The Bachelor of Arts in Arts Management program at Purchase College is wide in scope, fostering insight into almost every aspect of the commercial (for profit) & non-profit arts & entertainment industry. From music, to visual arts, theatre, film, TV, radio, the skills you learn are applicable to every form of art and every business.
Still, exploring the nuances of the management of a preferred art form is natural. Though Purchase does not offer specialization or degree tracks within the major & minor, the various electives, diverse faculty backgrounds, and independent projects allow students to explore their niche interests and prepare themselves for their professional goals.
Below you will find a listing of all the Arts Management courses, and semesters offered. Any questions should be directed to the registrar.
1000 – 2999 (lower level)
3000 – 4999 (upper level)
Introduction to Arts Management
AMG 1100 / 4 credits / Every semester
This introductory survey provides an overview of arts management, preparing students for upper-level courses in the arts management program. Topics include arts leadership and management philosophy, organizational structure, financial practices, strategic planning and programming, marketing and public relations, fundraising and development, volunteerism, and arts and entertainment law. Attention is given to the application of management principles common to arts organizations in both the nonprofit and commercial sectors.
Creative Producing
AMG 2060 / 4 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
A student-centered course in which teams collaborate to explore the creative process by envisioning a nonprofit performing or visual arts organization, conceiving it from mission statement to the first body of work. As projects progress, students develop innovative and critical thinking skills while applying basic principles of arts management to sustain their ventures in today’s cultural environment.
Prerequisite: AMG 1100 or permission of instructor
Arts and Entertainment in Economics
ECO 2085 Refer to Economics Courses (School of Natural and Social Sciences) for description. Formerly also offered as AMG 2085.
Finance for the Arts
AMG 2200 / 4 credits / Every semester
To do more than survive in a competitive economy, artists and their managers must learn business strategies for the financial side of their profession. Students are introduced to the basics of budgets, financial management, and accounting concepts that translate into usable information with practical significance for financial decision-making.
Prerequisite: Math fluency
Renowned Arts Leaders of 20th-Century Theatre and Dance
AMG 2250 / 4 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
An in-depth look at six originators of theatre and dance: Zelda Fichandler, Arena Stage; Hal Prince, Broadway; Joseph Papp, Public Theatre; Lincoln Kirstein, New York City Ballet; Harvey Lichtenstein, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM); and Alvin Ailey, Alvin Ailey Dance Company. Students choose leaders in theatre or dance to research and then present in oral and written formats.
Making the Case for the Arts
AMG 3010 / 3 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
Communicating the power of the arts to enhance the lives of individuals and transform communities is central to the success of today’s arts leaders, educators, and practitioners. Students explore U.S. cultural policy, law, social values, and market forces affecting the arts and entertainment industry as they develop a theoretical framework and advocacy skills to support arts participation as a fundamental human right.
Prerequisite: AMG 1100 or permission of instructor
Fundraising and Development in the Arts
AMG 3100 / 4 credits / Every semester
An exploration of fundraising and development for nonprofit arts organizations, including donor cultivation, prospect research, proposal development, annual fundraising campaigns, special events, corporate support and sponsorship, and Internet-based fundraising. Students also examine the history of U.S. arts and cultural philanthropy. Guest speakers and case studies give students an opportunity to apply concepts and techniques to real-world arts organizations.
Prerequisite: AMG 1100 or permission of instructor
Added Spring 2014 (9/09/13):
Introduction to Independent Producing
AMG 3150 / 4 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
How does someone become an indie filmmaker? Or produce a play? Students learn what it takes to produce their own work for theatre and film. Topics include building and maintaining healthy collaborations, pitching a script, cultivating investors, casting/staffing, budgeting, marketing, outreach and strategic communications, audience development, distribution, festivals, and crowd-funding platforms. Guest indie producers share their trade secrets for success.
Prerequisite: AMG 1100
Arts and Entertainment Law
AMG 3170 / 4 credits / Every semester
An introduction to fundamental legal and business concepts that affect artists and arts managers, with emphasis on copyright protection and infringement. Students study and analyze artist agreements, amendment protections for symbolic and literal speech and the limits to those protections, the basics of contract law and statutory protection for artists, and the terms and nature of business relationships, plus other important areas of the law that affect the arts community.
Prerequisite: AMG 1100 or permission of instructor
Performing Arts Management
AMG 3400 / 4 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
Students contemplate the question “How does arts management complement performing artists in the 21st century?” Analyzing best practices, students explore management methodologies that affect what happens on the stage. Topics include general management, nonprofit and for-profit company management, presenting (programming), facilities management, touring logistics, labor relations, and human resources.
Prerequisite: AMG 1100
Description revised Spring 2015 (5/20/14):
Marketing the Arts
AMG 3520 / 4 credits / Every semester
Provides an overview of fundamental marketing concepts and strategies relevant to promoting artists, events, and creative products. Topics include market research, audience development, traditional advertising, digital campaigns, public relations, branding, strategic partnerships, and grassroots initiatives. Using real-world examples and current trends, students develop foundational knowledge of the theory and practice of arts marketing.
Prerequisite: AMG 1100 or permission of instructor
Visual Arts Management
AMG 3535 / 4 credits / Every semester
Students learn the fundamentals of operating commercial art galleries, including curating, artist contracts, and developing client relationships. Additional topics include connoisseurship, detecting fakes in the secondary (antique) art market, and the current regimen of high-profile art fairs. Texts, class discussions, and practical assignments are applicable to a wide variety of visual arts–based careers.
Prerequisite: AMG 1100 or permission of instructor
Formerly offered as AMG 3530/Gallery Management (through Fall 2013).
Business Planning
AMG 3550 / 4 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
An introduction to the concept of and processes involved in strategic and business planning for arts organizations. Students review examples of completed plans and work on developing, from initiation to completion, a plan in class.
Prerequisite: AMG 1100; ECO 2085 or AMG 2200; AMG 3100 and 3520
Social Media and the Arts
AMG 3610 / 4 credits / Every semester
A hands-on approach to creating social media marketing campaigns. Topics include Facebook, Twitter, blogging, YouTube and viral videos, SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing), and virtual realities, as well as integration strategies and tactics. Viral theories, trends, and case studies are also explored.
Prerequisite: AMG 1100 or permission of instructor
Structures and Revolutions of Culture
AMG 3650 / 2 credits / Spring
A study of the power structures, ideology, and shifting environmental factors underlying the evolution of the cultural economy, defined in its broadest sense: the arts, entertainment, sports, and tourism. Designed to provide theoretical context for the innovative and strategic work of today’s cultural managers, topics include gatekeepers, tastemakers, the canon, and the dichotomies of high and low art.
Commercial Theatrical Producing
AMG 3800 / 4 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
Students learn how to commercially produce a play or musical. Topics include optioning, finding investors, creating a collaborative team, casting/staffing, budget planning, royalty structures, rehearsal periods, marketing and audience development, press relations, opening nights, maintaining the quality of the production, and touring potential. Guest professional producers describe how their shows were developed, marketed, and reviewed.
Prerequisite: WRI 1110 or permission of instructor
Reinstated Spring 2015 (5/24/14):
Arts Management Junior Seminar
AMG 3880 / 2 credits / Spring
Prepares students to complete their senior projects in arts management by strengthening analytic, writing, and research skills. Students conceptualize the focus and scope of their senior project through an intensive examination of arts management research while increasing their awareness of issues that affect artists, arts organizations, and the creative sector. Limited to arts management majors.
Prerequisite: AMG 1100
Arts Management Internship
AMG 3995 / 4 credits / Every semester
Provides students with practical experience in an area related to their interests through direct work with a nonprofit or commercial arts organization. To register for this course, students must obtain an Internship Program Learning Contract from the Career Development Center.
Formerly offered as AMG 3980.
Prerequisite: 30 credits, including WRI 1110
Arts Entrepreneurship
AMG 4100 / 3 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
It is critical for students in the arts to imagine new cultural landscapes and develop fresh ideas for revitalizing the impact of the arts in society. In this course, students explore and shape innovative, creative ideas; learn how to develop and mold them into feasible forms; and then build both linear and nonlinear business plans for their new projects and enterprises.
Prerequisite: AMG 3100, 3170, and 3520
Formerly AMG 4992; senior projects changed to I and II, credits increased from 3 to 4 each, and prefix changed from AMG to SPJ, Fall 2014:
Senior Project I and II
SPJ 4990 and 4991 / 4 credits (per semester) / Every year
In this yearlong independent study, students apply creative and reflective thinking to a research- and/or practice-based project of their choice. The senior project provides meaningful contributions to practitioners in the arts and entertainment industry while enhancing students’ career options. Guidelines, including specific expectations, are available upon request from the faculty coordinator or other members of the arts management faculty.
THE AMG EXCHANGE 