Communication, Media & Theatre Arts

Where Art Creates Community

40 years of practice in Arts Management & Administration allows Eastern to offer students a direct pipeline from the classroom to their careers. From day one, you will experiment with theories and develop your own arts management practice. By using service-learning, community art partners, and professional internships you will build your resume as you earn a degree. 

Our Academic Programs

Undergraduate

Undergraduate students majoring in Arts and Entertainment Management build knowledge in multiple arts disciplines with an opportunity to study a specific art in more depth.

All majors are required to complete a minor from the College of Business in Entrepreneurship, Management, or Marketing. Each student builds practical experience by completing two internships with on-and-off campus employers.

A minor in Arts and Entertainment Management is available for students in any major. Articulation agreements with Henry Ford Community College and Washtenaw Community College feed seamlessly into our AEM major. 

Core AMA classes include:

• Arts management
• Creative process
• Production and distribution of art
• Marketing
• Fund development
• Cultural policy

Graduate

Graduate students have two options:

1. Masters in Arts Administration
2. Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship

Both programs are designed for students who have had intensive undergraduate study in arts, communication, or business. Degrees prepare students to assume administrative positions within performing and visual arts organizations, initiate creative entrepreneurial projects, or manage their own creative work.

With an AMA Degree, I Can Be . . . 

Hear from Current Students and Alumni 

Student Activities and Involvement

AMP!

AMP! is the student organization of the AMA Programs at Eastern Michigan University. AMP! is dedicated to connecting EMU student artists with audiences, venues, and opportunities. AMP! both empowers student artists to move their creative practices into careers and offers opportunities for the entire EMU community to explore their own creative side.

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Collaborations

As arts managers, we often collaborate with groups of artists on and off-campus! Through classes, campus organizations, and personal connections, our students work to ensure arts thrive in our region.

• EMU Theatre
  Our arts management students often work behind the scenes promoting, organizing, and occasionally performing in EMU Theatre productions. 
• EMU School of Music & Dance
  The EMU School of Music and Dance provides incredible performances year-round for Eastern Michigan University and the surrounding community. In Fall 2021, EMU AMA students enrolled in Data Literacy in the Arts surveyed audience members.
• EMU School of Art & Design
  Our arts management students work closely with the EMU School of Art & Design for various events and programs. Currently, the department is collaborating with current MFA and MA graduate candidates at Eastern Michigan University to promote their spring exhibition, held at 22 North Gallery here in Ypsilanti.  
• Chelsea Arts Initiative
  In the past, we have collaborated with leaders from the Chelsea Arts Initiative on cultural planning projects as part of our dedication to academic service learning. 
• Ann Arbor Film Festival
  AMP! is a partner with the annual Ann Arbor Film Festival, the oldest avant-garde and experimental film festival in North America. The six-day festival presents 40 programs with more than 180 films from over 20 countries of all lengths and genres, including experimental, animation, documentary, fiction, and performance-based works. AMP! sponsors a film each spring and leaders introduce the work prior to its screening. 
• Arts Advocacy
  Eastern Michigan University offers a class in Arts Advocacy to our Arts Management & Administration Majors. Their coursework includes participation in the National Arts Action Summit, held annually in Washington D.C. Students meet with arts advocates and congressional leaders, bringing passion, knowledge, and application to advance policy.

Professional Experience

Professional Affiliations

• Americans for the Arts
• Creative Washtenaw
• Association of Arts Administration Educators
• Culture Source

Internship Opportunities

Internships and applied learning opportunities provide critical experiences for students and secure a seamless entrance into the field of arts and entertainment. AMA's multiple on-campus internships, travel classes, and academic service-learning classes provide students with real-world experiences that translate directly to their future careers.