

Financial literacy is the goal of this course. Considering the limited resources available to most arts/cultural administrators, it is imperative that they are equipped with the analytical skills necessary to stretch their contributed and earned dollars to the maximum while protecting the integrity of the organization’s programming and/or services. Participants will become familiar with all aspects of nonprofit accounting theories and practices. Great attention and detail will be focused on building budgets - both institutional and project.

2.00 credits