Arts Administration, B.A.

Spotlight

Mann's career goals include working in music venues, and this summer she will get to do that as a Program Assistant at the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Institute in Highland Park, Ill., which strives to cultivate the next generation of classical and jazz musicians.

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Program Highlights

The Arts Administration major consists of Performance Learning experiences as well as courses that allow students to build a foundation for a forward thinking career working in the arts. Throughout their time at Millikin, students will participate in student-run ventures, arts organizations and events that nurture creativity and culture for themselves and the communities they serve. These students will be able to play a part in organizing, designing, promoting, fundraising, budgeting and staffing arts events throughout the campus community that put their artistic and leadership skills into action.

In addition to the University Studies requirements for a B.A. degree, students will complete 36-42 semester hours in the major core, as well as 12-16 semester hours in a chosen concentration.

Arts Administration’s core consists of foundational courses that include topics in marketing, entrepreneurship and business areas, while also allowing them to develop skills in their chosen concentration. This allows them to develop skills that will help them to become a practicing artist or technician in their artistic discipline of choice.

Concentrations:

Arts Administration Learning Goals

Students will:

achieve positive impact on the arts, artists, or arts organizations;
create strategy for the arts, artists, or arts organizations; and
build audiences for the arts, artists, or arts organizations.

Arts Administration is a major that prepares students for careers as arts practitioners, managers, and leaders in their communities.

Arts Administration Core Courses

Combine mission and vision to drive the arts.

AD323. Arts Management (3)
ET340. Foundations of Entrepreneurship (3)
MC312. Legal Issues in the Arts (3) or BU 260 Business Law (3)
ET235. Customer Discovery (3) or MK 363 Brand Loyalty through Digital Media (3)
3 semesters in an arts-based student venture OR 2 semesters in venture and 1 semester internship (3-9)

Choose 6 credits from the Following

CO/BU. 230. Business Conversations (3)
CO251. Introduction to Public Relations (3)
CO310 Small Group Communication (3)
CO332. Gender Communication (3)
CO341. Organizational Communication (3)
CO343. Communication and Conflict (3)
CO432. Intercultural Communication (3)

AD360. Topics in Arts Administration (3) or additional 3 credits listed above or course by approval

Business Core

MK200. Principles of Marketing (3) or IS 240. Foundations of Information Systems (3)
AC230. Introduction to Financial Statements (3) or ET 230 Financial Decision Making (3)
EC100. Macroeconomics (3) or EC. 110 Microeconomics (3) or EC. 120 Principles of Economics (3)

Students are tasked with being an arts administrator in one or more student ventures where they work with clients to serve their digital media needs or host exhibitions, concerts, and theatrical performances in the arts, putting their skills in making and leading to action.

Arts Administration Core Courses (Credits)

AD323. Arts Management (3)

Through the continued practice of collaboration, analysis, and professionalism, students will understand the basics of the wide range of types of arts organizations and the process of staffing, budgeting, marketing, development and season planning. As an ongoing project, students will apply what they read, learn, and practice toward their entrepreneurial creation of a hypothetical arts based business.

AD360. Topics in Arts Management (3)

This course is designed to explore advanced topics in Arts Administration. Topics could include Fundraising, Grant Writing, Policy, Customer Development in the Arts, etc.

ET340. Foundations of Entrepreneurship (3)

This course will provide students with the understanding of the entrepreneurship process: Recognize opportunity, identify target market, convert ideas to concept, determine and acquire resources, implement and lead the organization, and harvest and exit. Searching for a valid business model, students will take their business ideas through the process and create a feasibility study and operating plan. Students will also acquire an understanding of business ethics and social responsibility in business creation.

MC312 Legal Issues in the Arts (3)

Explores the unique relationship between publishing and copyright. Copyright terminology and applications, legal issues involving contracts, intellectual property, the Internet, and electronic publishing; application of the foregoing to case studies and current trends in the industry. Pre-requisites: Junior standing

BU 260 Business Law (3)

This course is the study of the legal environment for business, and gives particular emphasis to topics such as contracts, liability, agencies, partnerships, corporations, property, bankruptcy, sales and negotiable instruments. Pre-requisite: Sophomore standing

ET235. Customer Discovery (3)

This course will apply design thinking and the lean startup process to understand customer needs and pains and validate the aforementioned through market experimentation. Students will learn to create hypothesis of customer needs, identify customer segments, iterate on performing customer interviews in various contexts, conduct validation experiments, and analyze feedback.

MK 363 Brand Loyalty through Digital Media (3)

This course focuses on how to develop and build brand loyalty through digital media like websites, social media, mobile apps and emerging technologies. Students will learn about the basics of brand dynamics and user experiences. Case studies will be used to illustrate how individual brands use digital media to develop and build brand loyalty culminating with the creation and promotion of your personal brand through digital media. Learn (best social media practices), discover (your personal brand0, create (an online presence), measure (your impact) & analyze (your efforts).Students will complete a social media management system certification. Pre-requisites: MK200, Junior standing.

AT321/TH390/AR390/MC390/AR325/IS390/MC160 Student-run Ventures (3-9)

AT321. Millikin Creates (1) Millikin Creates is a student run digital media firm that creates visual, interactive, or audio solutions for clients on campus or in the community. This student venture also creates custom content surrounding innovation, creativity, and technology and publishes on a variety of digital platforms. Students interested in arts technology, project management, entrepreneurship, and/or digital journalism are encouraged to enroll. Prerequisite: Instructor approval. TH390. Pipe Dreams Studio Theatre (1-3) Students enrolled in TH390 are the Artistic and Production Teams of Pipe Dreams Studio Theatre, Millikin's student-run theatre company. Teams meet weekly to establish goals, set timelines, and execute plans in addition to presenting a monthly report to the Pipe Dreams Advisory Board. Emphasis is placed on concept and business development, programming, and marketing/branding. AR390. Blue Connection (3) Students enrolled in AR390 are the Gallery Team of Blue Connection, Millikin's student-run retail art gallery. The Gallery Team meets weekly to establish goals for management, inventory, marketing, collaboration and finance. They set timelines and execute plans in addition to presenting reports to faculty and advisory boards. Emphasis is placed on strategic planning, opportunity recognition, and ownership. This course also serves as the BA capstone for the art department. MC390. First Step Records (1) Managing and operating First Step Records, Millikin University's record label and publishing entity. Students gain practice learning opportunities in production, manufacturing, accounting, legal affairs, publishing, marketing/ promotion/sales, graphic arts, artists and repertoire, and e-commerce. Students also explore entrepreneurial opportunities in music business. Pre-requisite: junior standing in MUMB or consent of instructor. AR325. Graphic Design: Ad Agency (3) Designed to familiarize the student with problems and solutions encountered in daily work situations. Assignments include the design of catalog covers,brochures, letterheads, logos and posters. Students will have the opportunity to interact with real clients and learn professional skills related to the design profession. Studio and lecture. Pre-requisite: AR125 or 201. IS390. Millikin University Performance Learning Consulting Technology Venture. This course is an intentional fusion of innovation, technology and entrepreneurship and provides a capstone experience to the information systems program. Students will ideate, pitch, fund, and launch a technology venture of their own creation. Through the use of various technology platforms, students will develop business models for technology venture creation.

CO/BU. 230. Business Conversations (3)

Students will practice the skills necessary for interpersonal and group communication in a business setting. This includes the use of communication technologies for presentation and meetings. Fulfills the University Studies Oral Communication Studies requirement.

CO251. Introduction to Public Relations (3)

Covers basic public relations principles and tools such as research, planning, media relations, press releases, public service announcements, brochures, newsletters, layout and printing techniques, position papers, and special events. Pre-requisite: CO101 or consent of the instructor.

CO310 Small Group Communication (3)

Designed to provide students with an understanding of theory, research and methods of group interactions. Practical application stressed through study of roles, conflict and leadership. Pre-requisite: CO101 or consent of instructor.

CO332. Gender Communication (3)

This course explores the relationship between communication, gender, and culture in various contexts such as in the media, relationships and organizations. Also, in analyzing these various contexts we investigate how gender is culturally constructed through communication by examining expectations, identities, roles, similarities, and differences.

CO341. Organizational Communication (3)

Examinations of the theories of communication within an organization. Topics include formal and informal networks leadership and management styles, human relations, and corporate culture. Practical application through case studies, simulation and analysis of local companies. Pre-requisite: CO101, junior or senior standing or consent of instructor.

CO343. Communication and Conflict (3)

Introduces students to effective strategies for addressing conflict and mediating disputes. Participants analyze the ways they handle conflict and investigate theoretical approaches to conflict mediation.

CO432. Intercultural Communication (3)

Students will learn the theory and research about communicating with various cultures, races and ethnicities. This course will provide insight into norms, values, beliefs and practices in various cultures. Major goals of this class will be to understand, adapt, and appreciate communication with different cultures, races, ethnicities. Ultimately, the focus and outcome is to improve one’s intercultural communication competence, both verbal and nonverbal in various intercultural situations. While we will cover various cultures, races, ethnicities, students will develop an in-depth project on one particular culture, race, ethnicity. Counts toward the International Cultures & Structures requirement.

MK200. Principles of Marketing (3)

Students will use the marketing concept of satisfying customer wants and needs to learn and critique the marketing functions (product, price, place, promotion, people) of local and global businesses. Pre-requisite: Sophomore standing.

IS240. Foundations of Information Systems (3)

Students will use the marketing concept of satisfying customer wants and needs to learn and critique the marketing functions (product, price, place, promotion, people) of local & global businesses. Pre-requisite: Sophomore standing.