MAAA-MPA Dual Degree

Make the arts policies that matter

At the O’Neill School, you can earn a Master of Arts in Arts Administration in combination with a Master of Public Affairs with any MPA concentration.

As an MAAA-MPA dual degree student you will develop skills in quantitative analysis, public sector management, budgeting, and public policy while gaining expertise in arts management, marketing, law, and cultural policy.

Over 60% of O’Neill master’s students receive funding.

Competitive funding packages are available to assist in making our top-ranked school affordable. Email us about funding your degree. 

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96%of reporting 2021-22 MPA dual degree masters students go into employment or continuing education upon receiving their degree

Fall term application deadlines

  • Priority deadline: January 15 
  • Final deadline: June 1 
  • International: January 15 

The MAAA-MPA Program

2degrees

5semesters

The course requirements for the dual MAAA-MPA can be completed in just five semesters, plus a 280-hour internship usually completed during one of the summers in which you’re enrolled in the program.

The curriculum requires a total of 63 credits for graduation. Of these, 18 credits are earned through MAAA core courses, 15 credits through MPA core classes, 15 credits through MAAA management and policy areas, 15 credits through the MPA concentration, and includes the 0-credit internship and practicum experiential learning requirements.

All students enter the program in the fall semester. This dual degree provides a combination of skills especially well-suited for you if you have an interest in doing applied research for arts organizations in the commercial, nonprofit, or public sector.

  • AADM – Y 502: Organizational Behavior and the Arts
  • AADM – Y 530: Audience Development and Marketing the Arts
  • AADM – Y 558: Fund Development for Nonprofits
  • AADM – Y 562: Legal Issues in the Arts
  • AADM – Y 650: Seminar in Arts Administration

Financial Management (choose one)

  • AADM – Y 515: Financial Management for the Arts
  • SPEA – F 526: Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations
  • SPEA – F 560: Public Finance and Budgeting

  • SPEA – V 506: Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making (3 credits)
  • SPEA – V 517: Public Management Economics (3 credits)
  • SPEA – V 532: Social Equity and Justice (1.5 credits)
  • SPEA  - V 536: Rights and Responsibilities: How Law Shapes Public Affairs (1.5 credits)
  • SPEA – V 537: Designing and Managing Complex Projects (1.5 credits)
  • SPEA – V 548: Evidence-Based Decision Making (1.5 credits)

Policy Process (choose one)

  • SPEA-V 512: Public Policy Process (3 credits)
    SPEA-V 538: Comparative and International Policy Process (3 credits)

Performing Arts (3 credits; choose one)

  • AADM – Y 508: Managing Performing Arts Organizations or
  • AADM – Y 511: Performing Arts Center Management

Visual Arts (3 credits; choose one)

  • AADM – Y 506: Curating for Museums and Galleries or
  • AADM – Y 525: Museum Management

Arts and Cultural Policy (3 credits; choose one)

  • AADM – Y 551: Cultural Planning and Urban Development or
  • AADM – Y 559: Public Policy in the Arts

Technology Management (3 credits; choose one)

  • AADM – Y 500: Topics in Arts Administration: Digital Literacy in Arts & Culture
  • SPEA - I 515: Data Science in Public and Environmental Affairs
  • SPEA - I 519: Database Management Systems

Community and Place (3 credits; choose one)

  • AADM - Y507: Seminar in Community and Place or
  • AADM - Y526: Arts and Social Change


Students can choose from all existing MPA concentrations. Your academic advisor, MAAA and MPA program directors, and MPA faculty advisors will help you navigate options that work best for your degree and career goals.

Explore MPA concentrations

  • AADM-Y 550: Practicum in Arts Administration (0-3 credits)

    The practicum requirement includes three 50-hour projects completed over the course of your degree; this course includes various professional development sessions throughout each semester

  • AADM-Y 750: Internship in Arts Administration (0-3 credits)

    The internship requirement consists of one 280-hour internship, typically completed in the summer between your first and second year of the program

Learn more about experiential learning and explore recent internships

“The MAAA program is the place where you will learn to think critically about the opportunities and challenges facing artists and arts organizations. The pandemic has forced a significant ‘reset’ on the field, which, while difficult, also provides the ability for administrators to experiment, innovate, and drive positive change. By studying with our extraordinary faculty, by learning from and working with arts leaders from around the nation, and by building a network that will support you throughout your career, you will finish this degree prepared to help reshape our cultural landscape for the better.” 

—Karen Gahl-Mills, Director, Arts Administration Program

See all Arts Administration faculty

 

Gain real-world experience while still in school

You can join professional student organizations that offer networking and current information on events in the industry.

Get involved

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Katie Skayhan, MAAA-MPA’18

“School transformed my worldview. My mentors helped me grow as a more thoughtful leader, strategic thinker, and advocate for cultural equality. My peers inspired me to keep dreaming and lead for the greater good.”

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Kiotta Marshall, MAAA-MPA’18

“O’Neill afforded me so many opportunities, both in and out of the classroom. Not only have my courses armed me with the knowledge to successfully enter the nonprofit sector, but my experiential learning offered even more valuable lessons in inplementing this knowledge.”