Expand Your Career Through Graduate Studies
Canada’s Cultural and Creative Arts sector plays an important role in strengthening and our cultural fabric and increasing social connections. Arts Managers and Leaders are vital to this ecosystem as they provide vision and paths to realize these goals in non-profit, commercial or entrepreneurial roles.
The Graduate Diploma in Arts Management and Master’s Degrees in Arts Leadership are unique graduate programs focused exclusively on the arts and cultural sectors. We emphasize all aspects of Arts Management processes and leadership, including pairing your management and artistic practice with a Cultural or Arts organization through our individualized professional internship opportunities. Graduates of our Diploma and Degree programs have gone on to positions in Development, Marketing, Producing, Programming and providing key artistic or executive leadership in small, medium or large organizations, including museums, symphonies, galleries, theatres, and municipalities.
These programs are entirely online, with the exception of the professional internship, and include asynchronous and synchronous virtual learning sessions designed to balance flexibility in learning while also creating an online community.
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Graduate Diploma in Arts Management
Our Graduate Diploma in Arts Management is a one-term (16-week) program that can either be a stand-alone certification or constitutes the first term of the three-term Master of Arts Leadership program. The Graduate Diploma consists of five core courses: Arts Marketing, Arts Philanthropy, Arts Management: Human Resources, Artistic Producing, and Finance & Accounting for HR/LR. Graduates from this program will have a skills toolkit that will set them well on the path to becoming the arts managers and leaders of tomorrow.
The entire Diploma will be completed online.
Master of Arts Leadership
The Master of Arts Leadership is a 12-month (3-term) Professional Master's program. As a student in this program, you will attend courses, participate in a placement at a host organization, and complete a capstone report supervised by a faculty member. The capstone report focuses on a topic relevant to your placement and leverages the knowledge gained through your coursework. Graduates of this program have gone on to establish rewarding careers in many of Canada's premier arts organizations.
Delivery:
- May-December - Classes are online.
- January-April - You will complete a paid internship at an arts organization. Your placement is typically tailored to your artistic background and geographical location, to the extent possible. We place you!
Our Instructors: Our teachers are industry leaders who can share best practices and trends in the field. Many of our instructors have advanced graduate degrees, combining research practices to help you leverage your skills and abilities.
Internship Options: Here are some examples of where students have completed internships: The National Arts Centre, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, The National Ballet of Canada, the Stratford Festival, the Imperial Theatre, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Arts Commons, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, the Shaw Festival, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Daphne (Indigenous Art Centre) and more! You will engage in meaningful work within the organization, in areas such as marketing, development, philanthropy, and general arts administration. See our full placement list here.
Capstone Project: The Professional Master's focuses on research in action - your course work will involve critical thinking and research with a direct application to the field. You will not write a thesis, you will instead be asked to write a capstone report in your final semester, where you will research a topic relevant to your host organization. You will be mentored through this research project by a faculty advisor.
More information about course options is available here and on the Arts and Science Academic Course Calendar.
For more information about this program or application process please contact graduate.danschool@queensu.ca
The knowledge we gather through the Arts Leadership program is a privilege. The professors are exemplary and through the program they teach us the best practices for cultural institutions. But how can we use that knowledge without an opportunity to apply it in the field? Like many of my classmates, my internship was absolutely needed as a steppingstone into the industry. I started as an intern, but quickly proved my leadership skills. I am now the acting Manager of Database & Membership at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, working with a team who admires my education and is happy to have me on board.
Daniela Casas, Master of Arts Leadership, ‘22
Manager of Database & Membership at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection
Post-Graduate Pathways
Our graduates have been very successful in finding employment upon completion of the program. These graduate programs were created to train arts administrators and industry leaders who are equipped to meet the challenges facing the sector in the 21st Century, not the least of which are those challenges left in the wake of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. You will be uniquely positioned to help organizations and artists respond to the expanding arts and culture landscape.
Hear from recent graduates in this video:
How to Apply
Graduate students apply through the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
Application requirements and supporting materials for both the Graduate Diploma and Degree programs include:
Completed a 4-year undergraduate degree in the Arts or Humanities (eg: BA, BMus, BFA)
Achieved a minimum cumulative B+ GPA
Two Letters of Reference and the contact information of the referees
Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutes attended, sent by each institution directly to Queen's School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs
A non-refundable application fee. How to Apply | School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs
Start your application by logging into the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs portal.
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Click "Create an Account" if you are a new applicant to a graduate program at Queen's
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Once your account is created, you will be asked to select your program
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Select the "Diploma in Arts Management" if you wish to be considered for the 4-month program
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Select "Master's in Arts Leadership" if you wish to be considered for the 12-month program
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You will also be asked to select your “Start Term” (May or September)
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Students seeking entry into the Diploma in Arts Management must choose "May"
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Students seeking direct entry into the Master's of Arts program must choose "May"
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Students who have already completed a Graduate Diploma in Arts Management and are now seeking entrance to the Master's in Arts Leadership will choose "September". The September start date is reserved for applicants who have already completed the Queen's Graduate Diploma in Arts Management, and wish to continue on in the Master's program.
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Your application is considered complete after the following occurs:
Completed application form
Receipt of both Letters of Reference
Receipt of transcripts directly from each academic institution attended
Receipt of application fee payment
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
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Application deadline is February 1, 2025.
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Notification of acceptance will be posted in the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs portal.
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Questions about the application process? Contact us at graduate.danschool@queensu.ca
FAQs
1. How do I submit my transcripts?
Transcripts should be sent by each institution directly to Queen's School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. Students can upload official transcripts to their application for review purposes only. Any offer of admission is conditional on receipt of official transcripts.
2. What are the tuition fees?
Tuition fees for domestic and international students are detailed through the Queen's Registrar Office.