Prospective Students

Arts Administration Program Overview

The Arts Administration Program at Southern Utah University provides a personalized, interdisciplinary education that develops well-rounded professionals employable in any arts discipline. We value experiential learning, collaboration, and advocacy. This engagement is essential for our collective future.

The faculty and staff of the Arts Administration Program exemplify excellence in teaching, scholarship, and professional contributions to the field of arts administration. This creates an environment that enhances the educational atmosphere of the program, instilling in the students a desire for lifelong learning. 

Master of Fine Arts Degree Track

The Master of Fine Arts degree track is a two-year academic and experiential learning residency, much like a conservatory, that includes 60 credit hours (see MFA Curriculum) combined with work opportunities through our professional affiliates. A limited number of students are accepted to the MFA track each year, thereby providing the highest level of personal instruction and mentoring in the classroom. Students also receive several opportunities outside of the classroom to participate in both scholarly and practical activities and projects. This combination of personalized academics and experiential learning gives students the tools necessary to compete in today’s job market.

Students admitted to the MFA degree track are automatically granted and assigned an Assistantship at one of our professional affiliates (the College of Performing and Visual Arts, the Southern Utah Museum of Art, the SUU Advancement Office,  and the Utah Shakespeare Festival) for 20 hours per week. The Assistantships includes hourly pay and a partial Tuition Waiver:

• In-state Students admitted to the program receive a 50% in-state tuition waiver from the AA Program per semester for their two years in the program. 

• Out-of-state Students receive a tuition waiver from the AA Program equal the difference between resident and non-resident tuition, taking out-of-state tuition down to in-state levels. Out-of-state students are required to gain Utah residency at the end of their first year. 

• International Students are not eligible for tuition waivers from the AA Program, but may qualify for partial tuition waivers awarded by the International Affairs Office. For more information, please visit their Cost & Scholarship page.  

Please note that tuition waivers do not cover student fees, which are the responsibility of each student. Tuition amounts can be found on the Southern Utah University Cashier’s Office webpage.

In total, the assistantship (including pay and tuition waivers) can represent an over $40,000 investment SUU and Arts Administration makes in each student over their two years in the program. 

Master of Arts Degree Track

The online Master of Arts degree track includes specialized graduate coursework totaling 36 credit hours (see MA Curriculum). Coursework in the MA Track is done entirely online and includes financial management, development, fundraising, marketing, legal issues, leadership, and board development. At the end of the program, students will complete a final project which focuses on the practical aspects of the academic material studied. Students can begin this degree track in either Fall or Spring semesters.

As this is an entirely online program, students are considered part of SUU's "Online Campus." Tuition in this Online Campus is one rate, no matter where in the world the student resides. This offers a significantly lower tuition than many universities around the country, as there is no hike in cost for out-of-state students. Tuition is charged based on the amount of credits taken (which can also allow students to budget in advance), and can be found on the Southern Utah University Cashier’s Office webpage. Assistantships and tuition waivers are not available to students in the online program.

Graduation Requirements

Graduate students on both tracks are required to maintain a minimum of a 3.0 (“B”) cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale. Additionally, graduate students will not receive credit for a course where they achieved less than a 2.0 (“C”). The student may be given an opportunity to repeat the course once at their own expense, but the program cannot accommodate offering the course outside of the sequencing provided, and if the student is on the MFA track, tuition waivers and assistantship placements will not be offered outside of the traditional twenty-four month period. If the student re-takes a course and receives less than a 2.0 (“C”) for a second time, the student will automatically be dismissed from the program.

If a student receives less than a Pass (“P”) in the Capstone (MFA track and MA track) or the Degree Defense (MFA track), the student will not be granted the degree and will be dismissed from the program. The Capstone and Degree Defense may not be repeated.

Photo: SUU Outdoors trip to Zion National Park (with some SUUAA students)