Arts Management

The arts stimulate us, educate us, challenge and amuse us. They are of instrumental, as well as intrinsic, value and their social benefits are numerous and beyond doubt. [Maria Miller, Culture Sector Minister, April 2013]

Why study Arts Management?

Culture, the arts and the creative industries in the UK are estimated to be worth around £36 billion to our economy – our creative and cultural excellence plays a crucial role in our national identity, and is recognized globally.

But in the 21st century, culture and arts policy and practice are being shaped against a background of enormous change and challenge across the creative sectors. Arts managers and administrators are instrumental in the governance and sustainability of the creative sectors. From policy makers to caretakers of arts buildings and infrastructure, from pioneers of economic innovation to leaders of excellence in creative practice, cultural leaders and managers of the arts will increasingly need to be flexible, responsive and imaginative practitioners, equally comfortable in a variety of settings, and adept at working in partnership with a wide range of organisations. They will need to be people who see the arts and culture as a vital part of the wider economy.

Bath, a relatively small city with a resident population of about 80,000, attracts over 4 million visitors every year. It hosts an annual series of internationally renowned arts and cultural festivals, has been a fashionable spa for leisure and pleasure since the 18th century, and is a World Heritage Site with rich offering of museums and galleries. But it is also a city at the heart of the South West, ideally situated between Bristol and London on the M4 high tech and creative industries ‘corridor’. Arts Management at Bath Spa offers a unique opportunity to engage with an extensive range of regional, national and international arts and cultural organization covering the full range of the creative industries from dance, theatre and music to digital creativity, the fine arts and fashion to heritage, museums and cultural tourism.

The Arts Management MA at Bath Spa builds on your own previous experience and background, expanding your professional arts knowledge, management skills, entrepreneurial thinking, and creative leadership skills. Designed and delivered in close collaboration with leading arts organisations, the course will provide you with the theoretical framework, appropriate skills and practical experience to meet the challenges of working in your chosen field.