Overview
Top reasons to study with us
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Award-winning, purpose-built facilities
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World Top 50 Arts & Humanities THE World University Rankings 2024
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World Top 100 Art & Design QS World University Subject Rankings 2024
Why Lancaster?
- Learn and explore management concepts in relation to the arts and culture sector
- Find out how arts organisations and artists make meaningful connections with the communities around them
- Engage with arts and cultural organisations via visiting speakers, workshops, and external projects
- Join our vibrant and diverse community of creative professionals and within Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Arts (LICA)
- Develop your interests and decide which direction to take your career with support from our arts and culture experts, and specialist careers team
Those who take up management roles in arts organisations are able to influence the future of those organisations and the impact they have on the communities they serve. What skills and knowledge do you need to meet the challenges of the role? How will you add your voice? And, most importantly, what will your legacy be?
Making your mark
Every student on this course has a different story to tell. You might meet people who have already worked in the sector and want to specialise in curation or arts participation. Other students come from a management background but have always had an interest in the arts. Whoever you are, you’ll fit in and we’ll help you find your path.
The course is all about the intersection of theory and practice. You will learn about theories that affect various aspects of arts management - such as arts marketing, cultural policy, leadership and strategy – and how you can use those theories to improve practice. You’ll explore a very wide range of topics, from cultural networks and policy to arts participation and leadership. You will also explore emerging issues in a range of arts and cultural organisations, such as the impact and use of artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies.
By the end of the course you'll be ready to make a difference through your knowledge, skills and passion.
How to connect
As well as exploring the issues facing the sector, you’ll look at how arts organisations can make meaningful connections with the communities around them. Perhaps your interests lie in the role of arts organisations in education, or in relation to promoting equality and diversity? Maybe you are passionate about the environment and how arts organisations react to the global climate crisis?
You'll benefit from our close connections to creative industries in the North West, such as Lancaster Arts, and we often invite professionals such as practitioners and industry experts to meet our students.
To apply everything you’ve learnt, you’ll carry out a research project on an issue relating to the sector or a particular organisation. You might look at environmental factors such as sustainability in the sector, exploring digital strategy in the arts or examining Covid-19 recovery.
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Student profiles
Our students tell us about their experiences of studying at Lancaster including, why they chose their courses, tips and advice for someone starting the course.
Student ProfilesCareers
You don’t need to start this course knowing exactly what you want to do. Throughout the course, we’ll encourage you to think about your options. Do you think you’d enjoy working with young people in the arts? If you want to start your own enterprise, we can help you there too.
Whatever you decide to do next, we’ll make sure you graduate with an understanding of what it really means to work effectively as a manager and your core strengths.
Our recent graduates have secured rewarding roles within the creative industries including:
- Venue and events supervisor
- Project manager
- Production assistant
- Events coordinator
If you are interested in continuing your studies with a focus on researching an area of particular interest to you, then you may be interested in staying with us to complete a PhD.
Entry requirements
Academic Requirements
2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in a creative arts, social science or management background
We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact us for information.
If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.
English Language Requirements
We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.
We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 7.0, and a minimum score of 6.5 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.
If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.
Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk
Pre-master’s programmes
Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master’s pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master’s degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.
Course structure
You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
Core
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The module introduces you to the role of management in arts organisations and the systems and processes that are present in these businesses. We will explore the different challenges that arts organisations face and reflect on the implications that this has for traditional management concepts.
The Creative Industries Research Project offers students a flexible opportunity to engage with the professional creative industries, either by conducting research in collaboration with an organisation, or by undertaking research into specific issues facing the creative industries.
During the summer term, students undertake a research-based dissertation, which will allow you to carry out an in depth study and produce an extended piece of work that is typically between 12,500-15,000 words.
This research-based dissertation will allow you to identify a topic that you wish to explore in-depth; this may be focused on a significant issue or issues that has impacted on the sector or specific industry.
This module covers general topics such as; the research process, different approaches to research, project planning and management, ethical issues, data collection and analysis, and subject specific research methods.
This module is an introduction to the UK cultural landscape and key themes in the arts and creative sector. It provides an understanding of the environment within which arts organisations operate and the strategic challenges they face. We will consider how business strategies are developed and implemented in this sector and develop a critical understanding of the environment that arts managers and leaders work in.
Optional
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In times when hope and fear about the environmental crisis alternate in our minds, when social and political change play havoc with our interpretation of the historic worlds we inhabit, it is crucial that we examine critically and creatively the ways and means by which such a crisis has come into existence. To do so, the module builds bridges across disciplines.
The module combines a place-based approach (Lancaster, the Morecambe Bay, and the Lake District) and an analytical focus centred on the dissonance and convergence of temporal scales. We seek to answer two questions in close dialogue with students:
- To what extent is the dissonance between the different timescales of the Earth system, the social and built environment, and the human imagination a contributing factor to political inaction and cultural indifference?
- In what ways can we better integrate these timescales while retaining the rigour, criticality, and creativity of the disciplines used to study each?
The module will explore topics such as tidal systems, coasts and estuaries; floods; the rise, fall and rebirth of particular narratives of change; ruins and memory; risk and CO2 trading; glacial archaeology and informality and hope.
This module is designed to enable you to explore your values, attitudes and interpersonal skills and to provide a platform for your continuing personal development. You will be introduced to concepts relating to self-development and reflective learning in order to identify your interpersonal and team-working skills.
Fees and funding
We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2025/26 entry fees have not yet been set.
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There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
College fees
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small College Membership Fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.
Computer equipment and internet access
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
For most taught postgraduate applications there is a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.
For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, tuition fees are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
Scholarships and bursaries
Details of our scholarships and bursaries for 2025-entry study are not yet available, but you can use our opportunities for 2024-entry applicants as guidance.
Check our current list of scholarships and bursaries.
Important Information
The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
Our Students’ Charter
We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.
Why Lancaster?
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League tables and reputation
A highly-ranked university with a global reputation.
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Your college will be your home away from home.
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Careers and employability
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Lancaster has so much to offer. On our campus, in our city and in our community, you’ll find your place – whoever you are.
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Where is Lancaster?
Lancaster is easy to get to and surrounded by natural beauty.
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The campus and the city
Our campus and the surrounding area is a great place to call home.
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Build your global community on campus and around the world.
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