Arts & Festival Leadership MA

Job Description

International application for a September 2026 start is now closed.

Arts, Festival and Cultural Management – MA Are you interested in shaping the future of the arts and cultural sector? This long-established and forward-thinking MA in Arts, Festival and Cultural Management will enable you to gain a better understanding of the management of cultural organisations and the individual factors that shape the environments in which they operate.

The course will appeal to a range of individuals and will qualify you for a broad range of management positions within a wide spectrum of cultural organisations and festivals.

It may interest those already working in the sector who want to gain a formal qualification, as well as those with undergraduate degrees, perhaps in arts and humanities subjects, who have not studied management previously and who are looking for a career change.

The course is delivered both full time and part time with start dates in September and January, and offers the flexibility to develop your skills and knowledge whilst in employment.

Why Q MU?

• Flexible study options that are particularly suitable if you are already working in the sector or wish to do so when studying: Available full time, part time or by single module study, you will be able to study around your work commitments. The course offers both a September and January start each year.
• A course that will assist you in your current role or create a route to a new career: You will be qualified for a broad range of management positions within a wide spectrum of cultural organisations and festivals.
• Our small class sizes are perfect for sharing experiences and fostering new ideas: Enjoy the support of staff and encouragement of fellow students. While lecturers are experts in their fields, we believe it is vitally important to have a strong community of learners around you. These will no doubt be important to your learning and development, but also as future colleagues and support networks.
• Unique course content designed to prepare you for this broad sector: Our focus on the relationship between theory and practice aims to ensure that you become a reflective practitioner who is not only aware of the insights of festivals and cultural management, but also aware of the contextual realities of this practice.
• Teaching team with wide-ranging expertise: Our staff have a wealth of experience in both the theory and practice of cultural management, and all come from very different perspectives, giving our students a broad overview of the subject. The lecturers have collectively been involved in activities such as writing national policies, guiding international research, leading cultural projects and businesses, and advising the government on cultural policy. Our team’s research has also been published widely – including several books on the subject – and we have written reports for national bodies on a wide variety of subjects. As such, we have significant, broad knowledge of the sector to share with students.
• Great location for studying and future employment in this area: Our location, just six minutes by train from the heart of the world’s greatest festival city, is sure to enrich your learning experience and provide many opportunities for work-based experience and future employment.
• You’ll be part of an international cohort of students: Students on this course come from across the globe, and sharing your experiences will prove to be of real benefit.
• Optimum balance of theoretical and practical learning: The course offers a variety of learning experiences, including industry-based learning, which are sure to enrich your studies. Real-world assignments are designed to develop and consolidate your new key skills.
• Industry input and our professional links ensure you are up to date with key developments: The course has been developed over time in co-operation with key national cultural agencies and other bodies with a strategic interest in the development of arts organisations and festivals. Our location in the ‘Festival City’ also allows for strong practical links between the course and the many arts, festival and cultural organisations based in and around Edinburgh, across Scotland and the UK.

Interview with MA Arts, Festival and Cultural Management student, Shuyi Hsieh

By encouraging you to become critically reflective, the course will develop your knowledge of the contemporary issues affecting the management of arts organisations and festivals, and equip you with the practical management skills essential for developing a career in the field.

Mindful of the need for students to develop vocational skills, several assignments are designed to build the knowledge and skills required to become effective practitioners in the field. In addition, you will be required to arrange and undertake practical experience within cultural organisations to complement your studies. Our industry networks are very strong, and resourceful students can utilise these links to develop their careers within the cultural sector.

Structure and exit awards

You can opt to study for the full MA (180 credits), a PgDip (120 credits) or a PgCert (60 credits). Please note all students enroll onto the full MA degree initially.

You can also register as an associate student to complete a single module for CPD. On completion of a single module, you may wish to complete further modules and progress your studies to a named award. We also offer a block-taught PgCert Arts Management . Contact Alice McGrath for more information on single module study.

Teaching, learning and assessment

Teaching comprises a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, case studies, simulation exercises, field trips and projects, as well as a period of industry-based learning. Assessment throughout the course will take a variety of forms, including essays, reports, exams, group and individual presentations, as well as a dissertation or project for the final MA component.

Placements/Industry-based learning

The course does not require a formal placement, but we do require you to take up industry-based learning opportunities to assist your learning and to put the theory into practice.

These industry-based learning opportunities are offered by many of the world-famous organisations that are based in Edinburgh (eg the Edinburgh International Festival, Fruitmarket Gallery, Lyceum Theatre).

Although we support you to find opportunities, you are required to secure your own arrangements in line with your personal interests. As we are in Edinburgh, the world’s first and best ‘Festival City’, there are no end of opportunities in this regard, and we are well regarded by our industry peers: many of our alumni now work in these organisations and advocate for us.

If you are already working in the sector, you can use your existing employment as the site for your industry-based learning.

Teaching hours and attendance

Your specific timetable will depend on whether you are studying full time, part time or a single module, but all teaching on the course occurs on either a Thursday or Friday. For those undertaking part-time study, you will only be required on campus for one of these days per each year of study. Each module involves around 20 hours of face-to-face teaching per 10-week semester. Timetables will normally be available to matriculated students around one month before you commence your studies.

Normally, there are around 20 to 25 students enrolling on the course each year.

Teaching staff

You can read more about the teaching staff on this course at the bottom of this page. You can also click on the staff profiles immediately below. Please note that teaching staff is subject to change.

• Strategy and Sustainability within Cultural Organisations (20 credits): This module will support you to critically reflect on economic, social, and environmental sustainability in the arts and cultural sectors and develop strategic knowledge, skills and competencies to contribute to a more sustainable future.
• Contemporary Debates in Cultural Policy (20 credits): This module will provide you with a critical understanding of key cultural policy debates that impact the work of managers in the cultural and creative industries. You will look at policy in a critical manner and assessments include a short article as well as a longer essay examining the function of policy in regards to the cultural sector.
• Designing Qualitative Research (20 credits): This module will prepare you to undertake a postgraduate research project by developing your knowledge and understanding of qualitative research methodologies and methods. You will interrogate your own assumptions of knowledge production and research, and the assessment (a Lit Review and Research Proposal) can be used as a mechanism to prepare for the dissertation project
• Fundraising, Finance and Development (20 credits): This module will equip you with a critical understanding of the principles and practices of fundraising, development and financial management. The assessments invite you to examine financial support mechanisms (eg completing a funding application or designing a sponsorship pack) as well as financial literacy exam. This module marks our course as quite unique in this regard.
• Planning and Marketing Cultural Projects (20 credits): This module will provide you with a critical understanding of the principal skills, techniques and practices necessary to manage and evaluate arts and cultural projects . click apply for full job details