Arts Administration

Arts Administration combines art with communications, marketing, or business studies to prepare students for a wide variety of rewarding careers in the world of arts, design, and culture.

Students screen printing in an art class

Arts and culture are big business—and growing all the time

Our students combine their passion for the arts with business and communications skills that are in high demand. They put these to work at internships in museums, galleries, performing arts organizations, design firms and art studios. This winning combination opens doors to exciting careers in places like Boston, New York, London, and Hong Kong.

You can minor in Arts Administration at Simmons and additionally, some content in the current Arts Administration major will be transitioning to the new Humanities major in Fall 2024, pending approval.

You'll meet leaders in the field throughout your studies so you can discover the areas that interest you most in this highly personalized program.

A minor in arts administration requires

AADM143 Boston Arts in Action 4

Plus:

  • One other AADM course
  • Two art history or two music history courses

And one course from the following:

ACCT110 Financial Accounting 4
BUS100 Introduction to Business and Management 4
COMM122 Media Writing and Editing 4
COMM186 Introduction to Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communications 4

Internships are a key component of the arts administration program. There are a myriad of opportunities to build your skills, résumé and mentoring relationships with arts organizations in Boston and beyond.

Our students have recently found internship positions with world-class organizations like Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Boston Ballet.

Headshot of Alexandra Bohanan

Student Story

My dream is to have enough money and stability to create art freely and help the next generation of artists of color realize their dreams.

Spotlight on Arts Administration Students and Alums

Photo of Autumn Luz. Photo by Zave Smith.

Autumn Luz on Balancing "Speed," Creativity, and Physical Limitations

Arts Administration major and Dix Scholar Mary Garcia Charumilind '12 was highlighted by Jazziz Magazine for her debut original single, "Heat," released in late 2022 under her stage name Autumn Luz . More recently, she was featured in Glide Magazine...


Jane Carney '17

Jane Carney ’17 Supports Living Artists as Art Consultant at Boston Art, Inc.

Arts Administration major Jane Carney '17 on her pivot from auctioning "old master's" art at Christie's New York to selling the work of living artists at Boston Art, Inc.


Bailey Hilt '18

Bailey Hilt '18 Uses Arts Administration Skills in Marketing and Photography Position

Bailey Hilt '18 is a Marketing and Photography Specialist at Elkus Manfredi Architects in Boston, MA. She spoke to us about the Arts Administration skills she learned from Simmons, her past internship experiences, and how she applies this knowledge in...


Photo of Ifill Scholar - Anek Yen ’24

Ifill Scholar Anek Yen ’24 Finds her Passion in Arts Administration from a PR Perspective

Congratulations to Anek Yen '24, recipient of the Ifill Scholarship! We spoke with Anek about how she plans to use her PR skills to support her passion for art and art museums. What are you studying at Simmons? I'm studying...


Headshot of Alexandra Bohanan

Alexandra Bohanan '19 Looks to Gwen Ifill as an Icon

Congratulations to Alexandra Bohanan ‘19, recipient of the Ifill Scholarship! As you look to the future, what are your goals and dreams for yourself? My dream is to have enough money and stability to create art freely and help the...