What to Expect
The combination of art and business is usually what attracts arts administration
students to the program.
Naomi Omar Ali found her interests split between business and drama. "So
when I came across the arts management co-op program ... I thought it was
a perfect fit," she says.
While working toward her specialist degree in arts management, she also
pursued a major in drama and a minor in economics. Her courses included
theater history, management, cultural policy and economics. She also volunteered
for arts organizations and attended club meetings, such as the drama club.
She had about two to three hours of homework each day. A typical
course load at the university was four to five courses per semester.
Arts administration graduate Philip Hartwick says that he typically had
two classes a day, which were each about three hours long. By the end of the
course, he had about four hours of homework each day.
"I found taking breaks throughout the day incredibly helpful in
sustaining my ability to work so much without feeling like it was taking over
my life," he says.
The program gave him a lot of flexibility in deciding, or not deciding,
what to do in the future, from marketing and publicity, to facility management
and fund-raising.
Survival Tips
Hartwick says that challenges in school included dealing with the workload
and staying on top of his studies, particularly group assignments.
"With group work, the best you can do is communicate," he says.
"That is the most crucial thing when working with anyone, and often saves
lots of mistakes and confusion. As long as you tried your best to resolve
a situation, you cannot do anything more unless people meet you halfway."
How to Prepare
Danielle Oberly majored in dance management at Oklahoma City University.
She advises students to get involved in arts activities, especially
in organizing them.
Oberly is also involved with a dance company. "All of these positions have
taught me something new," she says.
"You will make the program what it is. If you just go to class, you will
only learn textbook knowledge. You need to apply it."