Portrait Universität Zürich – Executive Master in Arts Administration

Leadership excellence for cultural organizations

The Executive Master in Arts Administration trains competent and visionary leaders who can master complex challenges and are ready for the demanding problems of social transformation. The EMAA is the only degree program in the German-speaking world to focus on leadership excellence for performing arts institutions. Especially in the current situation, the importance of knowledge-based management is growing in order to preserve Europe's cultural diversity.

Our core competencies

1. top-class lecturers from culture, business & science

Outstanding cultural decision-makers ensure an efficient mix of academic standards and practical orientation. Special emphasis is placed on the large and international network of lecturers and course directors, which makes it easier for students to position themselves in the working world.

2. practical orientation

Since the course was founded in 2004, the idea of the Master's School has been central alongside academic training: learning from the best, in an interplay of theory and practice. This is demonstrated on the one hand by the numerous lecturers who are in the middle of their professional lives in a business or cultural enterprise, and on the other hand by the business and cultural internships that every Master's student completes.

3. network

The numerous alumni form a worldwide and exclusive network; many EMAA graduates today occupy top management positions at prominent institutions and form a unique mix of lecturers and alumni. The interdisciplinary network of alumni, lecturers and the Executive Board offers graduates a platform to tackle current professional challenges long after graduation.

4. proven successes of our graduates

The EMAA has been training managers at university level since 2004 - and can now boast remarkable success: Numerous prominent management positions in cultural and commercial enterprises throughout the German-speaking cultural area are held by EMAA graduates.

5. continuously adapted curriculum

It is our aim to always be able to offer the best quality of education - which is why we are constantly updating our course: social change does not stop at cultural institutions and those who have the tools to deal with the new challenges will be successful.

6. personal support

We attach great importance to providing all students with targeted support during their studies - this is done on the basis of their individual profile, which includes experience from previous studies and professional goals as well as personal interests and personality traits. Thanks to the manageable group sizes, we are able to maintain an intensive exchange in courses, regular coaching sessions and on excursions.

Objective

In the interdisciplinary EMAA, graduates acquire the tools to master future challenges and are then fit for the future:

• theField of tensionBetween artistic planning, educational mission and economic pressure
• the attractiveSchedule designin a changing society
• the conception of forms of mediation in favor of the cultural participation of all
• theStrategiessocially acceptable and resource-saving cultural creation
• the successfulPositioningcultural content in a digital society
• dealing constructively with the growing pressure fromeconomic circumstances

Target audience

Our program is aimed at current and future managers in performing arts institutions (opera houses, dance theaters, playhouses, independent theaters, private theaters, concert halls, orchestras, festivals).

The part-time degree program also enables newcomers and career changers to make a successful start to their career in a cultural environment.

It is important to us to respond to the needs of students, their professional activities, their limited time resources and their environment, which is characterized by volatility, uncertainty and complexity. The Director of Studies supports students throughout their studies and is of course also available as a contact person between modules.

Structure

Didactics and methodology

The top-class lecturers (from the worlds of culture, business, politics and science) on our dual study program not only impart sophisticated academic knowledge, but also bring with them a wealth of personal experience from their many years in management. In addition to interactive teaching, knowledge transfer also takes place among the students through group work.

Certificates of achievement as part of the modules guarantee learning success and continuous self-evaluation. The profitable mix of methods consisting of lectures, case studies, workshops and practical modules on site ensures that the limited group of participants acquires maximum knowledge. The language of instruction is predominantly German, in some cases English.

Internships

EMAA students complete two six-week full-time internships, one in an artistic environment and the other in a business environment. Alumni and the Director of Studies are on hand to help them find an internship.

What they have learned is put into practice and they are offered unique opportunities to expand their personal network and career prospects. For newcomers and career changers in particular, the internships open up entry-level opportunities in cultural management that would hardly arise outside of this framework.

Thesis

In contrast to the CAS and DAS programs, the EMAA title requires a scientific thesis. Students are prepared for this as part of a module on "Scientific work".

Admission and admission criteria

Participants must have a Master's degree from a scientific or artistic Universities and professional experience. In exceptional cases, persons with a Bachelor's degree and specific professional experience may also be admitted "sur dossier".