Master of Public Administration/Master of Arts (Curatorial Studies)

Joint MPA/MA (Curatorial Studies) Program

The Master of Public Administration /Master of Arts in Art (Creative) and Art History (Concentration in Critical and Curatorial Studies) joint degree program takes advantage of overlapping interests and synergies that can arise from mutual interests in non-profit management and curatorial studies. Students in the Critical and Curatorial Studies track of the MA program will benefit from the broad managerial focus of the MPA program, while students in the MPA program can enhance their expertise in an important area of non-profit endeavor. Efficiency is attained by allowing students to complete both programs in a more expeditious manner. Taken separately, the two programs require a total of 73 semester hours of work, while the joint program requires a total of 55 hours. Completion of both programs should improve students’ initial job prospects as well as their ability to advance in their chosen field.

Curriculum

The MPA/MA joint degree program requires a total of 55 semester hours. These hours consist of courses that satisfy MPA and MA core and elective requirements as shown below. Note that the individual degree program requirements listed total more than 55 hours due to the fact that some of the courses apply to both programs (see the Summary of Joint Degree Requirements below).

MPA Core Requirements (30 semester hours)

PADM 600 Public Administration and Organizational Theory

PADM 602 Applied Research Methods
PADM 601 Statistics for Public Affairs
PADM 603 Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation
PADM 604 Public Budgeting and Finance
PADM 606 Public Policy

PADM 624 Ethics in Public Administration

PADM 642 Human Resources Management
PADM 695 Thesis

Note that students take only 3 credits of PADM 695 but fulfill the 6-credit PADM Thesis requirement by completing 3 credits of ARTH 645/646 (see below).

MPA Electives (15 semester hours)

Students enrolled in the joint MPA/MA program will include 15 semester hours of electives from the Critical and Curatorial Studies concentration. The following courses will satisfy this requirement: ARTH 542, ARTH 547/647, ARTH 548/648, ARTH 649, and a 600-level Arts Management course (such as PADM 609 or 612).

MA Core Requirements (16 semester hours)

ARTH 541 Modern Perspectives in the Visual Arts
500- or 600-level elective in Art History
500- or 600-level elective outside Fine Arts Department
500- or 600-level elective outside the Critical and Curatorial Studies concentration (recommend students choose from PADM 609 or 612)
ARTH 645/646 Thesis
ARTH 600 Graduate Seminar

MA Electives (15 semester hours)

Students enrolled in the joint MPA/MA program will take ARTH 542, ARTH 547/647, ARTH 548/648, 600 level Arts Management course (PADM 609 or 612 are recommended), ARTH 649, and a written thesis with exhibition or curatorial project (ARTH 645/646) combined with the PADM thesis (PADM 695).

Summary of Joint Degree Requirements
The minimum requirements for the joint degree include the following:

Required Courses   

Core Courses for Joint Degree Semester Hours Total


PADM 600 Public Administration and Organizational Theory 3

PADM 602 Applied Reserach Methods 3
PADM 601 Statistics for Public Affairs 3 
PADM 603 Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation 3 
PADM 604 Public Budgeting and Finance 3 
PADM 606 Public Policy 3

PADM 624 Ethics in Public Administration

PADM 642 Human Resources Management 3 
ARTH 541 Modern Perspectives in the Visual Arts 3 
500- or 600-level elective in Art History 3 
500- or 600-level elective outside Fine Arts 3  
500- or 600-level elective (outside the C&CS concentration) 3 
PADM 695 Thesis 3 
ARTH 645/646 Thesis 3 
ARTH 600 Graduate Seminar 1 

Core Total  43

Electives for Joint Degree  

ARTH 542 Approaches to Critical Inquiry  3 
ARTH 547/647 Museum Methods I  3 
ARTH 548/648 Museum Methods II 3 
600-level Arts Management Course 3 
ARTH 649 Curatorial Internship 3 

Elective Total  15

Total Number of Credits  55

Thesis

Each student is required to complete a thesis requiring a total of 6 semester hours consisting of 3 hours of PADM 695 and 3 hours of ARTH 645/646. The thesis is expected to bridge the fields of non-profit administration and curatorial studies. The thesis committee will consist of three faculty members, including at least one member from the MPA faculty and one member from the Fine Arts faculty.

Admission

Prospective students must apply to each program and satisfy the admission criteria for each.

APPLY HERE

Advising

Students should meet with the Urban and Public Affairs advisor as well as the Curatorial and Critical Studies concentration advisor to set up their programs of study. The two departments will collaborate on planning an individual program of study (particularly in regard to internship placements and thesis development) appropriate for jointly admitted students.

Contact Details

Janet Kelly, P.h.DMPA Program Director
Phone: (502) 852-2435
Email: janet.kelly@louisville.edu

Yani Vozos, MUP, Student Advisor
Phone: (502) 852-8002
Email: yani.vozos@louisville.edu

Master of Public Administration Program
School of Urban and Public Affairs
426 W. Bloom Street
Louisville, KY 40208

Phone: (502) 852-7906
Fax: (502) 852-4558
E-mail: upa@louisville.edu

John Begley, Gallery Director
Department of Fine Arts
107 Schneider Hall
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky 40292
Phone: (502) 852-4483
Email: jpbegl01@louisville.edu

Additional Information
MPA Program
Department of Fine Arts