MA Arts Management, Policy and Practice

Fees for entry in 2027 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2026 were as follows:

• MA (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £14,700
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £29,900
• MA (part-time)
  UK students (per annum): £7,350
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £14,950

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

• Learn more about - student finance options for UK students.
• Learn more about - fees and finance for international students .
• Graduates of The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University can receive a 10% discount on their master's degree tuition fees as part of our Manchester Alumni Loyalty Discount scheme.

This unit provides a comprehensive introduction to key processes, factors, tools and approaches involved in strategic and operational management of arts, cultural and creative industries organisations. Its content blends professional insight, case studies and grey material with theoretical approaches, to be delivered via blended learning through lectures, seminars, workshops and site visits. During the course, students will learn how to develop their business strategy portfolios including a pitch presentation, case study analysis, funding proposal, and business plan.

 

 

• Introduce a range of relevant functions which support marketing, finance, business development, governance, resource development and fundraising in arts, heritage and cultural organisations.
• Provide specialist advice and insight from cultural professionals on models and approaches to arts management, project management, and business development.
• Explore the political, social and economic context and current environment for creative and cultural businesses and organisations.

 

Week 1 - Introduction - the Business of Creative and Cultural Industries

Week 2 - Project planning and management

Week 3 - Understanding risk and internal/external environments

Week 4 - Project Pitch

Week 5 - Finance I: Fundraising, financing and writing funding applications

Week 6 - Finance II: Setting up a budget and managing it

Week 7 - Strategic marketing, engagement and programming

Week 8 - Leadership and Governance

Week 9 - Diversity and the Arts

Week 10 - Finance, Risk and Business Planning and HR operations

Week 11 - Evaluating and Demonstrating Project Outcomes and Developing you Business Planning

Week 12 - Business Planning Surgeries

Weekly seminars, workshops and where possible site visits. There will also be directed reading and/or fieldwork tasks to develop your assessed work from week to week. Sessions will benefit from a range of expert practitioners who have been invited as guest speakers, and local organisations who are treated as case studies. Indicative reading is provided through the handbook with links to further resources which will also be provided via Blackboard. 

• Develop a critical understanding of theoretical and practical tools and relevant skills, practices and issues relevant to business development, planning, fundraising and project management in the arts, culture and heritage sectors
• Demonstrate relevant knowledge of the context for the management and strategic development of arts and cultural organisations and be able to apply and adapt this knowledge in professional practice

• Undertake self-directed learning and skills acquisition; conduct independent, critical fieldwork and develop appropriate methodological and analytical skills
• Apply skills and ideas learned in one institutional context to another, while remaining aware of the complexity of the issues
• Research, design and develop appropriate business strategies and planning processes for arts and cultural management functions (e.g.  marketing, communications, branding, budgeting, business planning, fund-raising, human resources and performance management)

• Communicate complex research findings through clear written and verbal articulation, supported by appropriate technological tools
• Retrieve, select and critically evaluate information from a variety of sources, including libraries, archives and the internet

• Communicate information and ideas effectively in a professional, as well as an academic environment.
• Critically evaluate personal performance through monitoring and analytical reflection.
• Demonstrate independent learning ability suitable for continuing study and professional development.

Assessment Task	Formative or Summative	Weighting within unit	Length
Pitch presentation for funding application	Formative		3-5 minutes presentation of project plan
Funding application, including project/programme aims and objectives, audience/market analysis, business case, budget, schedule, evaluation framework	Summative	50%	1,500 words, plus appendices
Business plan document, including Mission, Vision, Fundraising plan, audience development plan, governance model, organisations structure and evaluation framework	Summative	50%	3,000 words, plus appendices

Feedback method	Formative or Summative
Verbal feedback from lecturing staff and peers on pitch presentation of project idea	Formative
Written feedback on funding application proposal	Formative
Written feedback on funding application and business planning assessments	Summative

 

Book, L. and Phillips, D.P. eds. (2013) Creativity and Entrepeneurship: Chaning Currents in Education and Public Life, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.

Byrnes, W (2009) ‘Chapter 6: Organizing and Organizational Design’ in Management and the Arts, Focal Press. 

Cray, D. and L. Inglis, 2011. ‘Strategic Decision Making in Arts Organizations’ , The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 41 (2): 84-102,

Hagoort, G., 2005. Art Management: Entrepreneurial Style. Utrecht : Eburon.

Daigle, P. and L. Rouleau, 2010. ‘Strategic Plans in Arts Organizations: A Tool of Compromise between Artistic and Managerial Values’ , International Journal of Arts Management, 12 (3): 13-30,

Mullins, J. W. 2006. The New Business Road Test. What entrepreneurs and executives should do before writing a business plan. 2nd edition. London: Prentice Hall.

McNicholas, B. 2004. “Arts, Culture and Business: A Relationship Transformation, a Nascent Field.” International Journal of Arts Management Vol 7 No 1.

Munoz-Seca, B. and Riverola, J. 2010. When Business Meets Culture. Ideas and Experience for Mutual Profit. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.

Varbanova, L. (2013) Strategic Management in the Arts, New York & London: Routledge.