MFA in Arts Leadership
Set to begin in July 2026, this terminal degree program will prepare graduates for leadership roles in diverse arts fields and the broader nonprofit sector.
Where Leadership is Art
Arts leadership today requires more than management. It calls for vision, cultural fluency, and deep-rooted community engagement.
As arts organizations across the country reimagine their roles, values, and impact, a new generation of leaders is stepping forward. These are leaders who understand that sustaining the arts means sustaining the people, places, and partnerships that make them possible.
The Randolph MFA in Arts Leadership responds to this moment with a radically accessible, community-centered model of graduate education. Built around real-world projects, cross-sector mentorship, and immersive residencies, the program equips students to lead with clarity, empathy, and purpose.
Focusing on accessibility, well-being, and collective action, our low-residency program prepares students to build lasting cultural infrastructure, support artists and communities alike, and reimagine leadership as a creative and transformative practice.
In this program, art is not just what we support. It is how we lead.
The Degree
This terminal degree is designed to cultivate mission-driven leadership and community-rooted strategy through advanced, practice-based training in:
- Arts and Cultural Program Design
- Cross-Sector Collaboration and Advocacy
- Organizational Strategy and Sustainability
- Inclusive and Purposeful Leadership
The Randolph Difference
Low Residency
Take courses remotely from home and spend five 1-2 week residencies on campus.
2 Year Program
Earn your degree in 4 semesters of coursework, mentorships, and on-campus residencies.
Mentorship
Work one-on-one with a faculty mentor who provides training, feedback, and direction.
Versatile Faculty
Our faculty are leaders and visionaries representing a wide range of artistic fields and voices.
Faculty and Lecturers
The Randolph MFA in Arts Leadership program is dedicated to creating the field’s next generation of arts professionals.
Deeply committed to the complex realities of communities across the U.S., our faculty reflect a wide range of artistic practices…
- Performing Arts Institutions – performing arts centers, theatres, festivals, dance companies
- Visual & Media Arts Organizations – museums, galleries, film/media orgs
- Community Arts & Multi-Disciplinary Models – arts councils, cultural coalitions, placemaking orgs
- Hybrid/Creative Economy Models – maker spaces, design collectives, digital platforms, cross-sector arts partnerships
News
Accreditation
The Randolph College MFA in Arts Leadership is designed to meet the standards for approval and accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and is currently under review.
