The BA program is designed for students who want to acquire the leadership and management skills for today’s arts organizations.
A graduate of this program will have the ability to:
- Develop the workplace skills and business knowledge to succeed a variety of arts administration roles.
- Utilize industry-standard software programs to create compelling messages in a variety of mediums.
- Solve real-world problems through a hands-on curriculum rooted in experience and practice.
- Implement innovative and entrepreneurial strategies within art fields.
- Expand connections and network to an expansive alumni network, faculty, and arts professionals.
Did you know college graduates with at least three internships are more likely to receive full-time job offers? Not only do internships and other experiential learning opportunities provide you college credit, experiential learning opportunities also help you to define specific career interests in arts administration while practicing what you’ve learned in your arts administration courses. As an arts administration student, you’re required to complete at least 6-credit hours of experiential learning to graduate. And because we want you to explore what interests you, you’ll have the flexibility to tailor your experiential learning requirements to your needs.
As an arts administration student, the experiential learning opportunities available to you are endless! Here are some of the awesome arts organizations that UK’s arts administration students have interned:
Theatre
Steppenwolf Theatre Company – Chicago, IL
Lexington Children’s Theatre – Lexington, KY
Women’s Theatre Festival – Raleigh, NC
San Francisco Playhouse – San Francisco, CA
Marathon Live Entertainment – New York, NY
Visual Art
Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center – Cincinnati, OH
Oceanside Museum of Art – Oceanside, CA
Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft – Louisville, KY
Music
Lexington Philharmonic – Lexington, KY
Houston Grand Opera – Houston, TX
Pittsburgh Festival Opera – Pittsburgh, PA
Jazz at Lincoln Center – New York, NY
Birthplace of Country Music – Bristol, TN
Dance
Orlando Ballet – Orlando, FL
Appalachian Ballet Company – Maryville, TN
Allegro Dance Project – Lexington, KY
Multi-Discipline
The Kennedy Center for the Arts – Washington, DC
Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts – Louisville, KY
Living Arts & Science Center – Lexington, KY
Hawaii Performing Arts Festival – Kamuela, HI
Tempe Arts Center – Tempe, AZ
As a student of arts administration at UK, you’ll study the fascinating field of emotional intelligence over the course of your academic study through a five-part course series focused on self-awareness, empathy, teamwork and collaboration, decision-making, and relationship management. Emotional Intelligence – or EI – refers to the ability to name, process, and manage one’s emotions and the emotions of others. Widely recognized by hiring managers as a valuable skill among employees, EI has been linked to increased job satisfaction and productivity as well as effective communication and leadership.
We believe these skills not only increase your ability to serve as an effective organizational citizen, but that they also support your efforts to build and sustain successful arts organizations to #MakeArtHappen. Our course series on emotional intelligence is just one of the many ways the BA in Arts Administration sets itself apart in curriculum and career preparation for students like you!
Rather than choosing one major and one minor, double-majoring allows you to gain a more in depth understanding of two majors! Double-majoring is a great way to gain a competitive advantage in the workforce, and complementing your degree in Arts Administration with a second major in your artistic discipline from UK’s College of Fine Arts will certainly enhance your ability to truly #MakeArtHappen!
Being a double-major doesn’t have to add any additional time to your degree completion. In fact, students who double-major in Arts Administration and their artistic discipline will work closely with the Chair of the Department of Arts Administration to develop an individualized course sequencing plan to make the most of your time with us!
Official up to date information on requirements and courses is listed in the UK Registrar Catalog, including archived sheets for any prior year of enrollment. The information here is presented for your convenience, please use the Registrar's listing in case of any discrepancy.
In order to satisfy the requirements to earn a BA in Arts Administration, students must complete the following:
UK Core Requirements
Please see the UK Core Requirements in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
Pre-Major Courses
Anyone who is accepted to, or currently enrolled in, the University of Kentucky as a student may enter the undergraduate program by declaring themselves as an Arts Administration Pre-Major.
As a pre-major, students must complete the following courses with a 3.0 GPA:
- AAD 103 - EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR ARTS ADMINISTRATORS: SELF-AWARENESS
- AAD 150 - ARTS IN ACTION
- AAD 203 - EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR ARTS ADMINISTRATORS: EMPATHY
- AAD 240 - ARTS ADMINISTRATION TECHNOLOGIES
- CIS 111 - COMPOSITION & COMMUNICATION II -OR- WRD 111 - COMPOSITION AND COMMUNICATION II
- UK Core - Quantitative Foundations
- UK Core - Statistical/Inferential Reasoning
To become a full major, students must:
- Complete 30 semester hours of coursework;
- Have a minimum 2.8 cumulative grade-point average;
- Complete premajor core requirements with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 in premajor courses
- Submit an application form to the Department of Arts Administration Office and interview with the Department of Arts Administration Faculty.
Students meeting these requirements will be accepted as majors in the program. Applications for full major status must be submitted prior to a student taking an upper division Arts Administration course.
Major Courses
- AAD 180 - ORGANIZING THE ARTS Credit(s): 3
- AAD 299 - WORKPLACE READINESS AND CAREER PLANNING Credit(s): 1
- AAD 300 - MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING FOR THE ARTS Credit(s): 3
- AAD 303 - EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR ARTS ADMINISTRATORS: COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK Credit(s): 1
- AAD 305 - ARTS ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS Credit(s): 3
- AAD 310 - MARKETING FOR THE ARTS Credit(s): 3
- AAD 320 - FUNDRAISING FOR THE ARTS Credit(s): 3
- AAD 350 - FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS I Credit(s): 3
- AAD 353 - EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR ARTS ADMINISTRATORS: MANAGING SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Credit(s): 1
- AAD 370 - FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR ARTS ORGANIZATIONS II Credit(s): 3
- AAD 380 - EVENT PLANNING & MANAGEMENT FOR THE ARTS Credit(s): 3
- AAD 403 - EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR ARTS ADMINISTRATORS: DECISION-MAKING Credit(s): 1
- AAD 410 - ARTS ENTREPRENEURSHIP Credit(s): 3
- AAD 420 - LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF ARTS ADMINISTRATION Credit(s): 3
- AAD 425 - ARTS ADVOCACY Credit(s): 3
- AAD 450 - ARTS ADMINISTRATION SENIOR SEMINAR Credit(s): 3
- AAD 480 - ARTS PROGRAMMING Credit(s): 3
- AAD 498 - NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATION INTERNSHIP Credit(s): 3 - 6 (Variable)
- AAD 499 - INTERNSHIP IN ARTS ADMINISTRATION Credit(s): 1 - 12 (Variable)
Directed Electives
Option A
Twelve (12) credits of Directed Electives chosen in consultation with the student’s academic advisor from the following areas:
- AAD electives at the 300-level or above.
- AAD 500-level courses. At least 3 credit hours must be from 500-level AAD courses.
- AAD 395 - INDEPENDENT STUDY IN ARTS ADMINISTRATION. May complete up to 6 credit hours of an individually designed and approved project under the guidance of a faculty member.
- AAD 399. ARTS ADMINISTRATION PRACTICUM. Up to 2 credit hours of arts administration practicum may be used toward directed elective credit.
- AAD 402 - SPECIAL TOPICS IN ARTS ADMINISTRATION: SUBTITLE REQUIRED
- May be repeated to a maximum of 6 credit hours when identified with different subtitles.
- AAD 498. NONPROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATION INTERNSHIP. An additional 3 credit hours (above the required 6 credit hours) of arts administration internship may be used toward directed elective credit.
- AAD 499 - INTERNSHIP IN ARTS ADMINISTRATION. An additional 3 credit hours (above the required 6 credit hours) of arts administration internship may be used toward directed elective credit.
- Approved education abroad courses may apply to directed elective credit. Consult department chair for approval.
- Individual courses from any of the approved certificates listed in Option C.
Option B
Students may complete one of the following approved minors outside the College of Fine Arts:
- African American and Africana Studies
- Appalachian Studies
- Communication
- Community and Leadership Development
- Gender and Women’s Studies
- Information Studies
- International Studies
- Journalism Studies
- Media Arts and Studies
- Professional and Technical Writing
- Statistics
- Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies
Option C
Students may complete one of the following Undergraduate Certificate programs:
- Arts Emergency Management
- Creative Social Entrepreneurship
Free Electives
In addition to meeting their UK Core and major requirements, students must earn 6 credits in any area(s) of their choosing.
We know college can be expensive, and Arts Administration pre-majors at UK are eligible for multi-year scholarships – with incoming freshmen always given priority! There are also financial awards and scholarships available for special projects and opportunities you wish to pursue. Interested in legislating for the arts in Washington, DC? There’s an award for that! Interested in studying arts administration abroad? There’s an award for that! Have an awesome internship lined up for the summer? There’s also an award for that! Awards and scholarship applications are distributed digitally to pre-majors and majors each semester.