Master in Arts Management and Administration - MAMA SDA Bocconi

The Art of Managing the Arts

Leveraging Italy’s excellence in cultural heritage and artistic production, the Specialized Master in Arts Management and Administration (MAMA) is a full-time 1-year program in English, offering 70 ECTS/CFU credits, designed for talented students from all over the world, with international vocation profiles and a passion for the arts.

MAMA aims to support artistic innovation and cultural development worldwide, by strengthening the leadership and management skills required for arts organizations to thrive, and for your career to flourish in a wide range of organizations operating in the arts sector.

Why choose us?

1. Well-Rounded Managerial Preparation, with a Specialized Focus
   • You will follow a focused training path, providing you with a specifically tailored managerial approach for the arts and the cultural industry.
2. Strong Theoretical Business Foundation, Plus Applied and Practical Activities
   • You will become part of a world-class School of Management and of MAMA excellent network, sharing best practices and offering insights in arts management.
3. Seminars and Visits Culminating in the Grand Tour in Italy
   • You will get a managerial perspective of the greatest World Cultural Heritage sites and develop your analytical skills through several seminars and insider visits.
4. Final Internship or Field Project
   • You will get ready for different roles in the world of Art Management by applying all the knowledge and experience gained during the program and carrying out your Internship/Field Project/Personal Start-up.

Who is it for?

MAMA is the Master for you if:

• You are passionate about arts and culture and are looking for a well-rounded managerial preparation, with a specialized focus on the art world and on the cultural industries.
• You want a career as a professional, manager, consultant, or entrepreneur in artistic and cultural fields.
• You want to improve your managerial expertise in one of Europe’s leading schools of management.
• You want to get in touch with top Italian and international arts organizations and their leaders.

A Challenging Program to Build a Solid Career

MAMA wants to offer you solid foundations in management, including practical, creative, and professional skills, by creating a stimulating environment, focusing on an international market with a multidisciplinary approach, and enriching it all with unique experiences such as the Grand Tour in world-famous centers of Italian culture, or MAMA internships, a chance to work for one of MAMA's main partners or collaborating institutions.

Learning Model

MAMA is an intense full-time program. The learning model provides class sessions and case studies together with many active methods such as assignments, simulations, company visits, etc. You will meet experienced SDA Bocconi Arts Management faculty, but also international visiting professors from leading business schools from all over Europe and the USA, as well as professionals, artists, and executives in the field. Extra-curricular activities, such as an Italian course for non-Italian speakers, or an Excel course, are also offered to students.

An Engaging Teaching Method

While in the morning you work in class, afternoons are spent in teamwork, exercises, business-case analysis, assignments, and role-playing business games. Furthermore, you will experience company visits and field projects, and attend seminars, complementary courses (such as Italian classes for non-Italian speakers, with the possibility of achieving the CILS exam - Certificazione di Italiano come to Lingua Straniera - or Excel course), and other complementary activities (cultural development seminars, skills development seminars, coaching, public speaking exercises, etc.).

Attendance is mandatory: typically Monday through Friday from 8.30 am to 2.30 pm with a break for lunch. Therefore you can expect at least 6 hours of classroom activity per day, plus a few hours of study at home or on campus with your classmates.

In addition, attending the many events taking place in Milan will give you a solid understanding of the unique challenges of managing arts and creativity.

Participants are also involved in a field project commissioned by partner institutions. The internship, which lasts at least 10 weeks, or the launch of a start-up in the arts sector, is mandatory and will enrich the learning process.