Graduate FAQs

Interactions and networking are critical components of our program. Students work with their professors every week and have interactions with their peers weekly as well. Faculty are available for video-based office hours weekly and by appointment. Faculty are expected to respond to student inquiries within 48 hours. Students typically say that faculty members are very accessible.

Most certainly! Students have access to the library from off campus through a log-in system. Digital materials can be supplied immediately. Books are mailed to students at their request. 

Online courses require a minimum level of computer competency. You should have reliable, convenient access to a computer and the Internet, and be comfortable with basic computer and Internet tasks.
 
If you are not comfortable using a computer, you will probably be overwhelmed by the technology requirements of the courses. Try taking a computer basics class before attempting a course that is dependent on using a computer. If you are comfortable using a computer but don't feel you have reliable and convenient access to one, you may find it difficult to fully participate and keep up with course assignments.

For more information about hardware and software, visit UK ITS.

Graduate courses in arts administration are offered in the fall, spring and summer semesters. Most MA students enroll in two courses during each of the three semesters.

Each course in the online M.A. is designed to engage and involve students on a weekly basis. Students participate in weekly discussions, activities and assignments. However, all of the courses are asynchronous - meaning that faculty and students do not need to be online at the same time to complete discussions and assignments. Students are able to work on their classes at a time most convenient for them rather than having to adhere to predetermined class meeting times.

For a three-credit hour course, students should expect to spend 6-10 hours each week completing the course content, discussions, activities and assignments. Students are expected to login and participate in the course 4-5 days per week.

University of Kentucky master’s degree programs may accept up to 9 credit hours of transfer credit. Credit transfers are only evaluated after an applicant has been offered admission into a program and accepted.  In order to evaluate credit transfer requests, students must submit a syllabus and examples of work from the course(s) to the Arts Administration program office for credit evaluation. 

The transferable hours include all post-baccalaureate work, graduate work taken at another regionally-accredited university or as a student in another graduate program at the University of Kentucky. The following rules also apply to credit transfer: 

• Course credits applied toward a previously awarded graduate degree cannot be transferred.
• Transfer of independent work, research, thesis or dissertation credit is not permitted.
• Short courses lasting fewer weeks than the number of credits may not be transferred.
• A student must have been in graduate status at the time the courses were taken in order for the courses to be transferable. A student must be in good academic standing at the time of transfer.
• Only courses assigned a B grade or better can be transferred. 

Not all students in the program have to complete an internship. This is a decision made between the student and their advisor. For instance, students who are currently working at an arts organization may not complete an internship. For students who do complete an internship, they will work 150-hours at their selected arts organization. Most students have a location in mind that they wish to intern at. Sometimes they arrange the internship themselves and other times, the faculty will help them set it up. Students are required to submit a Learning Contract and then they are enrolled in the Internship course. The course that corresponds with the internship is led by a faculty member and guides the students to connect their course work with their work activities. 

Most students chose to do an internship in their home location but not always. Students are free to complete an approved internship at any location in the world.

Students are not required to complete a traditional master's thesis. However, students are required to complete a significant research project called a Capstone Project, under the guidance of a faculty committee in the final course of the program AAD 750: Capstone Course in Arts Administration. This course will results in a paper that describes their topic, research methods, findings and analysis. Students are also expected to present their work in an online oral presentation.

The program is designed to help you prepare for a job search in various ways including building an online portfolio as part of your program to showcase your skills and knowledge. Additionally, the Capstone Project is designed to give students the opportunity to work on a project in the area in which they hope to work. Of course, faculty are willing to write letters of recommendation and connect students with their field contacts for employment as well.

In the United States, there is no accrediting body for Arts Administration Programs. The Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) is the primary professional association in the field. AAAE produces curricular standards for arts administration programs on the undergraduate and graduate levels. UK’s programs adhere to these curricular standards. Additionally, the University of Kentucky is an active member of AAAE — in fact, our Program Director serves on the AAAE Board of Directors.

No. The GRE is not a required element for the application for admission to the MA in Arts Administration. A full list of requirements are available on the Admissions page. However, should you wish to apply for a UK Graduate School Fellowship, you are required to submit GRE scores.