Minor in Arts Leadership

This program is no longer accepting new students.

The minor in Arts Leadership is designed to provide students with the practical and strategic skills to become leaders in the arts and is designed to meet the needs of students in all BU colleges. Course selection is intentionally flexible in order to serve not only a broad constituency but also to allow students to hone leadership and thinking skills in particular areas of interest, including arts entrepreneurship, arts administration, and arts activism.

The College of Fine Arts recognizes that artists and creative thinkers need practical preparation for a life in the arts. As natural problem-solvers, artists are already well-suited as agents of social change and possess the potential to also be dynamic leaders. The Arts Leadership minor provides students with the tools and skills to put ideas into action.

The Arts Leadership minor:

  • Provides a range of practical skills, infuses entrepreneurial potential, and instills a commitment to arts advocacy that will better enable students to succeed in the increasingly competitive and multifaceted arts landscape of the twenty-first century.
  • Fosters an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to critical thinking for artists in society and addresses challenges faced by artists, educators, entrepreneurs, and organizations. The minor unites students from the arts disciplines both within the College of Fine Arts and within the University community.
  • Offers an attractive option for students who seek a well-rounded and multi-dimensional educational experience that will better prepare them to launch successful careers in the arts.

Program Outline

A 20-credit sequence of at least five courses, all of which must be completed with a grade of C or higher.

Required Courses (3)

CFA FA 550 Arts Internship (4 cr)

An essential component of the minor, the arts internship allows students the opportunity to gain real-world experience in a professional setting. Through experiential learning, students engage in the arts, develop new skills, expand their professional network, and further refine their career goals in the field of arts leadership. Each student will work with an Internship Advisor and Faculty Advisor.

CFA FA 510 Arts Leaders Forum (4 cr)

The Arts Leaders Forum consists of a series of conversations with arts leaders, including entrepreneurs, community leaders, and industry experts. Weekly guests will share experiences with the class. In addition to guest speakers, students will focus on leadership skills and exercises through readings and case studies. The goal of this course is to introduce students to pressing issues in the art world, to gain leadership skills, and to provide insight into career direction.

CFA FA 520 Career Development for Artists (4 cr)

This course is designed to help students identify and develop methods to apply their creative abilities in practical ways. Students will learn how to write a project proposal, prepare a budget, research funding options, and develop a marketing plan. Lectures and discussions will help to guide students in understanding their unique talents in order to reach their full professional potential.

Electives (2)

Students not in the College of Fine Arts are strongly encouraged to take at least one of their electives in an applied area in CFA (music, theatre, visual arts). A listing of classes open to the BU community is on the CFA website. Following is a list of approved electives for the minor; with advisor approval, other electives may be considered.

COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION
  • COM CM 311 Professional Presentations
  • COM CM 420 Ad Lab
  • COM CM 510 Computers in Communication
WHEELOCK COLLEGE OF EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
  • SED ED 212 Introduction to Positive Psychology
QUESTROM SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
  • QST LA 245 Introduction to Law
  • QST SM 131 Business, Society, and Ethics
    COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS
    • CFA AR 192 Intro to Drawing
    • CFA AR 521 Site-Specific Art
    • CFA AR 581 Web Design
    • CFA MH 105 Music Appreciation
    • CFA MH 336 Musical Cultures of the World
    • CFA TH 102 Intro to Dramatic Lit
    • CFA TH 110 Speech Communications
    • CFA TH 120 Acting & Performance
    COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
    • CAS AH 367 American Material Culture
    • CAS AH 497 Seminar: Contemporary Art
    • CAS AM 301 Perspectives on the American Experience
    • CAS AN 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
    • CAS AN 351 Language, Culture, and Society
    • CAS EC 101 Intro Micro
    • CAS EC 102 Intro Macro
    • CAS HI 300 American Popular Culture
    • CAS MU 242 Music and Society
    • CAS SO 100 Principles of Sociology
    • CAS SO 277 Technology and Society
    • CAS SO 304 Formal Organizations
    • CAS WS 214 Creating Women: Gendering in Literature, Art & Music

    If you have any questions or wish to speak with someone about the Arts Leadership minor program, please email cfastu@bu.edu with the subject line “Arts Leadership minor” so we may direct you to the appropriate program contact.