Meadows’ new degree in arts management is a collaborative effort. (Courtesy of Meadows)

Graduate students looking to go global now have one more option thanks to SMU’s newly announced master’s degree in international arts management.

 In conjunction with HEC Montreal and the Bocconi University Graduate School of Management, SMU has announced an international advisory committee with the two institutions to launch the 12-month program that will have its students spending one four-month session at each of the three partnering schools.

 The advisory committee is a who’s who among the arts world and includes names such James Abruzzo of DHR International, Maxwell L. Anderson, the director of the Dallas Museum of Art as well as many more notable advisors.

“The international advisory committee members will provide input on program content and help make key strategic decisions,” Zannie Voss, chair of the Division of Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship at SMU, said. “They will also provide connections to the field for our students and serve as worldwide ambassadors for the program.”

Coursework in the new program will be focused on cultural policy, international law, the arts, cultural economics, urban planning and more.

The three institutions have nonprofit arts administration offerings and the new masters program will combine the standard management courses with courses addressing the challenged of leading arts organizations.

Natalie Coca, a soon-to-be SMU graduate, expects the new program to bring in world-class talent.

“I think it’s a really cool option for graduate schools,” Coca said. “Like a lot of my classmates, I’m looking for options beyond just my undergraduate degree and the new program would work well with my existing Meadows degree. It’s like studying abroad and getting a master’s degree at the same time.”

The new major is the second of big changes for the Meadows curriculum. In July, the school announced that alumnus James Hart, Class of 1996, would lead the school’s arts entrepreneurship minor. The program is one of only few similar programs in the nation.

“The creation of this undergraduate minor is one of Meadows’ most significant curricular initiatives, giving our students the opportunity to learn how to turn their artistic dreams into sustainable business plans. Audition skills are not enough,” Meadows Dean Jose Bowen, said.

“With the appointment of James Hart – an artist and educator with extensive experience in the fusion of arts and entrepreneurship education – the Meadows School is already positioned as the leader in this new and critical field.”