Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• MET AD 808: Capstone Project in Financial Management
  CAPSTONE IN FM
• MET AD 856: Market and Economic Research and Analysis
  This course will provide a comprehensive discussion of market and economic research and analysis, their key concepts, process description, qualitative and quantitative techniques for market research and data analysis, and application scenarios. Students will gain an appreciation for some of the breadth and depth of this subject and its significance for the business enterprise -- both from start-up entrepreneurship as well as an established business organization. The structure of the course is based on the six steps of the market research process: problem definition, development of an approach to the problem; research design formulation; fieldwork and data collection; data preparation and qualitative and quantitative analysis; report preparation, and presentation.
• MET AD 899: Capstone Project in Applied Business Analytics
  Prerequisites: all MS ABA core courses and at least two MS ABA elective courses. The Business Analytics Capstone Project provides valuable learning experiences and opportunities to apply a set of techniques, competencies, and procedures acquired after the completion of all core and specialization courses within the MS in Applied Business Analytics program. The purpose of this course is to obtain insights about a business that results in improved data-driven decision- making to create value on different levels of an enterprise. Includes application of statistical, stochastic, and dynamic modeling, data mining, forecasting, and operations research techniques to the analysis of problems of business organization and performance. R, Python, SQL, and Power BI software are used in this course. The solving of real problems facing different size companies are assigned to small teams of students and is overseen by our curriculum advisory board, ABA faculty, and business partners from a range of industries.
• MET AN 101: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
  Introduction to cultural anthropology, which seeks to understand the variety of ways that humans organize their experience and live in the world, including different configurations of kinship, sex, gender, ethnicity, race, religion, politics, and economics. This includes surveying different cultural groups and thinking about why they vary and what they have in common. The course also explores how anthropologists frame their inquiries, with special attention to globalization, and how we better understand our own lives, values, behavior, and worldview through studying other cultures. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.
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  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Social Inquiry I
• MET AN 102: Human Biology, Behavior, and Evolution
  Introduces principles of evolutionary biology, primate social behavior and adaptions, human origins, genetic/hormonal/neural bases of behavior, human socioecology, sexuality and aggression. Utilizes lectures, laboratory exercises, and discussions, to examine recent discoveries about human fossils, living primates, and human biology. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
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  • Critical Thinking
  • Scientific Inquiry I
  • Social Inquiry I
• MET AR 520: Introduction to the Art World
  This course provides students with an opportunity to become familiar with the vocabulary, institutions, processes, forces, and issues that define the landscape of the contemporary art world. An examination of the institutions and actors that comprise the Art World and significant recent trends. This course utilizes a model for the art world that posits an arts ecosystem consisting of four interrelated spheres: 1) Individuals; 2) Government; 3) the Nonprofit Sector; 4) the Private Sector. We will explore how the stakeholders in the art world (critics, curators, historians, administrators, government officials, performers, and artists) connect and interact with each other while engaging with significant institutions (cultural organizations, government, foundations) and the public to affect the cultural history of our time. This is the gateway course in the Arts Administration Program, and is usually taken in the first semester. [Non-Arts Administration students contact the Arts Administration Program at artsad@bu.edu. METAR 520 is a pre-requisite for METAR 615]
• MET AR 525: International Arts Practice and Policy
  This course is designed to help students in the MS in Arts and Cultural Management expand their awareness of global arts management practices and policies, and further develop skills in critical thinking and analysis. The course involves on-campus reading and preparation and travel to one or more countries outside of the U.S. for an intensive 7-to-9-day visit. The countries visited will vary from semester to semester. Countries visited in the past have included England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Spain, Cuba, and Thailand.
• MET AR 530: Managing Performing Arts Organizations
  A review of topics essential for successful management of performing arts organizations. Examination of both facilities management and company management. Studies include organizational structure, trustee/staff relations, marketing, audience building, fundraising, tour management, box office management, budgeting, mailing list and membership management, human resource management and contract negotiation, performance measurement, and strategic planning.
• MET AR 535: Managing Visual Arts Organizations
  A review of topics essential for successful management of visual arts organizations. Emphasizes museums, but also includes a review of alternative spaces, commercial galleries, and auction houses. Topics include the changing role of the museum, exhibition planning, fund-raising, crisis management, audience development, and strategic planning.
• MET AR 540: Fundamentals of Arts Marketing
  This course is designed to provide fundamental background in the theory and principles of marketing and audience development used by nonprofit performing and visual arts organizations. Case analysis will be employed to review strategies and practices currently used in the cultural sector. Students will be expected to develop their own marketing plans for an arts organization.
• MET AR 550: Raising Funds and Grant Writing for Nonprofit Organizations
  An examination of ways to raise funds from government, foundation, corporate, and individual sources. The following topics will be addressed through lectures and case analysis: the history of philanthropy, the planning and research process, proposal and grant preparation, program evaluation, and the role of the board and staff in developing effective fundraising strategies.
• MET AR 560: Fundamentals of Individual Fundraising
  Prerequisites: MET AR 550 - This course will address the full range of issues related to attracting financial support from individuals. Topics will include: raising dollars annually for operations, raising funds through special events (fundraisers), cultivating and soliciting major gifts, and the basics of bequests and estate planning as well as ethical issues and working effectively with donors and volunteers. Course work will include readings, case studies, and guest speakers.
• MET AR 565: Capital Campaigns
  This course is designed to broaden your understanding of capital campaign fundraising. Topics include feasibility studies; strategic planning and budgeting; private and public phases; ethical responsibilities; staff, donor, volunteer, board, and trustee management; major gift solicitation; campaign communications; trend analysis; and evaluation. The course curriculum includes readings, case studies, guest speakers, and analysis of current capital campaign projects.
• MET AR 570: Commercial Theater Production: The Broadway Model
  Prerequisite: METAR 100 Lab. - This course will examine the process of developing commercial Broadway productions from "page to stage." Students will examine the selection process that producers follow to identify a piece or property. We will examine the entire production process, from securing the rights and options, to legal processes including investor relations and collective bargaining, to assembling a creative and production team. Students will have the opportunity to meet with several Broadway professionals as guest speakers. Other topics covered may include securing a theater, residual, and subsidiary income as well as domestic and international touring. The leadership role of the producer will be discussed at every stage of the journey.
• MET AR 600: Special Topics in Arts and Cultural Management
  This course changes from semester to semester. More than one MET AR 600 can be offered in a given semester. Course descriptions for all sections are listed below. For more information, please contact MET Arts Administration.
• MET AR 610: Financial Management for Arts and Cultural Organizations
  Analyzes issues of accounting, finance, and economics in the context of the nonprofit organization. Stresses understanding financial statements, budget planning and control, cash flow analysis, and long term planning.
• MET AR 615: Legal Issues in Arts and Cultural Management
  Prerequisite: MET AR 520. "Arts Administration Law" is not a legal field; rather, it is a series of highly specialized legal analyses lying at the intersection of tax, intellectual property, employment, corporate law, and the law of non-profits that defines the legal status and issues of arts organizations. It is an interdisciplinary area, including all aspects of the law connected with art, artists (both performing and visual), performance and objects. Topics include: nonprofits and tax- exemption, contracts, copyright for performing and visual artists and artifacts, artists' moral rights, employment law, cultural heritage and the First Amendment. The course is taught using case studies and the case method applied to legal decisions, to which legal analytic frameworks will be applied.
• MET AR 640: Technology in Arts and Cultural Management
  The ever-evolving nature of digital technology presents opportunities and challenges in the work of arts administrators. In this course, you will examine a range of technologies employed by arts organizations to improve their practice and extend their reach, including customer relations management, fundraising, collaboration management, ticketing, project management, and social media management. You will also explore emerging products and trends, interact with practitioners to learn how they are using these tools, and engage in hands-on challenges to build competency in using emerging technologies such as interactive communication and Generative AI tools.
• MET AR 650: Public Art Project Management
  A hands on project-based collaborative class that will conceptualize, plan, and execute a public art project during the semester. Students will develop an understanding of the various challenges administrators face in all phases of a project, especially from the creative vantage of the artist. We will explore project funding, case study analysis of public art management, artist selection, and the unforeseen.
• MET AR 660: Curating in Multidisciplinary Contexts: Theory and Practice
  This course addresses the conceptual and practical aspects of curating in visual, performing, and/or interdisciplinary arts through the development and installation of a public curatorial project at one or more locations in Boston. Students will examine current curatorial discourse through readings, guest speakers/site visits, conversations, critical writing, research, and presentations. Students will discuss and enact ideas about concept development, venue selection and context, artist research and selection, exhibition design and layout, season or program development, audience engagement, timelines and budgets, and effective partnerships and collaborations.