Exploring the Master of Arts Management

9.9.2025 0 Like 0 kommenttia

Students Matilda and Yesol explain how the program provides the skills for all the creative, managerial, and entrepreneurial work that happens behind the scenes.

The full interview is also available as a podcast episode.

What are you studying and what is your background?

Well, I’m Matilda and I’m studying the master’s program Arts Management at the Sibelius Academy. The official name is Arts Management Society and Creative Entrepreneurship. My background is in applied theatre in Finland, and I worked in children’s theatre as an actor, director, and scriptwriter. I later moved into an artistic director role and became interested in the managerial side, which led me to this program.

I’m Yesol and I’m from Korea, and before studying Arts Management at the Sibelius Academy, I worked in Korea for some time, somehow always part of the culture or art field. When I applied for this program, I felt the need to change my direction a little bit. Studying here is a shift from my work life to academia.

What do you study? What is the structure like?

Matilda: It’s a lot of different subjects related to various aspects of management. For example, we’ve had a course in sustainable cultural leadership and have studied cultural policy. It’s everything that goes on around or behind art organizations. Our studies are very academic; we read a lot, write a lot, and attend many lectures.

Yesol: My interpretation of what we study here is everything behind the scenes of artistic work. It can be how an organization functions, admin tasks, or even financial management, it’s all part of our program. It’s really anything behind the art scene or the art world. We have a diverse group of 15 people from different areas, including producers and artists, which makes it hard to summarize in one word.

What happens after graduation? What are some concrete examples of what an arts manager does?

Matilda: This is the question I try to avoid, but I can speak for myself. Since I worked in the artistic process of creating theatre plays, I’m interested in working in a creative area, but maybe through the managerial side. We met alumni from the program who have gone into various fields. Some are doing PhDs, while others are working as managers in museums or as administrative managers.

Yesol: I got to know the concept of arts management when I was applying for an internship at a Korean Culture Center abroad. They were looking for people with knowledge of the culture scene who could produce and execute different types of exhibitions, concerts, festivals, and even film festivals. Arts management is an umbrella term for people who do all these different things.

Matilda: We also study things like audience engagement. For example, you could work as an audience developer in a theatre, which involves marketing and creating pedagogical materials. I hate to say it, but what you do after graduation really depends on your personal interests.

Can you explain the degree structure?

Yesol: It’s a two-year program. The first year is quite busy and intense, with a lot of mandatory courses. We can have up to seven hours of lectures a day, and there’s a lot of sitting in the classroom. In the second half of the program, we write our thesis, which is hopefully a bit more relaxed. We have a study trip that we organize ourselves, and we are planning to go to Paris to meet with art organizations.

Matilda: We’re in our first year. Next year, we will have many elective studies, which is a big reason I applied to this program. We can take courses from other academies or partner universities. Some people might be interested in the financial side and go to a business school, while others, like me, might be more into the creative part. The freedom to attend courses across the entire University of Arts is really exciting, as well as the study trip.

What do you learn in the lectures and from the theory?

Matilda: We have a lot of group work in almost all of our courses, which has made us professionals at it. In a group project analyzing an art organization, we had a one-hour meeting and were able to create a presentation that we felt we totally nailed it. This made us realize we had honed the skill of working efficiently together to compile and present information clearly.

Yesol: For me, the group work helps me experience what it would be like to work with people in the culture field. Some of us already have work experience, and some don’t, but I really like the group of people in our program. I feel that getting to do the group works together and having discussions in class is a larger learning experience for me than the actual content of the courses. I appreciate the time collaborating with people.

How was the application process?

Matilda: The application process is remote since it’s an international program. The first phase involves writing essays and other assignments to prove you can write academic English. After a selection process, people are invited to a remote interview. We had a pre-task for the interview as well. For me, it helped reduce pressure because I was just talking to people on Zoom from my home.

Yesol: The interview being remote was really nice. Years ago, for other Sibelius Academy programs, you had to be physically on campus for the entrance exam, but everything was remote for us. I was determined to travel to Finland if I had to, but the remote process was a pleasant surprise. It also saved a lot of traveling.

What would you say to someone who is interested in arts management?

Matilda: Don’t do it for the money. The current political situation has led to funding cuts in the cultural sector. But you do have to be really passionate.
Yesol: I’ve seen people working without passion, just for the purpose of working, and I hated being in that environment. As long as you have a passion for the arts, you should pursue it.

Matilda: When I started my own theater group after my bachelor’s degree, I realized how much work goes into the managerial side. It felt overwhelming at first because I didn’t have the formal training. Now that I’m studying this, I’m getting the framework for how things are run and what is required to run an arts organization. It suddenly feels less scary and overwhelming. There’s a reason there are different working areas within an arts organization, and this program teaches you how it’s done.

How do you keep your passion and yourself healthy and well?

Matilda: Our professor said that if you are from the arts you have to maintain your art somehow. You should make sure you find time to do what you’ve been doing, to keep your inspiration up.

Yesol: I try to balance my input and output. Input can be learning, socializing and going to museums. But I need to secure some area for output, that’s me being creative. Writing, journaling, drawing and even baking.