Curriculum
This program consists of 45 credits (33 core course credits and 12 elective credits).
Core Course Descriptions
AADM 505 - Overview of Arts Administration (3 credits)
Provides a survey of the field of arts administration and introduces nonprofit governance including incorporation, mission development, and roles and responsibilities of boards of directors. Includes a required on-campus component on Drexel’s Philadelphia campus for 5 days where students interface with local arts and cultural organizations and connect with faculty, classmates, and alumni.
AADM 510 – Writing for the Arts (3 credits)
Covers strategies for writing non-marketing materials in the arts such as funding proposals, advocacy letters, board communications, and persuasive speeches.
AADM 610 - Financial Accounting for Non-Profit Arts Organizations (3 credits)
Covers accounting principles, accounting procedures and internal control, forecasting, balance sheet analysis, budgeting procedures, and financial reporting for non-profit arts organizations.
AADM 620 – Law in the Arts (3 credits)
Examines the relationship between the arts and law, including contracts, license fees, copyrights, intellectual property, royalties, labor-management agreements, liability, immigration law, and use fees. Each class is conducted by an area legal expert on a specialty as it relates to the arts.
AADM 650 – Fund Development for the Arts (3 credits)
Provides an in-depth examination of techniques in researching, procuring, and retaining contributed funds for cultural organizations. Covers techniques and strategies for individual, corporate, governmental, and foundation grants and gifts.
AADM 670 – Developing Audiences for the Arts (3 credits)
Overview of organizational practices and theory related to audience development non-profit arts organizations.
AADM 710 – Strategic Planning and Evaluation (3 credits)
Provides a survey of the theory and practice of planning and evaluation as it relates to arts programs. Includes development of critical issues, goals, strategies, outcomes research planning, and protocol development.
AADM 750 –Arts Administration Seminar (3 credits)
Examines issues affecting the development of cultural policy in America, including demographic change; leisure preferences; and trends in education, social policy, politics, and economic development.
AADM 751 – Management Techniques in the Arts (3 credits)
Examines approaches used to manage and oversee various arts organizations, including managing change, decision-making, negotiation and presentation skills, and assessing management style.
AADM 770 – Technology and the Marketing of the Arts (3 credits)
The objective of Technology and Marketing the Arts is to develop an understanding of how technology and media can be used as a tool for marketing the arts. Includes topics such as e-mail marketing, direct mail, telemarketing, social media, websites, podcasting and videocasting.
AADM 798 – Thesis and Internship (3 credits)
Allows advanced students to work in an appropriate arts-related job associated with a professional arts organization. Thesis is written as a case study of the internship experience or as a scholarly work related to the student's individual research interest.
Sample Elective Courses
AADM 720 – Leadership in the Arts (3 credits)
Explores the concepts of leadership and examines leadership experiences and potential as they relate to the field of non-profit arts and culture.
AADM 740 – Production Laboratory in the Performing Arts (3 credits)
Provides practical experience in artistic production, including establishment of timelines, negotiation of contracts, allocation of resources, ticket sales and accounting, and technical direction.
AADM 760 – Special Problems in Arts Management (3 credits)
Allows the student to select topical management problems in the arts and study approaches appropriate to their solution. May include data-gathering techniques, interviewing, developmental procedures, etc., as required.
AADM 755 – Community Cultural Planning and Local Arts Policy (3 credits)
Examines the process of community cultural planning and local arts policy development, including trends and issues in national, state and local arts policies and external influences (economic, social and educational trends) that affect local planning.
AADM 720 – Leadership in the Arts (3 credits)
Explores the concepts of leadership and examines leadership experiences and potential as they relate to the field of non-profit arts and culture.
AADM 775 – Technology Management and Planning in the Arts (3 credits)
Examines the function and strategic use of technology tailored to the future arts and cultural leader. Through an interactive learning process, students gain an understanding of the role and impact of technology in the non-profit arts and cultural organization. A prior technology course or background in technology is not required.
AADM 731 – HR Management in the Arts (3 credits)
Examines human resource management and labor relations specific to non-profit arts and cultural organizations. Students will learn about labor union contract negotiations when working with performing and visual arts institutions.
COM 675 – Grant Writing: Arts/Humanities (3 credits)
Students develop the skills needed to write an effective grant proposal. Topics include idea development, analyzing a team's capabilities to complete a project, developing a clear plan of attack, locating funding sources, honing research skills, and effectively using graphic elements in proposal design.
COM 680 – PR Writing and Strategies (3 credits)
An intensive, advanced public relations course covering public relations theory, strategies and writing. Students will apply theory and tactics in the development of crisis communication plans and issue management strategies.
MGMT 640 – Strategic Human Resource Management (3 credits)
This course examines how line managers can determine the most effective HR practices. HR practices examined include job designs, reward systems, development and appraisal systems, and internal and external staffing approaches. Students are encouraged to think strategically about different aspects of managing the organization's human assets.
MGMT 680 – Executive Leadership (3 credits)
Focuses on analysis and critique of cases by student teams, the professor, and visiting business and governmental leaders, which in turn opens the way for freewheeling exchanges between visitors and students on experiences and principles of leadership.
MKTG 634 – Integrated Marketing Communications Management (3 credits)
Takes the marketing manager's viewpoint to examine the management and coordination of all marketing communication to customers and stakeholders. Discusses concepts and strategies in such areas as advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, and public relations.
MKTG 646 – Services Marketing (3 credits)
Covers marketing theory, concepts, strategy, and tactics as applied to the unique characteristics and demands of service organizations and manufacturing firms that use service as a competitive advantage. Evaluates marketing strategies of various service industries using case studies to illustrate the links between internal business processes and external customer satisfaction.
ORGB 631 – Leading Effective Organizations (3 credits)
Prepares students to make informed decisions as leaders in common institutional and environmental contexts. The focus of the contingency-based perspective of this course is to help leaders understand how best to motivate and coordinate employees and to control outcomes in a manner that ensures they fulfill strategic objectives.
STAT 601 – Business Statistics (3 credits)
This course covers the basic principles and implementation techniques of analysis of variance, simple and multiple regression analysis, and statistical process control. An understanding of how these tools can support managerial decision making is also emphasized.
