Arts Administration Admissions

General Requirements

Applicants to the Arts Administration Program must have completed a Bachelor’s degree (or the international equivalent) in a relevant area of the arts, business, or the liberal arts. Students will be required to have a cumulative undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for admission consideration.

Admission Materials

The following materials must be sent to SUU Admissions by March 15th (MFA), August 15th (MA Fall Start), or January 1st (MA Spring Start):

1. SUU Graduate Programs Admissions application form, including the Statement of Purpose
2. Resume including academic, professional, and volunteer experience
3. Three (3) letters of recommendation
4. Official transcripts from each college or university attended (unless the institution is SUU)

For information on what should be included in the Resume, Letters, and Statement of Purpose, please visit the FAQ page of this website.

MASTER OF FINE ARTS
All applications received for the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) track will be reviewed by the AA Admissions Committee beginning the 1st week of February each year.

Applicants who make it past this first "paper" stage of the admissions process will be contacted directly by the Program Director beginning the 2nd week of February to schedule an interview. We suggest the interview take place in-person, but because of the ongoing pandemic, interviews can take place virtually this year. 

Interviews are held during February, March, and April, and include class attendance, meetings with various stakeholder groups, and tours of campus and our professional affiliate organizations. 

We hope to announce the full Fall cohort during the last week of April, if not sooner.  Acceptance letters can start going out as soon as March 2nd, right after the MFA Admissions deadline date, but that is not common. Remember, admission to the MFA track is very competitive as we only accept 4 to 6 students per academic year.

MASTER OF ARTS (online)
All applications received for the Master of Arts (MA) track will be reviewed by the AA Admissions Committee beginning the 1st week of June (Fall start) and beginning the 1st week of October (Spring start) each year.

Applicants who make it past this first "paper" stage of the admissions process will be contacted directly by the Program Director (do not contact the school to schedule) beginning the 2nd week of June (Fall start) or beginning the 2nd week of October (Spring start) to interview for a position in the cohort, which is the second stage of the AA admissions process. Applicants who make it to this point are welcome to interview in person, but are only required to have a virtual interview.

Committee evaluations and interviews for the MA track take place on a rolling basis from June to September and from October to January, or until the semester in question begins.

Application Assessment

The AA Admissions Committee will assess the quality of the applicant based on the following areas:

• Leadership skills as evidenced through the Resume (detailing applicant’s undergraduate activities, civic volunteerism, internships with a professional arts organization, and/or a paid professional experience in arts or nonprofit organizations), the Statement of Purpose (addressing educational and career goals), and the Interview.
• Communications skills as evidenced through the Resume, the Statement of Purpose, and the Interview.
• Interpersonal skills as evidenced through the Letters of Recommendation and the Interview.

Preference is given to applicants who have work and/or volunteer experience in the arts or non-profit sector or related fields after completion of a bachelor's degree program.

The Program Director and the AA Admissions Committee may make exceptions to admissions policies on a case-by-case basis.

Photo: SUUAA Orientation (2021)