Program
About the Program
Where Leadership Meets Art
The MFA in Arts Leadership at Randolph College is a low-residency, interdisciplinary graduate program designed to cultivate the next generation of arts leaders.
Rooted in values of equity, sustainability, and community, the program trains students to lead cultural organizations with vision, creativity, and purpose.
Through a combination of immersive residencies, personalized mentorship, and rigorous coursework, students develop the practical skills and critical frameworks needed to guide arts institutions in a changing world.
Whether your passion lies in theatre, museums, music, visual arts, community practice, or cross-sector innovation, this program provides the tools to turn that passion into impact.
Randolph’s MFA in Arts Leadership is the first low-residency program of its kind in the nation.
It was built for artists, administrators, educators, and community builders—those ready to shape the future of the arts.
What You'll Learn
The program centers on four core learning outcomes that anchor every course, residency, and project:
Center the Arts in Community Culture and Identity
Design and support arts experiences that authentically reflect, enrich, and respond to the cultural fabric, values, and lived experiences of the communities you serve.
Build Enduring Cross-Sector Alliances for the Arts
Foster inclusive, strategic partnerships across sectors to champion the role of the arts in community life and create durable systems of shared support.
Strengthen Community-Rooted Organizational Resilience
Develop holistic financial and operational strategies grounded in mission, relationships, and long-term health of arts organizations serving complex and unique populations.
Foster Open, Mission-Driven Leadership
Cultivate leadership practices that inspire alignment, belonging, and shared purpose within organizations, with a focus on open opportunity, wellness, and values-driven culture.
Program Structure
The program is designed to be completed in two years, with start dates in both the fall and spring. Each semester includes:
- A 1-week Residency on the Randolph College campus in Lynchburg, Virginia
- A Semester-Long Mentorship with a working arts leader
- A Core Course focused on leadership, community design, financial strategy, or coalition building
In the final semester, students complete capstone projects that integrate their coursework, residency experience, and mentorship work into a culminating thesis or professional portfolio.
60-Credit Curriculum
- 4 x Semester Residencies (2 credits each) – 8 credits
- 4 x Semester Mentorships (8 credits each) – 32 credits
- 4 x Core Courses (4 credits each) – 16 credits
- 1 x Thesis Residency – 4 credits
Total: 60 credits
Core Courses
Each course is aligned with one of the four program outcomes and led by experienced faculty and field-based practitioners.
Organizational Leadership
Prepare to lead organizations that prioritize openness, wellness, and shared purpose.
Community-Centered Resource Strategy
Reimagine financial strategy and fundraising as acts of engagement and alignment.
Culture and Program Design
Design culturally responsive programs that foster connection and meaning.
Collective Action in the Arts
Learn how to build and sustain partnerships that drive broad, systemic change.
Mentorship Model
Each semester, students are paired with a practicing arts leader working in a relevant area of the field.
These one-on-one relationships provide real-world insight, project feedback, and professional development.
Mentors come from a wide range of sectors—including nonprofit management, performing arts, museums, literary arts, community-based practice, and cultural policy.
Residency Experience
Residencies take place in Lynchburg, Virginia and include guest speakers, site visits, collaborative workshops, and networking events. They serve as creative intensives that deepen learning, foster community, and launch each semester’s work.
Career Preparation
Graduates of the program are prepared to lead at the highest levels in a variety of settings:
- Executive roles in arts organizations
- Program and development leadership
- Cultural policy and advocacy
- Community arts and placemaking
- Consulting, research, and teaching
Randolph’s MFA in Arts Leadership positions graduates as agile, strategic, and values-driven leaders equipped to guide arts and culture into the future.
Residency Themes
Each residency focuses on a central theme that aligns with the program’s outcomes and reflects current trends and challenges in the field. Sample themes may include:
- Leading Through Change: Navigating Crisis, Growth, and Innovation
- Cultural Infrastructure: Building the Systems that Support the Arts
- From Transactional to Transformational: Values-Based Fundraising and Finance
- Community Power: Coalition Building and Collective Impact
Residency Format
Length: 5 days
Location: Randolph College, Lynchburg, Virginia
Schedule: Full-day sessions including evening activities and meals
Housing & Meals: Included in residency fees and arranged by the College
Travel: Students are responsible for travel to and from residency
Residency Goals
By the end of each residency, students will:
- Begin a new phase of mentorship and coursework with clarity and direction
- Deepen relationships with peers, faculty, and mentors
- Engage directly with current issues, tools, and practices in arts leadership
- Connect theory to lived practice through discussion, collaboration, and critique
- Reflect on their own leadership style and organizational context
Why It Matters
In a field that thrives on connection, imagination, and collective vision, the residency experience is more than just an academic requirement—it’s a vital space for transformation.
It’s where ideas meet action, and where a community of purpose-driven leaders take shape.
Each residency serves as a reminder that leadership is not a solitary act, but a shared practice rooted in trust, experimentation, and care.
Summer and Winter
Students apply to begin their MFA program in either a summer or winter residency.
- Summer Residency sessions are housed on Randolph College’s campus.
- Winter Residency sessions are housed off-campus.
Randolph College’s Campus
Located in the heart of Virginia, our 100-acre campus is in an historic, residential area of Lynchburg, close to the James River, and within walking distance to several restaurants and cafes.
Randolph is ranked #19 in the Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges: 2025 Edition and was one of 31 colleges on the Princeton Review’s 2023 Green Honor Roll for earning a perfect sustainability score.
Schedule
2026-2027 Academic Year
Winter 2026 Residency
January 8-14, 2026
Summer 2026 Residency
June 5-14, 2026
