Arts Management Education in the Netherlands
Small, but very international
Though the Netherlands aren't such a large country as the UK or Germany, a lot of arts management faculties has been established. The reason therefore lays not only in the rich cultural scene that needs management professionals, but also in the high number of foreign students. Courses like in Utrecht or Rotterdam are offered partially in English, so it became much easier for foreigners to meet their decision to choose a Dutch university for their graduate studies.
Series "Education"
Beside the language, the aspect of degrees plays an important role. The Bologna process (implementation of Bachelor and Master degrees) has been carried out very early there, so the courses became more attractive for young people especially from the neighborhood countries Germany and France. Though the degree alone doesnt express a specific level of education quality, it is much more flexible to follow standards like the so called European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). The earned credit points are easier to use later in a next education, or in case of a move into another country during an education phase.
As in other countries, in the Netherlands the arts management courses have specialized themselves following both the general specialization of the university and the needs of the regional or local market. This is a reasonable development not only for a competition between the educational institutions, but also because the expectations of the students on those courses are definitely different. The decision of the prospective course participants depends on which cultural discipline (museum, performing arts) or management skill (marketing/communication, policy, administration) they are mainly interested in, which degree they like to achieve or if they plan to create a start-up enterprise instead of an employment career in the public sector.
The Faculty of History and Arts at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam is a small, but dynamic one. With two bachelor programmes, three master programmes, two post academic programmes, a certificate programme and a variety of courses, the faculty offers an interesting scope of teaching programmes. Accordingly, research at the faculty takes place in the field of History, Art & Culture and Media. Best known is the research activity of Prof. Ruth Towse in the field of cultural economics. The faculty is offerring an exciting master program in cultural economics and cultural entrepreneurship, taught in English. It reflects the dynamic development in the cultural industries with exploring their economic preferences and market interrelationships. It deals with topics such as the supply, demand and pricing of the performing and creative arts and cultural heritage, finance of the arts and debates over public subsidy and commercialisation. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the literature and ready to contribute their own research. The course consists of research seminars on cultural economics, cultural industries, organizations in the cultural sector, finance of the arts and culture and arts management and marketing. Another part of the programme are workshops on methods of research, data collection and analysis and preparation of the master's thesis. The thesis is an independent contribution to a topic of the student's choice. The programme is taught in English and will take students twelve months to obtain a master degree. It is also possible to study part-time over a two-year period, but the programme can only be followed during daytime. The programme carries 60 ECTS.
Another important course is offered at the Utrecht School of the Arts. Lead by Prof. Giep Hagoort, the faculty offers a Bachelor of Art and Economics with a high proportion of communicate both artistic experiences and an entrepreneurial thinking. In the first year of the course, the students will take classes and work groups in subjects including management, marketing, cultural policy and economics of the cultural sector. The people will immerse themselves in the worlds of music, theatre, dance, visual art, design, film, radio and TV. The students will immediately be involved in the practical side: one day a week each student works with a cultural organisation of his or her choice. The Faculty of Art and Economics is famous for its close relationship to the cultural organizations the students work in, so the practical training can be much better balanced with the theoretical education inside the school. After the first year, the students can choose in which direction they want to proceed: Arts and Media, Entertainment, Performing Arts, or Design.
The 1 year master's programme in Arts and Heritage at the University of Maastricht examines the concepts of 'heritage' and 'art' as expressions of past and present culture. It tries to find definitions of the key concepts and their changes in meaning throughout history, as well as their interrelation to society and social developments. This analysis is linked to policy theory and practice and is reassessed under the aspects of management and administration. You therefore not only gain insight into the theoretical essence of arts and heritage, but also acquire professional and academic skills in the practical organisation and development of artistic projects in contexts such as cultural management. Following the analytical results of the first semester, the second semester offers great scope for practical personal development and specialisation, within a network of professional or academic partners, both nationally and internationally. The programme can be followed in either Dutch or English.
How do the arts function in a culture? How are works of art created (production), how are they distributed, how are they experienced (reception), how can you analyze and interpret them (processing)? What is the role of media (for example the body, language, audiovisual and electronic media) as expressions of the arts in a culture? The Arts, Culture and Media (KCM) Bachelor degree programme at the University of Groningen poses questions in a wide, interdisciplinary framework. The emphasis is not only on the history of arts and media - not only in general, but also the separate art disciplines - but also on the analysis, theory and philosophy of arts and media (hermeneutics, semiotics, art forms, philosophy of art), of the functioning of the arts in society (art sociology), and of the organization of the production, distribution and reception of the arts (arts policy and art management). All courses are taught in Dutch.
More information: http://www.artsmanagement.net/index.php?module=Education&ed_region_id=14
As in other countries, in the Netherlands the arts management courses have specialized themselves following both the general specialization of the university and the needs of the regional or local market. This is a reasonable development not only for a competition between the educational institutions, but also because the expectations of the students on those courses are definitely different. The decision of the prospective course participants depends on which cultural discipline (museum, performing arts) or management skill (marketing/communication, policy, administration) they are mainly interested in, which degree they like to achieve or if they plan to create a start-up enterprise instead of an employment career in the public sector.
The Faculty of History and Arts at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam is a small, but dynamic one. With two bachelor programmes, three master programmes, two post academic programmes, a certificate programme and a variety of courses, the faculty offers an interesting scope of teaching programmes. Accordingly, research at the faculty takes place in the field of History, Art & Culture and Media. Best known is the research activity of Prof. Ruth Towse in the field of cultural economics. The faculty is offerring an exciting master program in cultural economics and cultural entrepreneurship, taught in English. It reflects the dynamic development in the cultural industries with exploring their economic preferences and market interrelationships. It deals with topics such as the supply, demand and pricing of the performing and creative arts and cultural heritage, finance of the arts and debates over public subsidy and commercialisation. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the literature and ready to contribute their own research. The course consists of research seminars on cultural economics, cultural industries, organizations in the cultural sector, finance of the arts and culture and arts management and marketing. Another part of the programme are workshops on methods of research, data collection and analysis and preparation of the master's thesis. The thesis is an independent contribution to a topic of the student's choice. The programme is taught in English and will take students twelve months to obtain a master degree. It is also possible to study part-time over a two-year period, but the programme can only be followed during daytime. The programme carries 60 ECTS.
Another important course is offered at the Utrecht School of the Arts. Lead by Prof. Giep Hagoort, the faculty offers a Bachelor of Art and Economics with a high proportion of communicate both artistic experiences and an entrepreneurial thinking. In the first year of the course, the students will take classes and work groups in subjects including management, marketing, cultural policy and economics of the cultural sector. The people will immerse themselves in the worlds of music, theatre, dance, visual art, design, film, radio and TV. The students will immediately be involved in the practical side: one day a week each student works with a cultural organisation of his or her choice. The Faculty of Art and Economics is famous for its close relationship to the cultural organizations the students work in, so the practical training can be much better balanced with the theoretical education inside the school. After the first year, the students can choose in which direction they want to proceed: Arts and Media, Entertainment, Performing Arts, or Design.
The 1 year master's programme in Arts and Heritage at the University of Maastricht examines the concepts of 'heritage' and 'art' as expressions of past and present culture. It tries to find definitions of the key concepts and their changes in meaning throughout history, as well as their interrelation to society and social developments. This analysis is linked to policy theory and practice and is reassessed under the aspects of management and administration. You therefore not only gain insight into the theoretical essence of arts and heritage, but also acquire professional and academic skills in the practical organisation and development of artistic projects in contexts such as cultural management. Following the analytical results of the first semester, the second semester offers great scope for practical personal development and specialisation, within a network of professional or academic partners, both nationally and internationally. The programme can be followed in either Dutch or English.
How do the arts function in a culture? How are works of art created (production), how are they distributed, how are they experienced (reception), how can you analyze and interpret them (processing)? What is the role of media (for example the body, language, audiovisual and electronic media) as expressions of the arts in a culture? The Arts, Culture and Media (KCM) Bachelor degree programme at the University of Groningen poses questions in a wide, interdisciplinary framework. The emphasis is not only on the history of arts and media - not only in general, but also the separate art disciplines - but also on the analysis, theory and philosophy of arts and media (hermeneutics, semiotics, art forms, philosophy of art), of the functioning of the arts in society (art sociology), and of the organization of the production, distribution and reception of the arts (arts policy and art management). All courses are taught in Dutch.
More information: http://www.artsmanagement.net/index.php?module=Education&ed_region_id=14
An overview by Dirk Heinze, editor-in-chief
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